Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 914 Digging a Hole to Acquire Land
The economic crisis in South America was actually a massive feast for American capital. It was a common tactic of the US to reap financial rewards by using its financial advantages to force a region into a severe economic crisis, currency devaluation, and insolvency.
Then came the influx of American capital to acquire various high-quality assets in the country at low prices, such as infrastructure, mining, and top-performing companies.
Yang Wendong didn't have any thoughts on these things. Although these asset investments were very cost-effective, it would be difficult to take them on without sufficient political background, and they couldn't compare to his normal investments.
Therefore, he set his sights on the agricultural sector, which is not particularly favored by American capital, but to be conservative, he still needed to find American capital to cooperate with.
Besides the stable economic purpose, his large tracts of land in South America can also become a small, stable granary for the country overseas. Such a large farm also needs stable customers, so it can be said to be a win-win-win situation.

However, the economic crisis in South America has only just begun, so there is no rush to go there. We just need to find allies in the United States, raise funds, and then discuss the next steps together.

Using other people's funds to improve one's own strategic objectives, especially in areas where the return on investment is not very high, is very worthwhile.

This is also the allure of finance. Investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley can mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars and gain massive influence, which is why.

In the future, I can also use some of my foresight to plan and attract enough funds, and then give them an appropriate rate of return. That way, I might be able to obtain hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars, which would be enough to take my influence to the next level.

Of course, this kind of approach carries a very high risk if it fails. It can only be said that every benefit comes with a corresponding price. However, for time travelers, the risk is much lower.

In the following days, Yang Wendong visited several of the group's branches in New York City and gained a general understanding of some of the business in the United States.
Subsequently, Yang Wendong arrived in Los Angeles;
Today, the group has multiple businesses in the United States, headquartered in New York and Los Angeles, with the former focusing on traditional businesses and the latter on the electronics and entertainment industries.
His first stop wasn't any branch office, but Hollywood, where he met an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Xiaolong~" Yang Wendong greeted as he approached;
"Mr. Yang? What brings you here?" Li Xiaolong was instructing a Hong Kong actor when he heard Yang Wendong's voice and immediately came over with great joy.

Yang Wendong said, "I just arrived. I thought you were nearby, so I came to see you."

Li Xiaolong laughed and said, "Perfect timing, it's lunchtime now. Come on, I'll take you to one of my favorite restaurants nearby."

"Okay." Yang Wendong nodded;
The group arrived at a nearby Chinese restaurant and ordered a private room. Li Xiaolong said, "Mr. Yang, what do you think of the films we've made in the last two years, which feature Chinese actors as the main actors?"

"I don't think it matters much; for commercial films, the market is what matters," Yang Wendong replied.

In recent years, Li Xiaolong has retired from acting due to serious health damage in his early years, but he still loves movies, so he took over the affairs of Changxing Entertainment Group's branch in the United States.

His main focus is on making movies featuring Chinese action stars, and he occasionally makes cameo appearances in them, trying to break into the Hollywood market.

Li Xiaolong said, "The results in the United States were not ideal. If it weren't for the fact that we could break even in Asia, we would probably have suffered losses."

“We have to take things one step at a time. These things can only be done gradually.” Yang Wendong said nonchalantly, “The Chinese community is inherently different from the West. Even European films have a hard time gaining a foothold in the United States, let alone us.”
As for our performance in Asia, that's an advantage in itself, so achieving good results in Asia is a skill in itself.

Historically, both Chen Long and Li Lianjie faced numerous difficulties when they first ventured into Hollywood, and it took them many years of hard work to finally establish themselves.
History is different today than it was then, but there are still a few top Hong Kong action stars who intend to break into Hollywood and replicate Bruce Lee's legend.

But that's too simplistic. Even with the support of Changxing Entertainment Group, it would be difficult to create another Li Xiaolong, at least not in the short term.

“Yes, that’s quite an achievement.” Li Xiaolong nodded and said, “But Mr. Yang is still the most impressive. Your investment in ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ has broken the American box office record again.”

