Hong Kong is ushering in another year of spring, the season of greenery.

In the early morning, Lin Zhichao, who had been tossing for a night, lifted the quilt, and the two mermaids opened their hazy eyes, and then occupied the open space as a matter of course, huddling together to keep warm.

Lin Zhichao simply put on pajamas, looked at the deep relationship between Tang Caiyun and Xu Caiying, and was very satisfied. has a perfect tacit understanding, and every time it makes Lin Zhichao physically and mentally happy.

Walking out of the bedroom and coming to the courtyard downstairs, he played a set of Tai Chi and entered the health preservation stage ahead of schedule. In fact, Lin Zhichao is more about breathing in the fresh air in the morning, so that the meridians and blood are unimpeded.

It's a very simple idea, so the Tai Chi was finished in fifteen minutes, and then the female bodyguard Qin Li handed him a few newspapers, and he sat in the courtyard and read the morning newspaper.

"How's the work? Are there any troubles in life? Lin Zhichao said casually.

Qin Li is the person next to Tang Caiyun, and it is impossible for Lin Zhichao to use a female bodyguard, after all, it is too conspicuous in this era and easy to gossip. On the contrary, Tang Caiyun, Xu Caiying, Lin Xiner, and Wu Wenying all have a female assistant and female bodyguard.

"The work is good, there are no worries in life!" Qin Li was about to leave, and after hearing this, she said briefly.

During the training of bodyguard trainees, the instructor said that bodyguards try not to disturb the life of their employers while protecting the safety of their employers.

Lin Zhichao continued: "Have you studied English and culture classes well? ”

Restricted by the level of culture and education of this era, his bodyguards are generally less educated, but in this way, some things will not be convenient; For example, he and his family need to go abroad, and the bodyguards can't even communicate in simple English, and they don't even know a single word, which is really delaying work.

Therefore, the bodyguards of the Lin family have cultural classes. In addition, regular assessments will be conducted, and if you fail to learn, you may be transferred out of your post.

"Yes, the teacher said I had made a lot of progress!"

"Well, study hard, and when I retire from the bodyguard position in the future, I can also arrange a better job. You bodyguards have followed us and seen a lot of the world, and it can't be said that it is a waste to leave the bodyguard post and go to the bottom of society to make a living. ”

Qin Li was finally moved, there was such a good owner in the world, and hurriedly said: "I will definitely live up to the boss's expectations!" ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, and then read the newspaper, Qin Li automatically disappeared from his side, but he was on duty around. The Lin family's family has two live-in female bodyguards and two live-in nannies, both of whom are in the maid's room on the first floor, and they are on duty all night at night. As for the male bodyguards, they are arranged in nearby rental houses, and some people are on duty outside the bungalows, while it only takes about three minutes for others to arrive quickly.

The family is big and the business is big, so you must always protect your family.

Recently, the trend of Hong Kong newspapers has changed dramatically, and the direction of public opinion has taken a sharp turn, because after all, Hong Kong itself is a paradise for 'profiteers' and 'capitalists'. Coupled with the death of the king of ships, the impact is great.

In the news in the newspaper, Lin Zhichao counted the lines at a glance, and the reading speed was very fast, but he did not miss anything. After reading the newspaper, it's almost time for breakfast to share delicious food with your family.

"I look pregnant!" Xu Caiying covered her mouth and preached.

Tang Caiyun immediately asked, "Is it nauseous and wants to vomit?" ”

Xu Caiying nodded, and then hurriedly walked towards the bathroom, Lin Zhichao and Tang Caiyun hurriedly followed.

Wu Wenying said happily: "This kid is really amazing!" ”

I don't know who I'm talking about, anyway, Lin Xin'er's face turned red after hearing it.

After breakfast, Lin Zhichao took Xu Caiying to the hospital for examination, and sure enough, he was told that he was happy, and he was immediately happy.

"Will it affect our travel plans?" Xu Caiying said coquettishly.

Lin Zhichao has already agreed to arrange a vacation to the United States in May and June, and he wants to take Xu Caiying with him, and he himself wants to inspect it.

"No, the plan won't change!"

