In the conference room of Ho Tung Real Estate, Lin Zhichao and Ho Dong each signed their names under the witness of their lawyers, which can be regarded as a formal deal - Cheung Kong Real Estate won the land of No. 77 Des Voeux Road Central of Ho Tung Real Estate at a price of 4.16 million Hong Kong dollars, with an area of 16,500 square feet.

For the planning of this site, Lin Zhichao has decided to marinate it until the late fifties before considering building the most beautiful building in Hong Kong.

"Thanks to Sir Ho Tung, this site is very suitable for the construction of the headquarters building, with Victoria Harbour in front of it, which is very suitable for my global shipping." Lin Zhichao said with a smile.

Just south of the Central Pier and north of the newly reclaimed area of Central, the future Exchange Tower and the International Finance Centre, Lam Chi-chiu would be able to overlook Victoria Harbour and overlook the bustling business of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

He Dong said: "It's a pity that the land is still a little smaller, otherwise you can build a beautiful building like HSBC." ”

Between the words, there are many joking tones, which shows that the relationship between the two is still good.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "How dare I compare with my God of Wealth, I am already satisfied with being able to build a new building." ”

He Dong said: "If you can lay such a foundation in five or six years, I believe that in the future, even if your business is not as big as HSBC, it will not lose too much to it." When I was young, I was like Ling, full of ideas to make money; When I saw you, I thought of when I was young, but unfortunately I am old now, and I can only guard my own one-third of an acre of land, and I don't want to make progress. After speaking, I couldn't help but show my affection for the old scene.

How could he lose to HSBC, Lin Zhichao thought in his heart.

"Sir Ho has won the prize! However, the younger generation is really a little similar to you when you were young, because my first pot of gold was also to introduce a house to Boss Li of Po Chai Pill, and since then, I have developed a strong interest in making money, and I don't want to make money all the time. ”

He Dong was overjoyed, because Lin Zhichao mentioned one of the most important things in his life, and it was also the most critical thing in his opinion - when he was 26 years old, he got involved in the real estate brokerage business (part-time, and he was a comprador of Jardine Matheson), and he heard that Tuan Na & Co. was going to sell a piece of land, located between Des Voeux Road and Queen's Road in Central, so he took the initiative to ask for an agent. Duanna knew his character and ability, so he entrusted him with carte blanche and set a reserve price of 300,000 Hong Kong dollars. In the end, Ho Tung lived up to expectations and sold it for HK$435,000, breaking the highest record for the unit price of land since the opening of Hong Kong. Ho Tung takes a commission of 1% from the buyer and the seller, totaling HK$8,700.

The two chatted happily, and of course, there was also a reason why Lin Zhichao was good at communicating.

Another old residential complex - located at Nos. 16-20 Kimberley Road and Nos. 40-46 Cana's Branch Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, was signed by Li Gaofu himself and Ho Tung Real Estate, and the price was negotiated, a total of 1.02 million Hong Kong dollars. This old residential complex covers an area of 23,350 square feet, because there are residences on it that can be rented, so it cannot be given according to the land price, and such a residential building can be planned for commercial area.

Overall, it is less than 50 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, which is really cheap. If it is reserved for development in 1955, it can be built into a 10-storey high-rise building, with more than 20 residential units on each floor, that is, more than 200 units, each priced at 3~50,000 Hong Kong dollars, which is also a great profit.

Back at Cheung Kong's office, Hu Zhaoxu came to Lin Zhichao's office and reported another piece of good news.

"Boss, the owner of No. 79 Deep Water Bay has agreed to put it on sale, and the price is set at 480,000 Hong Kong dollars! After all, this owner is just an officer stationed in Hong Kong, and he knows that he doesn't know when he will be sent to the battlefield on the peninsula or return to China, so it is better to cash out. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, in the final analysis, he was still defeated by his money ability. Although this transaction was originally very abrupt, it was Lin Zhichao who took the initiative to seek a deal because he felt that Feng Shui was good; Naturally, the British officers took the opportunity to sit on the ground and raise the price, selling it at a price of 20%.

For Lin Zhichao, it is not a problem to buy two percent more expensive, who told him to be determined to win No. 79 Deep Water Bay!

This piece of land is only 12,000 square feet, but it can't stand the excellent feng shui, there is a surrounding mountain behind it, and there is a repulse bay in front of the side, surrounded by mountains and water; Nie Gaochen Mountain and Shouchen Mountain become a 'double gold treasure gold bureau', this place has no flat land, it is excavated, so it forms a mountain lip, so that the dragon qi gathers and does not disperse.

