Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

P.S.: The last chapter was reviewed, it took a whole day, and I finally had to beg Lan Da to release it...

……

As soon as Wang Yaotang returned to shore, he immediately spread the word that Shengyi and the soda were locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Everyone immediately understood what was going on; Wang Yaotang had managed to extract information from Quan Wang Hai and his group.

No one doubted that the story was true, because Shenxian Jin did not come forward to refute it, and he had disappeared.

"You have many ways to arrest people, why did you have to use a gun?" After finally contacting Wang Yaotang, Cabel rushed over immediately and asked in a somewhat exasperated manner.

“It’s a matter of attitude, I think you should understand.” Wang Yaotang said somewhat nonchalantly, “Alright, no need to act like this, it’s not that serious. It was just a bunch of thugs who died, not any innocent civilians.”

“Nobody cares about them, but the Chief Executive can’t let the Governor’s House think the Police Force is doing a poor job!” Cabel said in a deep voice.

Wang Yaotang chuckled, "What you said... is indeed quite right."

"In that case, the Irish Liberation Organization will write to the major newspapers to take responsibility for this matter."

"What?" Cabel was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening. "Are you crazy? What's the point of this?"

"If we can't solve the problem, then we'll escalate it. Isn't it only natural that the Irish Liberation Organization is eyeing the jewel in the Queen's crown? Then the Governor's House will be in trouble. It just so happens that the Flying Tigers haven't fought against any terrorist organizations since their formation, so this is a good opportunity."

Cabel covered his mouth, frowned, and fell into deep thought. It sounded absurd, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed a solution.

If it's just a fight in the underworld, then the police force is incompetent.

But if it's the Irish Liberation Organization, then it's a problem for all of England.

If one person is dirty, of course others will laugh at them, but if everyone is dirty...

"You still want to fight the immortal Jin?" Cabel changed the subject.

"Of course we have to fight. He killed my boss. I'm afraid he'll think I'll hold a grudge against him."

Cabel didn't understand at first, and after a moment of reaction, he was speechless. The reason was both bizarre and reasonable, transcending narrow-minded revenge, leaving him unable to refute it.

"Eliminating a major scourge entrenched in Hong Kong's underworld is a great achievement for your Criminal Investigation Department, and it'll be a good way to relieve some of the pressure you've been under." Wang Yaotang raised an eyebrow.

Kabel: I should thank you, though.

"Alright, call me how you need my cooperation. Don't cause too many casualties, or it will be very difficult for me," Cabel warned finally.

"Don't worry, they're just a bunch of thugs. They're not good enough to cause me any trouble, so there won't be any corpses."

"The soda company's business..." Cabel asked in a low voice.

"You can pick which ones are suitable. I'll use some to motivate people, and I'll integrate the rest. If you don't mind being directly related to my business, then I'm fine with it. You know I'm not one to hog everything."

Kabel smiled and gave a thumbs up.

After they left, Ah Jie asked uncertainly, "Brother Yao, are we really cooperating with the police?"

"What?" Wang Yaotang glanced at him sideways.

"Isn't it a bit..."

"Traitor?"

"Yes."

“I’m asking you, have you paid taxes to the Hong Kong government?” Wang Yaotang asked with amusement.

"Yes, I have."

"Is the police force supported by taxes?"

"Yes."

"You paid for it, so isn't it only natural for you to use their services?"

“Uh…” A-Jie scratched his head.

"What does the code of the underworld have to do with this? If you don't pay taxes to the government while you're in the underworld, of course you can't cooperate. But we're different. We pay taxes. There's no such thing as just spending money and not getting anything done."

Ah Jie couldn't refute it.

Just as everyone was waiting to see what Wang Yaotang would do next, unexpectedly, the night passed peacefully.

Not to mention the group of people on the soda side who were on tenterhooks, even Wang Yaotang's subordinates, such as Da Sen, Gou Zui Bo, Chao A, and Guo Shan Feng, were somewhat confused. They waited all night for their boss to summon them, but nothing came of it.

The next day at noon, Da Sen, Gou Zui Bo, Chao A, Guo Shan Feng and others, who had just finished staying up all night, received a call from their older brother asking them to come over.

Rushing to the Youlian Building, Wang Yaotang found it amusing to see a group of people. "Waited all night?"

"Yes, Brother Yao."

"Brother Yao, what do you suggest? Kill our leader, and fight them to the death with that soda."

After the group finished chanting their slogans, Wang Yaotang said leisurely, "I called you all here to tell you that a fight is definitely going to happen. Don't think that the big boss won't give his underlings a chance to rise to power. Tell the people below that whoever takes over the soft drink business will be the one to watch. I won't interfere this time."

"Huh?" The group looked at each other, somewhat confused by Wang Yaotang's meaning.

"What do you mean, 'huh'? You've never fought for territory before?"

"No, Yao-ge, we used to all..."