"It's pretty much the same, otherwise this stinky boy would have offended his wife before he was born!"

Lin Zhichao suddenly sighed and silently prayed for the unborn child.

In the morning, when he returned to the global shipping, Lin Zhichao immediately arranged the purchase of the ship.

At present, there are more than 2 million US dollars in the accounts of Global Shipping, and only 2.35 million US dollars (including interest) is owed by HSBC.

Therefore, the net assets of Global Shipping are already 20 freighters, reaching about 12 million US dollars.

Importantly, those long-term contracts are intangible assets that are worth a lot of money.

The purchase of the ship is still the old rule, borrowing 3 million US dollars from HSBC, plus its own funds, to make the purchase. Theoretically, increase the carrying capacity of 780,000 tons.

The price of a ship is not fixed, it costs about $1.5 million to build a 7,500 freighter in Europe, and after the mid-fifties, Japanese shipbuilding has also developed, and it only costs $1 million, and the performance and equipment can reach the level of Europe.

A 7,500-ton European-made second-hand ship, aged about 15~25 years, is priced at 50~600,000 US dollars.

These are the normal market conditions in the 50s, and once it comes to the off-season of shipping, such as 1959~1961, the world's major ports are full of second-hand ships, waiting for people to choose. The price of a 10,000-ton freighter may only cost $60,000, and it can give you a loan of $40,000. Of course, these boats are quite old, and whether they can run or not depends on luck and level.

After a while, the assistant called Lin Zhichao for a meeting, and he cleared his mind and walked towards the conference room.

As soon as I entered the office, I felt that everyone's work was in good condition, as a shipping giant, the net worth of these executives was also rising, and the general annual salary was around 20,000 yuan, and the level of buying a floor.

The high salary means that Lin Zhichao has high requirements for everyone, overtime on weekends is the norm, and he will be scolded for his ideological slippage and degeneration.

"How's it going on the seafarers' side?" After Lin Zhichao sat down, he went straight to the point.

Feng Yongfa, deputy general manager, immediately said: "Everything is fully prepared, 80 senior seafarers have been studying for almost half a year, and most of the time is in practical training; The 120 ordinary seafarers have also been trained for two months, and the theoretical knowledge is sufficient to arrange the operation of at least seven or eight ships, and the insufficient part will be recruited on an ad hoc basis. ”

Although Feng Yongfa is the deputy general manager, he also has key tasks, that is, he is responsible for shipping business, dock loading and unloading, etc. Of course, Lin Zhichao intends to cultivate his ability to control the overall situation, but he is more just cultivating a helper than cultivating a general manager.

Therefore, Lin Zhichao will probably always insist that the chairman and general manager pick together.

"Well, if there is no problem sailing, the focus now is on business. I had just returned from Japan, and I had received a general idea from the Yamaguchi steamer and the Japanese steamer, that they could only charter two 10,000-ton freighters each for a period of four years, but the price was cut by them. Of course, these are acceptable, and ships that cannot be rented out are more of a burden than boats. So there are several ships left, and we can only look for new Japanese long-term charter customers, or come up with a fixed route. ”

This time, the price given by Yamaguchi steamers and Japanese steamers was lower, and they only gave 65~700,000 US dollars a year for a 10,000-ton freighter. According to this level, a ship will have to pay back in 15~18 months.

Little Japan was shrewd enough to know that the ships of the Far East had two directions, the first was to deal with the interior, and the second was to deal with Japan. They calculated that Lin Zhichao didn't dare to take risks, so they pressed the price now.

However, Lin Zhichao agreed with almost no counteroffer, which made the Japanese very depressed.

Of course, it is impossible for the Japanese to lower the price too much, because the market is there, and long-term rentals are generally 75~80% of short-term rentals, and no matter how low they are, they will not be able to open an export.

As for Lin Zhichao, his idea is that no matter how low the price is, can it be lower than the market in 1953~1955, I am afraid it is still a lot higher, and important ships have been driving.

So signing a long-term contract at the peak is always beneficial to him, and he not only gets benefits, but also fame.