"Then arrange a signing!"

"Okay, it's this Friday, it's a good day to sign a contract, I'll talk to the owner."

"Feasible"

After Hu Zhaoxu left, Lin Zhichao stretched his waist, thinking about the progress of this year's property in his heart. To be honest, although shipping is profitable and can also bring him great prestige, it gives Lin Zhichao the feeling that there is no property to make people feel at ease.

After all, there is some truth to the old saying that there are three points of danger in sailing. And the property is the eternal 'hegemony', you think that the landlord has disappeared, but in fact it is just a change of people, a different way.

Cheung Kong has also achieved a small success, owning properties such as Half Side Street of Paterson Street (covering an area of more than 210,000 square feet), Sing Tao Orchard Road (covering an area of more than 200,000 square feet), No. 77 Des Voeux Road (16,500 square feet of commercial land), and a number of scattered properties.

The Lin family owns the Garden House on Conduit Road (covering an area of more than 3,000 square feet) and No. 79 Deep Water Bay (more than 12,000 square feet).

Lin Zhichao's heart is a lot more steady. Next year (1952) he continued to look for land, and every year he had to buy a certain amount of land and store it.

At the beginning of December, global shipping.

Lin Zhichao is reviewing the accounts in the office, and the cost control of global shipping in October and November is good, and the profit is in the early millions of dollars. And the rent in December has arrived, Lin Zhichao has a feeling of 'can't finish spending', of course, it is just a 'comfort'.

In fact, there was not enough money to spend on shipping, at least until the seventies.

"Knock Knock"

"Come in"

Gao Qiqiang, the business manager, walked in, and then reported a message: "Boss, a new shipowner has recently joined the fixed route from Yokohama to Hong Kong. ”

Lin Zhichao asked, "How is the strength?" How many ships does it have and how many tons of deadweight does it have? ”

It's not that the shipping line from Yokohama to Hong Kong has a small volume of traffic, on the contrary, it is not bad, although Yokohama is only a port city in Tokyo Bay, but due to reconstruction, more supplies are needed.

However, fixed routes are only part of the capacity of this route, and much of the capacity is on one-way short-term charters, or in Japan's own fleet.

Gu, one more ship to join, it still has an impact!

Gao Qiqiang said: "It's the Ningbo Gang, called Zhao Congyan." It seems that he made a lot of money in the battle of the peninsula, and then stopped it in time. At the moment it is said that there is only one ship, the tonnage is 3500 tons, and the ship is very dilapidated. ”

Lin Zhichao suddenly realized: "It's him!" ”

Gao Qiqiang said: "The boss knows him? ”

Lin Zhichao nodded and told Zhao Congyan about offending people by soliciting goods.

"This time it's quite regular, the price is about the same as ours. The capacity of this line is still there, and if there is one more ship, the impact is not particularly large, but there is still one. Fortunately, we have established a reputation with many merchants, and we can still deal with it. ”

Although there are only four ships in the global shipping line, each of them is a large ship of 7500~8600 tons, which is still much superior to other peers.

"If so, we just have to do our thing. The main thing is to make sure that we are competitive enough to compete with other competitors. Soon, Lin Zhichao said.

"Well, let's observe and observe first, see what the specific impact is, and then we will do some targeted measures." Gao Qiqiang said seriously. In his opinion, since it is a competitor, it is natural to use some small means, which are of course allowed within the rules.

"Fixed routes are mainly in business, so it's up to you to keep an eye on it."

"Okay"

There are four ship kings in the Shanghai faction, Bao Yugang, Dong Haoyun, Zhao Congyan, and Cao Wenjin, Lin Zhichao naturally wants to 'restrict' their growth, but the method must be 'above board' and 'in business', and theoretically speaking, they will not engage in small means.

To deal with Bao Yugang, global shipping has taken the lead in gaining the credibility and trust of HSBC and Japanese shipping companies, so Bao Yugang will never have half of the achievements of his previous life, and it is no longer possible to have a fleet of millions of tons.

To deal with Dong Haoyun, Global Shipping should take the lead in 'container transportation', and even be a pioneer in container transportation.