“You said it yourself, it was before. Now you all have your own venues, do you expect me to work for you for free?” Wang Yaotang said with a laugh, “I advise you not to go too far.”

"No, no," Omori said with a smile, waving his hand. "It's just that I'm not used to it yet."

"What's there to be unaccustomed to? You've been with me for so long, don't tell me you haven't learned anything and are still running the shop with a bunch of hooligans like before."

“Of course not.” Guo Shanfeng waved his arms. “His 10 brothers still train every day. These guys are hoping that one day Umbrella will expand its recruitment so they can go and start working.”

"So, with organization, discipline, and consistent training, a bunch of hooligans who sell soda can easily take you down. But don't say I didn't warn you, if you get caught by the police, I won't let anyone bail you out." Wang Yaotang pointed at them one by one, "So, when choosing your opponents, be realistic about your abilities, make a plan, and don't mess it up for me."

"I know, Brother Yao."

"Brother Yao, how about we team up?"

"Do whatever you want, I don't care. Just make sure the spoils are distributed properly. If you cause trouble here over the unequal distribution of the spoils, or if you create some scandal of brothers fighting amongst themselves, then don't blame your brother Yao for being ruthless." Wang Yaotang looked at everyone with a smile.

"Certainly not."

"Don't worry, Brother Yao."

"Okay, go ahead. I won't notify anyone else. Just spread the word." Wang Yaotang said, "Alright, get to work."

"Brother Yao," Super A called out hesitantly. "Just say what you have to say, there's no need to beat around the bush."

"A brother from Shatin asked me to ask Big Brother Yao, but I don't have any contact with them, I'm just passing on a message..."

"Why are you worrying so much? Do you want to be the boss?" Wang Yaotang snapped irritably. "Get back to work."

After everyone had left, Awei asked, "Why didn't you tell him?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to give him a piece of my mind." Wang Yaotang chuckled and picked up the phone to call the mountain gate.

……

When Tigu Dong died, the heads of the three gangs were arrested that very day, young and old alike. It was fair to say that the entire Shengyi was in a state of panic. Fourth Master and his men went to the mountain gate early in the morning to oversee the situation.

Three Toyota Hiace cars were parked on the side of the road. Wang Yaotang got out of one of the cars and walked inside. Before he even reached the second floor, he could hear the noise from upstairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, Wang Yaotang saw about twenty people sitting or standing in small groups chatting. The room was filled with smoke, which immediately made him frown.

He hates smelling other people's secondhand smoke the most!
Without Wang Yaotang giving any orders, Sha Ze waved his hand, and someone immediately went to open the window. The commotion attracted the attention of some people who turned around. When they saw Wang Yaotang with a cold face, they immediately shut their mouths. Those who were still sitting stood up abruptly, threw their cigarette butts on the ground, and stomped them out. In an instant, the tables and chairs made a series of loud noises.

In just a few seconds, the second floor suddenly fell silent.

According to seniority, they were only junior members of the gang, and had almost never had the opportunity to deal with Wang Yaotang. Their understanding of him was mostly hearsay. But yesterday, in a fit of anger, he sent gunmen to kill more than 30 people and arrested nine of the company's top executives.

Most of them were in the convoy yesterday to see their grandfather one last time. They only survived because they didn't draw their guns to fight back when the attack occurred.

After Hai Dazhao and his group left, these people dared to get out of the car. Watching their 'brothers,' who had either had good relations with them or had conflicts with them, being beaten to death on the spot in the blink of an eye, they felt more fear than sympathy for each other's misfortune.

The image of Caishen Yao, who either doesn't do anything or does it to the extreme, has become even clearer.

"Why did you stop arguing? Keep going," Wang Yaotang said coldly.

Before Wang Yaotang could even look over, they all lowered their heads.

Stepping over, Wang Yaotang glanced at the extinguished cigarette butt on the table, picked it up, and looked at the person next to him, "You smoked that?"

"Huh? I..." The man's eyes flickered, unsure how to answer.

"Open your mouth."

One sentence was enough to scare someone into taking a step back.

"Open your mouth!"

Swallowing hard, Wang Yaotang slowly opened his mouth and threw the cigarette butt in.

He glanced around and said, "What kind of place is this? Look at the mess you've made! It's a complete mess. Whoever smoked here, they'll eat it."

Seeing Wang Yaotang's unfriendly gaze, the group of guys who had just been talking loudly lowered their heads, picked up their discarded cigarette butts, and put them in their mouths. After smoking for so many years, this was the first time they felt that cigarettes were so disgusting; chewing them only made them feel nauseous and want to vomit.

Hearing the downstairs quiet down, Fourth Master, Sha Lin and the other uncles knew that Wang Yaotang had arrived, so they got up and went downstairs, just in time to see this scene.

They exchanged glances, their hearts filled with mixed emotions. A bunch of hooligans, it was normal for them to be unruly, something even Tigu Dong couldn't control. But look at them now, they're all behaving themselves.