Gao Qiqiang said: "There are still two European routes, and the rest will be promoted by other shipping companies in Japan, and long-term charters are generally very popular there." At present, the market is still good, so the cargo ship purchased this time must be able to enter the port and have a mission. ”

Everyone feels that the business is worry-free for the time being!

Indeed, this is what many people think, so they only see immediate profits. In the first half of next year, I am afraid that every ton of cargo will return to the level before the battle on the peninsula (10~15 US dollars a ton, depending on the cargo and route, generally more than 50 days a round trip, including port time).

"Okay, let's arrange it for the time being, and then we'll go to Japan to sell it again."

Long-term rentals are the most beneficial for Lin Zhichao because he can calculate the time, even if the lease period is short. And at this point, the charterers will not have him to understand, they will only calculate how much less than the current rental, and they will not need the ship in the future.

Therefore, calculating small Japan, Lin Zhichao is also serious.

Even after a few years, these customers will not think Lin Zhichao is very shrewd, because they will not believe that Lin Zhichao knows what is going to happen. Moreover, this is the ability of shipping people.

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao arranged for someone to go to the European shipping market to inquire about the market, and he would personally inspect and negotiate later.

In the Blue Room of the Hong Kong Club, Mr. Lam and Mr. Sandas were meeting, but when he talked about the need to borrow another $3 million from HSBC, Mr. Sandas was numb.

Sandas never imagined that shipping could be so simple and stable to make money, and if he said that there were risks in the finances of global shipping, he would refute it as a banker. Because global shipping can be said to be 'zero debt' at the moment, and those long-term contracts are obviously 'very stable assets'.

"How long will this development of your model last, I'm curious?"

It's really fast to expand, which is incredible.

Lin Zhichao said: "I have investigated the market outlook in detail and analyzed the impact of regional wars, so this year is very critical and it is a good time to expand the fleet. Actually, as you know, the finances of Global Shipping are very healthy. ”

Assuming that the funds for the purchase of the ship are 500~5.5 million US dollars, it will only take four months to pay off all of them, and it will not even take that long.

Sandas nodded, Global Shipping's finances are healthy because they have a large number of long-term leases in hand, which makes the bank very reassured.

"There should be no problem with the loan, you come to my office tomorrow, and we will go to the project department together."

"Good"

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao asked tentatively: "Suppose I want to build a new ship, can HSBC provide a loan?" ”

Sandas was stunned for a moment, and then said: "I don't think HSBC has changed its view on shipping, and if the loan is huge, HSBC will not agree." So if you build a new ship, you have to rely on yourself, maybe we can provide a small amount of money. In short, at present, we are still conservatively giving you loans. ”

The price of a new ship is about three times that of an old ship, and the price of an oil tanker of the same tonnage is higher than that of a freighter.

Therefore, in Sundash's view, Lin Zhichao does not have the strength to build new ships, and it is better to operate second-hand ships honestly.

Lin Zhichao said at this time: "Sandas, I often inspect Japan, and I find that the times are changing, Japan did not slump after the war, but buried the pain, and rushed to catch up, they can now build a cargo ship comparable to Europe, but the price is one-third cheaper than Europe." ”

In 1949, the U.S. occupation of the Japanese authorities allowed the Japanese shipbuilding industry to restart until 1956. As far as Lin Zhichao knows, in the previous life, in 1956, Japan became the world's largest shipbuilding country in only seven years.

Sandas said unconvinced: "But after all, they learned from Europe and the United States, and in terms of experience and technology, they can only be regarded as primary school students." ”

Lin Zhichao is noncommittal, it is still too early to argue about this.

On the contrary, Sandas asked curiously, "Why do you suddenly praise the development of Japan's shipbuilding industry?" ”

Lin Zhichao said: "I just think this may be a good opportunity!" The Japanese have developed rapidly in the past two years, and the wages of workers are bound to rise, so the competitiveness of shipping will also weaken. Coupled with their strict foreign exchange controls, at a certain time, I think they are more willing to charter a boat. ”

The two are friends, Lin Zhichao analyzed these markets to Sundash, the purpose is also to let Sandash see his vision, and support himself to build a new ship in the future.

Sandas will probably be the manager of the project department in 1954, and he will be the god of wealth in power at that time, so Lin Zhichao will not have a good relationship in advance.