Because in the previous life, the main force of Bao Yugang's fleet was oil tankers, Dong Haoyun's fleet was mainly container ships, Zhao Congyan's fleet was mainly bulk carriers, and many of Cao Wenjin's fleets were in Southeast Asia, cooperating with shipping companies with the Southeast Asian national team.

In short, global shipping should be one to three - Bao Yugang, Dong Haoyun, Zhao Congyan, the focus is on one to two - Bao Yugang, Zhao Congyan; Because the bulk carrier business is minimal, it is likely that in the mid-fifties it will gradually reduce its development.

The other side.

Zhao Congyan sat in the newly leased Central office building, feeling very excited, and also had a sense of happiness for the rest of his life.

It turned out that he had run the dangerous road for more than a year, and he lived in fear every day, because the Asterisk was his most valuable possession.

Fortunately, during his early years, he earned $1.2 million, which was enough to buy three or four 'National Star Wheels'.

When the Asterisk returned to Hong Kong this month, he chose to stop running again for the first time, after all, he heard that many people were recruited and lost their fortunes.

"Then I will buy a second-hand cargo ship of seven or eight thousand tons, and the rest of the funds will buy two cargo ships of 3000~5000 tons, and my fleet will grow up at once."

"Although there is no danger to make money, the current shipping situation is still very good, and it is earning steadily."

Zhao Congyan thought of the giant of global shipping again, and it was rumored that it had a fleet of about 100,000 tons, which was even larger than Xu's fleet.

"In less than three years, Lin Zhichao has grown so fast in the fleet! I think that at the beginning, when we met by chance at the dock, he was just a person who didn't even have a boat. Now, it's five or six times the size of my fleet, what a strange person! ”

"That's not right! It is said that Lin Zhichao made a lot of money in real estate and gold, so if he invested this part of the funds in shipping, I am afraid that he started with a load capacity of 10,000 tons or 20,000 tons, and then with the support of HSBC, it is understandable that he has grown to this day. ”

"But the price of long-term rentals is much cheaper, and he is willing to rent most of them for long-term rentals, isn't it a bit stupid?"

In the end, Zhao Congyan felt that Lin Zhichao was a little stupid, and actually rented most of the ship for a long time, wouldn't this make a lot of money.

As everyone knows, shipping will only be a good market for a year, and it may not be 1953, and it will have to decline slowly.

"Knock Knock"

"Come in"

Zhao Congyan's confidant Zhou Yi came to his office.

"What's the reaction from the world shipping side?" Zhao Congyan asked.

To be honest, he was a little apprehensive, after all, the two sides were going to compete, and he wanted to take food from the tiger's mouth.

Zhou Yi said with a smile: "The boss is too worried, this fixed route is not a patent of a certain company, so it is naturally reasonable for us to run." Therefore, Global Shipping also knew this and did not make any moves. ”

Zhao Congyan nodded and said, "It's just that I heard that Lin Zhichao is very domineering, so I should be careful." ”

Zhou Yi said: "Boss, are you talking about Lin Zhichao's pit on Wang Tongyuan?" ”

Zhao Congyan said: "Although I don't know whether it's true or not, Wang Tongyuan did lose millions, and the textile industry was also affected, and now he is behind Tang Bingyuan and Tang Zhongyuan's brothers." ”

In this era, the loss of one million Hong Kong dollars is already an astronomical amount.

In addition, in the past few years, the people of Guangdong Province have been speculating in gold, and they have wiped out all the gold merchants, financiers, and speculators in Shanghai, and how many businessmen in Shanghai have vividly remembered them, and warned their children and families not to speculate in stocks and gold, etc., or to do business safely and steadily.

Zhou Yi said: "After all, shipping is different, there are too many people in Hong Kong who do shipping, so it is normal for them to compete with each other. ”

Zhao Congyan thought for a moment and said, "How is our business?" ”

Zhou Yi said: "The business has just begun to develop, and I can't see whether it is good or bad, but it is certain that the market is really good." Japan became the rear base of the U.S. military, and Japanese industry received a large number of wartime special orders. Like Hong Kong, Japan's industrialization must rely on overseas raw material markets – cotton, rice, ores, metals, plastics, etc. ”

Zhao Congyan was relieved, but he made a mistake again, and said: "I think that global shipping is deeply rooted in this route, and its reputation is also very good, and we should still have a little discount in order to stabilize our business as soon as possible." The price should not be too favorable, and it should not be as hidden as global shipping, which will definitely be more rapid development. ”

Zhou Yi thought about it, agreed with the boss's idea, and said, "No problem, I'll arrange it." ”

Zhao Congyan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I will buy another batch of ships soon, so we have to do a good job as soon as possible." Now, instead of fleeing in panic as we did in 1949, we have really established ourselves in Hong Kong, and it is time for shipping to make a big difference. ”

At this time, Zhao Congyan was full of spirit, after all, he earned more than 1.2 million US dollars in a year, and his net worth was already a lot of money. In fact, he is not a sailor, he is a halfway out of the house, so he plans to train his son to train professional shipping people, and he has to choose a navigation major in college.