"Fourth Master, Uncle Lin, Uncle Ding, Uncle Niu," Wang Yaotang called out, turning his head.

"Now that everyone's here, let's get down to business. Ah Yao, please have a seat." Fourth Master gestured to the head of the table.

"I'm not qualified to sit here, Fourth Master, please don't make fun of me." Wang Yaotang shook his head, walked to the first seat on the left, pulled out a chair and sat down.

Fourth Master and the others exchanged glances. Regardless of whether Wang Yaotang was faking it or not, his demeanor was pleasing to the eye.

After everyone was seated, Wang Yaotang looked at the four members of the three branches; they were still standing.

"Boxing King Hai and Da Niu have confessed that it was Shen Xian Jin who killed Grandpa. This matter has nothing to do with you, so don't worry about anything. Just keep an eye on the place."

"Since the soda people did something like this, we at Sheng Yi will fight them to the death. Whether it's the Tsim Sha Tsui branch or any of your three branches, you'll all be treated the same in this matter. As for the soda turf, whoever takes it down gets it. Of course, you should act within your capabilities. If you get arrested by the police, don't expect the company to bail you out."

"Brother Yao..." someone shouted excitedly.

Loyalty and righteousness are all fake; when it comes to making money, they all immediately get excited.

Wang Yaotang looked at Fourth Master and the others, "What do you uncles think?"

This is definitely against the rules. Let alone in the underworld, even in officialdom or the military, the principle of seniority and reward based on merit is always just talk. It's not a matter of whether you want to do it or not; it's simply impossible.

But now that Wang Yaotang has already said it, what can the four old guys do? They still have to find a way to make amends for Wang Yaotang.

"Grandpa was framed. If we do nothing, the whole of Hong Kong will look down on us, and we'll be finished. We, Sheng Yi, are united in our hatred of this matter and we must take revenge on the soda factory. You must all remember this. Sheng Yi will not mistreat anyone," Fourth Master said in a deep voice.

"Yes!" a group of 49s shouted loudly.

what is this?
This is a chance to rise to the top!

All three positions are now available. If we don't give it our all now, when will we?

In their view, the boxing champion Hai and his gang were definitely dead. The gang was testing them, and whoever did well this time would be promoted.

After everyone left, the old men looked at Wang Yaotang. Fourth Master said in a deep voice, "Ah Yao, what exactly are you planning to do?"

“Uncle Tung has been good to me. In the early days of my business, I owe a lot to Uncle Tung’s support. Otherwise, my development would never have been so smooth. Uncle Tung has always hoped that Sheng Yi could go further and become one of the four major companies in Hong Kong. So I will take over the soft drink factory and make Sheng Yi one of the four major companies, thus fulfilling Uncle Tung’s dream.” Wang Yaotang said in a deep voice.

"The soda factory has a history of several decades. Although it's at the bottom of the four major companies, it still has a workforce of seventy or eighty thousand people. It's not that easy for a snake to swallow a whale," Sha Lin said, frowning.

"Back then, the Nationalist army occupied most of the country, equipped with American and German weapons, planes, tanks, artillery—everything. We had an 80-60 advantage, but what happened later? We were still utterly defeated. What good is just having more people?" Wang Yaotang smiled, took out his cigarette case, handed one to each of the old men, lit it, took a deep drag, and then said, "I can promise whoever wins the territory gets to keep it, and all my men will fight to the death. Can his soda factory do that?"

"He can't do it. Even if Shenxian Jin wanted to, he couldn't. Those uncles wouldn't agree, and those gang leaders definitely wouldn't agree. Why would his soda factory underlings work so hard? Just so the boss could buy him another new car!"

"Compared to the other side, the soda factory's morale is gone without even needing to fight."

The four men exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with disbelief. Fourth Master couldn't help but ask, "Are you really planning to let whoever takes over the venue keep it? The soda factory has more than a dozen branches, big and small. The total value of all the venues must be at least two or three hundred million!"

"Yeah, are you crazy?" Uncle Ding stared wide-eyed.

Wang Yaotang looked at the group with amusement. "Hehe, it's still a soda factory now, what are you reluctant to part with? It's just giving away the enemy's money. I'll throw two or three hundred million at it, what can Shenxian Jin do to resist!"

"You and I……"

The four opened their mouths, their minds in turmoil, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Wang Yaotang's morale-building rhetoric made them truly unsure how they could lose, but the thought of dividing up hundreds of millions of dollars worth of assets made them reluctant to part with them.

How could you, Caishen Yao, be so willing to part with it?!

"Uncle Dong's funeral still needs the help of several uncles. We should make the venue bigger, both domestic and international, and send out as many invitations as possible. Let's set the date for seven days from now. I don't think the soda factory can hold out for seven days."

After saying this, Wang Yaotang stood up and left amidst the complicated gazes of the four people. (End of Chapter)