London.

The headquarters of the Canary Wharf Group ushered in government officials led by Thatcher to inspect, and Lin Zhichao took Thatcher to explain in front of the 'Canary Wharf Sand Table'.

There are reporters who specialize in filming, and the whole scene is a bit 'abrupt'. Because of the dozens of people in the room, almost all of them are white, but Lin Zhichao is Asian.

However, it is this Asian, and their Prime Minister Thatcher who are the absolute protagonists of the two today.

There are already 200 employees in Canary Wharf, almost all of whom are local to the UK, including President Combes; And Lin Zhichao is just participating in this project as the boss, and of course the participation is very high.

Lin Zhichao pointed to the sand table seriously and said: "Canary Wharf Phase I project, we have planned a total of 22 buildings, with a total commercial area of 13 million square feet. Among the 22 buildings, 3 are skyscrapers, and there will be the tallest building in London. It is expected that by 1992, 6 office buildings will be completed, including the tallest 'Hong Kong Center One Building'."

Thatcher listened very carefully, she trusted Lin Zhichao's ability very much, and felt that only Lin Zhichao could complete this project. If it is completed, it will be a brilliant achievement in her ruling career.

"What about public transport?" she asked. ”

Lin Zhichao pointed to the middle and said, "Here. As the central hub of the entire transport sector, our current light rail plan is to transport 6,000 people per hour between Canary Wharf and London's financial centre. At a later stage, the entire LRT system will be a 30-kilometre-long 'Port Area LRT Line' consisting of 5 LRT branch lines, which will be led by Canary Wharf Group. It is expected to be completed in 1992 and will be connected to London's most developed Underground line."

Thatcher said with satisfaction: "You have a very creative idea of placing the transport hub in the commercial center!" ”

The transportation in this area will be a huge government expense, such as subways, port roads, etc. Now the Canary Wharf Group has shown great sincerity and invested a huge amount of money to build the 'Port Light Rail Line', which makes the London government very happy. At the same time, the most expensive and complex road in the port area (£500 million) was approved.

Only the progress of the subway line has not been achieved for a long time. When it comes to such a huge amount of government public spending, Thatcher cannot directly solve the problem.

After visiting the sand table, Thatcher asked, "When will the construction start?" ”

Lin Zhichao said: "The construction will start in March next year, and you will be invited to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony at that time." ”

Thatcher said without hesitation: "Of course, it is my honor. ”

At this time, in the eyes of the British, Lin Zhichao wants to invest $7 billion in the Canary Wharf project, which is to buy a super big political guarantee. Because of this, Lin Zhichao is still very good at eating in London.

Of course, Lin Zhichao did not invest $7 billion, but only took $100 million to complete the project.

Today's Canary Wharf Group, with a fortune of $2.5 billion, has earned more than $1.2 billion just by shorting Bren crude oil; Only by buying British stocks again, and liquidating 40% of the position during the '87 stock market crash', and making a wave of futures indexes, after a few clicks, the wealth has grown to 2.5 billion US dollars.

At present, Canary Wharf has bought a large number of British stocks, and Lin Zhichao intends to cash out his position in the first half of 1989. As for Canary Wharf's start-up capital, he has sought a $800 million low-interest loan (8.5%), which is a consortium of banks such as Chase, HSBC, and Barclays.

According to Lin Zhichao's prediction, $2.5 billion will be at least $3 billion in a year and a half. After that, you have to follow Soros and take a sip of soup - short the pound and make another $500 million.

That's half the investment cost!

On the same day, Thatcher government officials praised Canary Wharf Group one after another, especially when they saw that Lin Zhichao, a Hong Kong native, used local employees, and immediately praised him.

Of course, at this point, Lin Zhichao actually grasped it very well.

He hired all local staff, but the management had to be strict with him or he would be fired. Even if the project was messed up, he would not allow an employee to challenge his authority.

Fortunately, the management headed by Combes still has great respect for Lin Zhichao.

The next day, Lin Zhichao held a meeting with the management of Canary Wharf in the conference room.

"Canary Wharf Group is positioned as more than just a construction and development company, I intend to divide the group's business into four parts: Canary Wharf Limited, Canary Wharf Contractors Co., Ltd., Canary Wharf Management Co., Ltd., and Canary Wharf Intelligent Incubation Co., Ltd."

He redefined the Canary Wharf Group and inspired his subordinates.

Combes asked, "BOSS, what is the business of the intelligent incubation company?" ”

Lin Zhichao said: "It is a business incubator and a technology community with many connections in the world. It supports business growth in a variety of ways, providing world-class customers, talent training and networking, and infrastructure optimization services. ”

Canary Wharf Group, although most of them are British talents, there are actually a small number of professionals recruited from the United States; At the same time, Lin Zhichao also let Lin Ruihuan and Mai Lisi participate. This time, the construction technology introduced two important technologies from the United States, and of course the builder was also a contractor incubated within the Canary Wharf Group.

Combes nodded and said, "I understand, let's come up with a comprehensive plan as soon as possible according to the boss's plan!" ”

Lin Zhichao said with satisfaction: "Okay everyone, Canary Wharf Group will not only develop this 1.22 kilometers of land, but also participate in the development of this surrounding 29 kilometers of land in the future, we will even become a great investment company Once the company is listed, I will also give you an option reward!" ”

Listing is definitely listed, after all, it still has to be financed in the later stage.

Lin Zhichao was confident that in 1992, he would earn $3.5 billion for the Canary Wharf Group, that is, half of the funds raised. But in reality, this amount of money is still not enough.

Canary Wharf will not be able to make a profit until after 1998, and the previous revenue may only be enough for operating expenses.

With a ten-year investment, Lin Zhichao has to try his best to make money and strive not to let Cheung Kong Group inject another penny.

Lin Zhichao stayed at the Canary Wharf Group in London for a full week before leaving satisfied. When getting along with these management, Lin Zhichao also found that he has a kind of personality charm, and even foreigners will surrender to him.

There is both a visible and an invisible charm in this, which in short, helps to expand his business overseas.

Combes is a top talent, and if it can be completely subdued and become a 'loyal lackey' of the Lin family, it will be very important for future investment in the UK. (End of chapter)