This morning, Feng Yongfa found Lin Zhichao with a serious face.

"Boss, there was a problem with a ship on the way to Nagasaki, Japan this morning, and according to the description of the chief engineer on board, it is likely that the ship's main machinery is in trouble. I have arranged for He Yunjin, the manager of the technical department, to take people to Japan immediately to personally supervise the maintenance and reduce the loss as much as possible. ”

Lin Zhichao also sighed, if the ship breaks down at sea for too long, the charterer will deduct the money; If the goods are refrigerated or the like, it is more complicated, and if they are not processed in time, even the goods will have to lose money.

If the money is deducted once, Lin Zhichao will have a heartache for a long time, because it is more than tens of thousands of US dollars.

"Book me a plane ticket and go with me when I can."

Lin Zhichao decisively decided to get on the ship in person and take the lead.

The maintenance of this kind of major accident is to hire a professional maintenance team from outside, and engineers from Japanese shipyards should naturally be invited in the waters of Japan, and the equipment can be fully equipped as soon as possible; As for the technical department of Global Shipping, it is generally used to repair minor problems and maintain machinery.

"Okay"

At half past nine in the morning, Lin Zhichao boarded a Hong Kong Airlines flight to Japan.

Hong Kong Airlines, one of the two airlines in Hong Kong, is responsible for the northern route, and the major shareholders are Jardine Matheson and British Aerospace; The so-called northern route, that is, Taiwan Island, Japan, South Korea, and the mainland of China in the past, but now it naturally lacks the largest market.

When the plane arrived in Nagasaki, the ship stopped in the sea, and Lin Zhichao and others needed to take a barge to get on board. It was a harsh winter, the cold wind on the sea was biting, and the icy waves splashed on Lin Zhichao and others, as sharp as a blade.

Lin Zhichao's body was very good, but he also felt a strange cold, but he did not flinch and complain; On the contrary, he joked to everyone with a smile: "Today's weather makes me think about winter swimming, lest I fall into the water that winter and can't react." ”

He Yunjin said in a trembling tone: "The boss's body is good, and winter swimming is not a problem." ”

Lin Zhichao looked at everyone, including some Japanese engineers, who were frozen like dogs, lamenting the bad weather, but did not complain.

After more than an hour of sailing, it finally arrived at the 10,000-ton ship of global shipping. The ship was one of seven large ships purchased in January last year. I didn't expect something to go wrong, it's a bit bad.

After getting on the boat, everyone drank some hot water and couldn't wait to understand the situation.

In the next three days, Lin Zhichao knew the truth of the three-point risk of sailing. During the time of the ship's repairs, the weather at sea was bad, and the bitter winds and monstrous waves swept mercilessly, and the ship floated on the sea like a rootless leaf.

Fortunately, Lin Zhichao did not get seasick, otherwise half his life would have been lost. Even so, even a 10,000-ton ship in the sea, in bad weather, looks so small.

Of course, it was very happy that the ship was repaired within three days and arrived at the port smoothly, and the fine of tens of thousands of dollars was saved, because it was within a reasonable range of time.

The cause of the accident is not the responsibility of the seafarers, it belongs to the accident of the second-hand ship itself, Lin Zhichao did not have any dissatisfaction, but invited everyone to have a dinner to celebrate.

And this incident also reminded Lin Zhichao that his ships are all old ships, and the frequency of accidents may increase over time. This major accident is the first time in more than two years, so Lin Zhichao has some feelings.

However, there is no way to do it, second-hand ships are cheap, and the return time is fast. Within 15 years, Global Shipping will not be able to eliminate all its second-hand ships.

Update time changes: 12 o'clock ~ 3 o'clock every day for the first chapter, every night 8 ~ 12 o'clock for the second chapter.

If the manuscript is available, it will be fixed at 12 noon and 8 pm.

(End of chapter)