Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 959 Victory without a fight
The meeting was arranged in the presidential suite of the Four Seasons Hotel;
Upon seeing Yang Wendong, Zhang Yuliang immediately stepped forward with a broad smile to shake his hand, saying, "Mr. Yang, hello! It's been several years. Your business empire has truly grown larger and larger. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's unprecedented and unparalleled."

"You flatter me, it's not that exaggerated," Yang Wendong said with a smile.
In Hong Kong, it's about right, but on a global scale, it's still not quite enough.
The most powerful period for America's top financial groups was when they were truly behemoths.
After the two sat down, Yang Wendong wasted no time and asked directly, "Zhang Sheng, may I ask what brings us here today?"

Zhang Yuliang replied directly, "Mr. Yang, I'm thinking of selling my shares in Wheelock and Company. I wonder if you'd be interested in taking them?"

"All of them? Your Zhang family is preparing to leave Hong Kong?" Yang Wendong retorted.
Even after the Sino-British negotiations were finalized, some people still wanted to immigrate. This group of people probably belonged to the type who felt guilty, and the Zhang family was one of them.
However, that's a matter for the older generation, and Yang Wendong isn't an official, so it's not his place to worry about these things.

“Yes, we’re planning to sell everything, and then my Zhang family will immigrate to Australia. We’ll only keep some rental properties in Hong Kong.” Zhang Yuliang paused and said, “However, there are still some other issues regarding Defeng’s stock that I need to clarify with Mr. Yang.”
Yang Sheng also knew that Wheelock and the Madden family jointly controlled Wheelock, with the Madden family managing it. Previously, Wheelock had suffered huge losses, but the Zhang family did not say anything.
Unexpectedly, John Martin secretly sold his shares to Qiu Deba, a Chinese businessman from Southeast Asia, and cashed out, leaving without a trace. Qiu Deba is now preparing to completely acquire Wheelock.

"Since Qiu Deba is preparing to acquire Wheelock, and you're also thinking of cashing out, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?" Yang Wendong asked, somewhat puzzled.
Zhang Yuliang said, "If Qiu Deba and John Madden had negotiated with me earlier, I might have agreed."

But their actions now are clearly an attempt to take advantage of the situation and drive me away. I can't tolerate this, so I hope that after Mr. Yang acquires my shares, he can completely take control of Wheelock.

"I see." Yang Wendong smiled.
Many business battles are sometimes just about saving face;

Not every businessman is greedy for money. Some may just get by once they reach a certain level, while others want to make even more money after they have it, and are willing to break the law for that purpose.

Clearly, Zhang Yuliang might not care about Wheelock, but he couldn't swallow the insult of being tricked by John Madden and Qiu Deba.
Historically, he had sold his shares to Pao Yu-kong, who then acquired Wheelock. To him, it was all the same, but at least he got his revenge.

Zhang Yuliang also keenly noticed that Yang Wendong's expression was a bit off, so he asked, "Mr. Yang, you've acquired Hutchison Whampoa and Hongkong Land. If you could also acquire Wheelock, wouldn't that be like adding wings to a tiger?"

“While Wheelock is one of the four major trading companies, it is suffering heavy losses. To be honest, I’m not very interested in it,” Yang Wendong said, shaking his head.

Zhang Yuliang said, "Mr. Yang, although Wheelock's main business used to be shipping, it is still a century-old Hong Kong company and has a lot of quality properties."
Besides, although the shipping industry is in decline now, isn't this a good time to buy at rock-bottom prices? Mr. Yang, your shipping business, combined with Wheelock's, will surely become the number one fleet in Hong Kong and even Asia.”

"I have no interest in the title of 'First Fleet.' The Dong family almost went bankrupt because of it," Yang Wendong said with a faint smile.

Zhang Yuliang said, "When Tung Chao-yun was expanding his fleet, ship prices were at their peak, but now they are at a low point. It's still a good time to buy now."

"Hmm," Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "How about this, you show me the specific information about Defeng, and then I'll decide whether to acquire it or not."

Wheelock is also a listed company, and although it has financial reports, those are very simple documents.

Just like Caring, who can use various methods to make profits among the top ten in Hong Kong, but in reality, it is a huge bubble;

He dared to be determined to acquire Wharf Holdings, Hongkong Land, Hutchison Whampoa, etc. because he knew their history and only valued all the properties under their umbrella, which was enough.