"Makes sense! It seems that you are staring at the Japanese market like a hen that has laid golden eggs. ”

"Definitely. Of course, I would like to be able to charter the ship to customers in Europe and the United States one day, but obviously it is not yet time. ”

The two spent time chatting happily, when suddenly Old Madden and Little Madden walked up to the two and met again.

Hong Kong is so small, and it is normal for the Hong Kong Club to be a club for the British.

Everyone greeted each other, and neither Lin Zhichao nor Lao Ma Deng mentioned the 'intrigue' between the two.

But obviously, old Madden was still worried about the 'bet', so he couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Lin, you have a large fleet now, right?" ”

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "I don't dare to think so, if you can call it huge, it should be a fleet owned by ship kings like the West." Actually, I'm just getting started, and I'm still some way from Wheelock's fleet. ”

In fact, the old madden practiced diversification and did make a lot of money in recent years, but the fleet has increased to about 250,000 tons, that is, Lin Zhichao will soon surpass him.

Old Madden chuckled, knowing that Lin Zhichao's fleet was estimated to be about 150,000 tons, so he would be so calm.

"Well, congratulations on getting a loan from HSBC."

For HSBC's loan, the old Madden also tried it, but was rejected outright; He asked the people in the project department, and Charlie put forward three conditions, the first is that the long-term contract is guaranteed, the second is to get the letter of credit from the leasing party, and the third is that someone guarantees him.

Obviously, he couldn't do any of them.

"Thank you"

Subsequently, the two sides separated, and Sandas couldn't help but ask about the grievances between the two for the first time, and Lin Zhichao didn't hide it.

"Haha, I didn't expect there to be such a thing, I said how did you know each other."

"If you don't fight, you don't know each other"

"Why don't you tell him you're going to win Wheelock soon."

"I don't think I'm going to be happy that way, so why show it!"

Sandas sighed: "You Chinese people are really humble, I have seen many people like this!" ”

It's not modest, in a few years, old Madden will also find out from the newspaper that he has lost completely.

What's more, Lin Zhichao knew in his heart that he had already defeated Old Madden, and that would be fine.

In late March, Lin Zhichao started the buy-buy-buy mode in London, buying six 7,800-ton 25-year-old freighters and five 10,000-ton freighters at one time, a total of 11 ships with a total deadweight of more than 100,000 tons.

This time, he picked up a small leak, a British shipping company packaged and sold six 7,800-ton cargo ships at a price of only $500,000 per ship; There is a big reason - Lin Zhichao enjoys a high reputation in the British shipping industry, and the shipping company is willing to sell this batch of second-hand ships to him and provide installment payment.

Of course, a second-hand ship at the age of 25 is indeed relatively old. But Lin Zhichao felt that it had no effect, there was no problem with these ships for another 10~15 years, and such a long time was enough for him to earn more than 5 million US dollars each.

The total purchase price of the ship is 6.2 million US dollars, although the global shipping is only 5.4 million US dollars, but after all, it provides an installment of 1.5 million US dollars, so there is no pressure on the funds.

This time, Lin Zhichao was also received by the government department in London, which made Lin Zhichao feel that shipping is really an influential career. In order to build a good relationship with London, Lin Zhichao plans to build one or two new ships in Britain symbolically in a year or two.

Back in Hong Kong, Lin Zhichao simply handled his business and couldn't wait to go to Japan to sell.

As a result, a new big customer - Japan's Mitsuko Shipping, they chartered 3 10,000-ton freighters of Global Shipping for a period of 4 years, with an annual rent of 2.2 million US dollars a year, and the price fell by about 300,000 US dollars a year, but Lin Zhichao was still very happy to accept.

Yamaguchi steamship and Japanese steamship were leased respectively: 1 10,000-ton freighter and 2 7,800-ton freighters, with a lease period of four years and an annual rent of 1.7 million US dollars (a group of three ships).

Victory!

The subordinates were impressed by Lin Zhichao's sales eloquence, so that the three shipping companies were willing to lease 9 ships, and they also leased them for four years.

The remaining two ships naturally ran a fixed route.

(End of chapter)