"Haha, this is also thanks to Spielberg." Yang Wendong smiled and said, "When I have time, I'll have him come and talk to you. Maybe the two of you can make a blockbuster movie together."

"E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" was released during this year's summer season and successfully grossed $4.5 million in North America. Its overseas box office is yet to be determined. This record has already broken the previous record of "Jaws", and even after taking inflation into account, it is still higher.
As one of the investors, Yang Wendong naturally earned a considerable amount of money.

Li Xiaolong's face lit up with joy, and he said, "That's really a good idea. Spielberg's directing ability is indeed very strong. If we work with him, even if we don't achieve the same level of success as 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,' it would still be a great thing for us."

"Okay, I'll give him a call later, and you can contact him yourselves to see if there's a chance to cooperate," Yang Wendong nodded.

I'm actually somewhat looking forward to this;
During the next two weeks in Los Angeles, Yang Wendong, just as he had in New York, inspected the situation of his various companies and met with Hollywood giants to discuss future collaborations.
This time, there was no rush. Instead, I deliberately stayed in the United States for a while, combining official business with travel.

The main reason was to avoid the situation in Hong Kong. Although he was in the United States, he was aware of the situation in Hong Kong. Various media outlets were arguing about the future of Hong Kong, and many celebrities were forced to take sides. Naturally, he needed to avoid it for a while.

Anyway, some of the natural scenery in the United States is quite nice, so I'll just treat it as a vacation.

At the end of October, Yang Wendong took a plane to Africa, which was his first time visiting this part of the continent.
The purpose, of course, was not for investment or charity, but to go to the grasslands to see lions, elephants, and other animals;

The African savanna is arguably the most beloved animal world program for many people in their past lives, filled with countless stories. Yang Wendong had long wanted to visit it, but due to hygiene and safety concerns related to war, he dared not venture out.
After entering the 80s, the African authorities became relatively stable, and the grasslands had become a local tourist attraction, with millions of overseas tourists visiting every year. After making sufficient preparations, Yang Wendong had nothing to worry about.

The local guide even tried to persuade Yang Wendong to buy a package that included hunting lions or elephants, but Yang Wendong refused. As long as his safety wasn't threatened, he didn't need to find pleasure in such killing. Killing animals for food is a natural law, but hunting for pleasure is wrong, and cruelty is unacceptable—this was Yang Wendong's moral principle.

By mid-November, Yang Wendong had returned to Hong Kong, and after a month and a half, the Hong Kong media's attention had subsided.
However, the economic situation is naturally still a complete mess.
On the 16th, Yang Wendong summoned Fang Xianming and asked, "How are the share prices of Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land?"

Today, thanks to his years of hard work, he has achieved an absolute dominant position in many areas of Hong Kong's local market.
Including in the real estate industry, Cheung Hing Properties, through several financial crises and other strong capital and financial operations, has surpassed Hongkong Land in terms of area, becoming the largest real estate group in Hong Kong.
However, it cannot compete in prime locations, especially above Central.
The location of Central is fixed. Hongkong Land has been operating in Central for over a century and owns a large number of high-rise properties there. Even if you have immense wealth, if they don't want to sell, you have little chance.
Over the years, Yang Wendong has only built a few buildings in Central, and apart from Kang Le, the others are not considered to be in prime locations in Central.
Therefore, of all of Hong Kong, only Hongkong Land is somewhat attractive to him today, and this is his ultimate goal in Hong Kong.

Fang Xianming replied, "The share prices of Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land have fallen by about 30%. Their total market capitalization is about HK$50 billion for Jardine Matheson and about HK$120 billion for Hongkong Land."

"How much debt does the Land Group have now?" Yang Wendong asked.

Fang Xianming said, "About 170 billion."

Yang Wendong said, "So that means the total assets of Jardine Matheson are about 300 billion? Including the value converted from the annual profits?"

"Pretty much, but the rental market is also starting to plummet, and Hongkong Land's main revenue is starting to decline." Fang Xianming said, "However, Hongkong Land still has a lot of high-quality properties and at least a billion dollars in cash flow, so there shouldn't be any major problems in the short term."