Under normal circumstances, acquiring a listed company requires a lot of preparatory work.

“Okay, there’s a lot of information. I’ll arrange for someone to deliver it to your office.” Zhang Yuliang continued, “However, these are core data of Wheelock, so please be careful, Mr. Yang.”

"Don't worry, I know about these things," Yang Wendong nodded in agreement.
That afternoon, Yang Wendong did not tell anyone about the incident;

The next day, Wheelock's people delivered the documents to the Kang Le Building, and Yang Wendong then summoned Yang Zhiwen, Fang Xianming, and Zheng Zhijie.
I told him, "Yesterday, Zhang Yuliang found me; he wanted to..."

"Daddy, are you planning to acquire Wheelock?" Yang Zhiwen asked in surprise;

"It's not certain yet." Yang Wendong looked at his son and asked, "Why are you so happy?"

Yang Zhiwen laughed and said, "Daddy, you were the one who orchestrated some of the most famous business mergers and acquisitions in Hong Kong's history. I was too young to understand back then, and I didn't participate in them."
"If you were to acquire Wheelock now, I could get a closer look at your business methods."

Yang Wendong smiled and shook his head, saying, "This time is different from before. Before, it was a real acquisition battle. This time, the Zhang family is taking the initiative to sell their shares. If we agree, we will directly obtain the majority of the shares. The shares held by Qiu Deba are not worth mentioning."

The Zhang family holds a large number of shares in Wheelock, but they want to keep a low profile, so it has remained unknown to the outside world.
Of course, this "outsiders" refers to ordinary people; the top figures in Hong Kong's political and business circles are aware of this matter.

Fang Xianming said, "Mr. Yang, Wheelock's current valuation is not high, and it wouldn't be difficult for us to acquire it. What are your thoughts?"

“Wheelton was the worst of the four major trading companies in the past, and its business was very complicated,” Yang Wendong said. “If we cannot integrate smoothly after acquiring such a company, it will not be worthwhile for us.”

With the Changxing Group now at its current size, it no longer needs just any small or insignificant company.

Either it's a company that can be integrated with its existing business, making it even stronger; or it's a company that can help its group acquire new industries.

Clearly, Wheelock doesn't qualify as either. It has some property management, but it's far inferior to Hongkong Land, Wharf Holdings, and Wong Kar-wai. It also has some shipping, but given the current shipping industry landscape, it's suffering huge losses, and many of its ships are old and not cost-effective.

Fang Xianming said, "Wheelton Group's business is indeed a bit chaotic. They even sold the two Central Towers they owned in the early years. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a loss for those two towers."

Wheelock currently owns numerous properties along the Kowloon coast, and also has some shipping business; however, it's unclear when shipping will recover given the current situation. Nevertheless, Wheelock's Lane Crawford is Hong Kong's most renowned luxury retailer, and even Carrefour's rise won't significantly impact it, as the two are at different levels. Acquiring Lane Crawford would certainly help Carrefour's foray into the high-end supermarket market.

Lane Crawford's Yang Wendong thought for a moment and asked, "So, you still agree to acquire Wheelock?"

Fang Xianming said, "If it weren't for the shipping industry, acquiring Wheelock would be a guaranteed profit. However, the losses incurred in the shipping industry mean that once we acquire it, we'll have to absorb those losses as well, and that's something we can't predict."

"I estimate that the shipping industry will be pretty much over in a few years," Yang Wendong said after thinking for a moment.
Previously, the internet did not seem to have a very detailed description of this maritime crisis. He only knew about it because Bao Yugang abandoned ship and landed on the mainland, and the Dong family almost went bankrupt, thus learning about the beginning of the crisis.
But it's unclear when this crisis will end;
However, judging from the Dong family's situation, we can roughly determine that in the past, Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) began to turn a profit in the early 90s, which means that the shipping industry had begun to return to normal in the 90s or two years before.

Fang Xianming and Zheng Zhijie exchanged a glance, and then Fang said, "If Mr. Yang makes this judgment, then I think acquiring Wheelock is still worthwhile."

"Alright, arrange for someone to conduct a thorough review of the materials sent by the Zhang family." After thinking for a moment, Yang Wendong said, "If there are no problems, then we can discuss a price with the Zhang family."
Given the current uncertainties in the shipping industry, the price needs to be kept a bit lower.

Today, he no longer relies entirely on his prophetic abilities for many business investments;
Some businesses require you to consider issues from a business perspective, just like a normal person would when doing business.

This will likely become the norm in the future. After all, he is a normal person who will eventually retire, and his descendants should act in a way that is appropriate for them.

"Yes, Mr. Yang," Fang Xianming replied.
Yang Wendong added, "Zhiwen, you should go with Fang Sheng and Zheng Sheng. Although this isn't a major acquisition battle, it will still be a good opportunity for you to broaden your horizons."

“Okay, Daddy,” Fang Xianming replied.

Changxing Group began contacting the Zhang family, and this was kept strictly confidential in the early stages.
Finally, at the end of April, Wheelock suddenly announced that the major shareholder, the Cheung family, had sold their shares to Cheung Hing Group and would be leaving Hong Kong.

This news shocked Hong Kong once again. Few people cared that the Zhang family had left Hong Kong, but the fact that the Zhang family's shares had been transferred to Chang Hing Group meant that Yang Wendong, a Chinese, had successfully acquired another large trading company.
Although Wheelock was the worst of the four major trading companies, it was still one of the four major trading companies in Hong Kong.

Now, two and a half of the former four major foreign trading companies have fallen into the hands of Yang Wendong. It can be said that the era of British capital controlling everything in Hong Kong has basically come to an end.
Upon learning the news, the wealthy Southeast Asian businessman Qiu Deba made no move. Instead, he sent someone to visit Yang Wendong, indicating that he would not compete for the management rights of Wheelock.

"I thought this guy would be unruly too," Yang Wendong said with a smile.
Historically, after Zhang Yuliang sold his shares to Bao Yugang, Qiu Deba did not stop. Instead, he gathered funds to continue acquiring Wheelock shares, intending to have a commercial merger and acquisition battle with Bao Yugang.
Although Bao Yugang ultimately won that battle, he paid a considerable price.

Yang Zhiwen said, "That Qiu Deba is considered a big shot in Southeast Asia, but he's still far inferior to you, Father. How could he possibly dare to compete with you for Wheelock?"

“Well, in that case, let’s officially take over Wheelock.” Yang Wendong added, “Zhiwen, you should also get involved appropriately and see how we take over a new company and how to deal with its former employees. You may encounter this in the future, so go and learn now.”

“Okay, Daddy,” Yang Zhiwen replied.

Just then, a secretary walked in and said, "Mr. Yang, Mr. Bao from China Power wants to meet with you."

“Bao Yugang? He wants to see me at this time, is it because of Wheelock?” Yang Wendong was a little surprised, then said, “Okay, let’s set a time.”

This time, the Zhang family came directly to him. If he didn't want Hui Defeng, the Zhang family might go to Bao Yugang instead.

However, since he acquired it himself, it naturally has nothing to do with Pao Yu-Kang anymore.

Yang Zhiwen said, "Could it be because Wheelock has some businesses that he is interested in, so he wants to talk to you about acquiring some of them?"

"Perhaps. If the price is right, we can sell some. I also think Wah Tak Fung has too many messy businesses," Yang Wendong nodded.

This is a common problem for many Hong Kong companies: once they reach a certain size, they have to try their hand at every industry.
Although Changxing Group is involved in industries such as real estate, shipping, electronics, power generation, and manufacturing, its scale is far smaller than that of some other companies.

Yang Wendong has been controlling his various subsidiaries over the years, keeping his own businesses and not allowing them to interfere in other industries.
The concern is that involving too many industries will ultimately lead to a bloated and unwieldy structure.

Two days later, Yang Wendong met Bao Yugang again at the Four Seasons Hotel;

"Haha, Mr. Yang, your acquisition of Wheelock this time is a great joy," Bao Yugang said with a smile;

"It's alright. Actually, Wheelock's businesses aren't that much." Yang Wendong smiled and said, "Bao Sheng, did you ask me to come out at this time because of Wheelock?"

“While Wheelock did have some businesses that I was interested in, I’m not really interested in them anymore.” Bao Yugang sighed.

"What's wrong?" Yang Wendong noticed that Bao Yugang's expression was a little off.

Bao Yugang sighed, "I've been diagnosed with cancer, prostate cancer."

(End of this chapter)