“That’s normal. Even if a large company like this has operational problems, it can still hold on for a while.” Yang Wendong nodded and said, “Then starting today, our funds will begin to acquire shares of Hongkong Land and Jardine Matheson in the stock market. We’ll acquire them slowly and try not to let the market find out.”

Fang Xianming thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Yang, it's not difficult to acquire the shares gradually, but if our funds come in and the amount is not small, we might be able to hold onto Hongkong Land's stock for a long time. If that happens, the loans that Hongkong Land has secured with the stock will still be able to stay with the banks. This is not in our best interest, is it?"

Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "It's okay. Even if Hongkong Land's stock price collapses in the short term, it won't matter. A company of Hongkong Land's caliber, coupled with its relationship with the Hong Kong government, will definitely receive extra care."

What we need to do is not rush things, but slowly wear them down. My goal is to wait another year or two until the Hong Kong property market hasn't recovered, Jardine Matheson's funds are almost depleted, and the debt crisis exceeds the Hong Kong government's tolerance limit.

Even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't die easily; in this era, it's almost impossible for any large company to immediately collapse.

Only in the internet age, when companies involved in pharmaceuticals and food safety go bankrupt, is it possible for them to collapse instantly; traditional industries are unlikely to be affected.

If you want to wear down Jardine Matheson, you have to be patient and grind him down slowly.

“Okay, I understand.” Fang Xianming added, “In addition, there is one more thing. According to the agreement between Hongkong Land and the Hong Kong government, the land for the Exchange Building should have been handed over as a second payment of HK$21 billion.”
There's a lot of internal debate within the Hong Kong government, and Jardine Matheson is also lobbying. Some officials believe Jardine Matheson should pay as agreed, while others think that given the current economic crisis, it's appropriate to postpone it. Do you think we need to intervene?

"21 billion? If Jardine Matheson were to come up with that amount of money, he'd probably have to take out a loan. It's unlikely any bank would provide that kind of funding now," Yang Wendong retorted.
The land for the Exchange Tower was auctioned for over 70 billion HKD. Such a large sum of money is impossible for Hongkong Land to provide all at once, so it needs to be given to the Hong Kong government in batches.
Fang Xianming said, "It is difficult, but with the resources of the Jardine Matheson Group, it is still possible to raise the funds. They have been getting very close to Japanese banks recently, so I guess they have plans in this regard."
However, both Hongkong Land and Jardine Matheson certainly hope the Hong Kong government can give them some time. If this deal goes through, the HK$20 billion or more would be a significant lifeline for Hongkong Land.

“This will definitely affect our plans.” Yang Wendong nodded and said, “Then we’ll have to intervene. We also have some connections with the Hong Kong government, so it seems we’ll have to use them as well.”

Fang Xianming continued, "Mr. Yang, I actually have another method that might be better than directly using connections. After all, Jardine Matheson is a British-owned conglomerate with close ties to the Hong Kong government. In this regard, we may not be able to confront them head-on."

"Tell me about it," Yang Wendong asked.

Fang Xianming said: "The Hong Kong government has conducted several auctions before, and it's not just the Exchange Building site that is extremely valuable. There are also several other companies, such as Hang Lung Group, which spent more than 3 billion to purchase the development rights of nine subway station properties."

These companies also have agreements with the Hong Kong government for phased payments, so why don't we let them apply together? After all, the Hong Kong government has made an exception for Jardine Matheson, so why shouldn't it treat other companies the same way?

"Haha, this is a good method." Yang Wendong smiled and said, "Once they have all applied, the Hong Kong government will not be able to help Jardine Matheson, especially at this critical juncture. If they make a distinction between Chinese and British capital, then the government will not be able to approve it."

“Yes,” Fang Xianming said with a smile, “Then I’ll contact Henglong Group right away and ask them to do the same.”

“We don’t need to contact them. It’s problematic if you get involved. I remember Hang Seng Bank has a partnership with Hang Lung, right? Let someone from Hang Seng Bank make this suggestion to Hang Lung,” Yang Wendong said.

“Okay, Mr. Yang,” Fang Xianming replied.

PS: Requesting 4 monthly votes
(End of this chapter)