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

After smashing everything in the office, Lü Zhihe sat on the sofa, panting. Whatever had happened, he had to deal with it. He called his secretary in, but the secretary, seeing the mess in the office, didn't dare to ask any questions or call anyone else to help. She just silently began cleaning.

Lu Zhihe barely managed to suppress his anger and immediately called the police, although it was completely useless. The police had no chance of catching him, let alone causing trouble for Wang Yaotang.

Then we contacted the municipal departments of the New Territories to dredge the waterways and docks. Of course, relying on the government departments was also unreliable. Who knows when they would be able to get it done? We still had to contact people ourselves to retrieve those gasoline drums.

Gasoline drums filled with cement are very difficult to retrieve from underwater!
"Alright, stop packing, let's get the car ready..." Lu Zhihe was momentarily speechless. Things were a mess, and he didn't know what to do first.

The transportation route is blocked, and a large number of trucks are needed to transport the ore out.

He knew that more than a dozen construction sites that were directly supplied with goods would definitely run out of stock, and they would need to use their inventory to tide them over for a while. He had to visit each of them one by one to notify them and express his apologies.

He also needed to speak to the land reclamation project team. He couldn't just push all the problems onto Wang Yaotang. The construction company wouldn't listen to such nonsense; they only wanted to ensure the supply. As for the power struggle between him and Wang Yaotang, that was his own business.

The victor is king, the loser is villain; that's how he defeated others back then.

In addition, we must guard against further sabotage by Wang Yaotang...

Burnt out!

There are priorities, but we need to get the freight truck fleet sorted out first. "Yuanjie, Yuanjie..."

One-Ear walked in and said respectfully, "Boss."

"How's it going with the information I asked you to find out about Chu Guohua? What's Sheng Yi up to?"

"After Chu Kwok-wah died, the people of Sheng Yi spent money to buy most of the transport vehicles in Shek O. They formed a transport company, and now they have more than a hundred trucks."

"What!" Lü Zhihe's expression froze, then he gritted his teeth. It seemed that all of this was part of Wang Yaotang's plan. "What about those trucks that transport goods to our mine? Have they been acquired by his company?"

“This…” Yuan Jie shook his head, “I don’t know.”

"Then go ask, and while you're at it, have those people contact other companies in the same industry. We need a lot of trucks right now," Lü Zhihe quickly ordered.

"Good boss."

He waved for the others to leave, then plopped back down on the sofa. Seeing this, the secretary lowered her head again and began cleaning.

He had never put much thought into transportation before. It was a lot of work and little money, and he couldn't possibly make all the money himself. It was best to leave this kind of work to small companies and individual operators. He only needed to make sure that someone would come to the mine to pick up the goods every day.

But now this thankless transportation channel has become a noose around his neck in someone else's hands, and he realized that he was in big trouble. Damn it!

This method is actually very effective, but it requires a huge amount of capital, which is not something small businesses can handle. Globally, those who have this method are mostly giants.

Take the four major grain traders, ABCD, as an example. They do not buy land in Brazil or Argentina to grow grain or raise livestock. However, these four grain traders control the local transportation system and ports. If you don't want your grain to rot in the warehouse, you have to accept their prices!

In this way, there is no need to spend huge sums of money to hoard food. If they want to manipulate food prices, they only need to do some tricks in transportation. Even if the world produces enough food to feed everyone in the world, they can still cause food shortages in some regions. When necessary, they can manipulate market prices to obtain more profits or even greater benefits beyond the initial profit.

As for local farmers buying their own transport vehicles... that's useless. How will they solve the problems of the docks, the fleet of ships specifically for transporting grain, and the sales channels?

The result is that farmers can only sell their grain and fruit at low prices, while consumers pay high prices when they buy them, with the middlemen making all the money!

After thinking for a while, Lü Zhihe felt that it was impossible to solve this matter by relying on Yuan Jie. If Yuan Jie had that ability, he wouldn't have stayed by his side as the head of the security team.

The trucks are also all kinds of things. Hong Kong is not the mainland. Trucks with a rated load capacity of 1.5 tons dare to carry 15 tons of goods. Hong Kong traffic police are very strict about this. The only trucks that can be used in mines are those special heavy-duty vehicles.

"Those damn Hong Kong laws are always exceptionally strict in the most useless places." After cursing, Lui Chi-wo called to his secretary, "Let's go to Green Island."

Li Xiangjiao has a transportation team in Yingni, Qingzhou, and many cooperating transportation companies. He should be able to allocate some transportation capacity. At the same time, he also needs to visit Cheung Kong Holdings. It is a fact that the supply of stone and cement aggregates may be interrupted. Regardless of the reason, he should solve the problem first.

After that, you can also approach other construction companies, who all have specialized vehicles or cooperative fleets for hauling earth and stone, and you can find ways to utilize them.

……

the other side.

"Dong dong dong."

"Who!"

"The An Chongshan family, right?"

The woman peered through the peephole and saw several young people standing at the door, the one in the lead with a buzz cut, but she didn't recognize any of them.

"What's the matter?"

Is An Chongshan there?

"Honey, honey, someone's looking for you."

The inner security door opened, and there was another iron gate on the outside. A burly middle-aged man glanced at the group of people outside and said, "You're looking for me? I don't know you."

"Now we know each other. My name is Bai Zeyan, but everyone calls me Ayan."

"What's the matter?"

"Are you just going to talk like this outside? Shouldn't you at least invite us in for a glass of water?"

The burly man frowned. Although he didn't want strangers to come in, these people were clearly not easy to deal with.

Bai Zeyan opened the door, waved for his underlings to wait outside, changed his shoes, and went inside. An Chongshan was then somewhat relieved.

After brewing and setting out the tea, An Chongshan asked, "What do you need me for?"

"Brother An, do you have a Mitsubishi Fuso that you use to haul earth and gravel?"

"Yes."

"We'd like to rent the car for 10 days to teach my driver. Brother An, what's your price?"

"Sorry, I have goods to pick up at the Taikoo construction site."

"Then we'll rent your car for all your usage time except for the Taikoo construction site."

"What do you mean? Which company are you from?"

"Shengyi... Shengsha Joint-Stock Company".

He hadn't heard of Sheng Sha and An Chongshan, but he knew Sheng Yi—one of the newly promoted "Big Four." However, he didn't want to take on club work; it was too troublesome. "Sorry..."

"Don't rush to refuse. We don't need you to actually transport anything, and we don't need to worry about you carrying goods. Shengyi doesn't deal in contraband." Bai Zeyan waved his hand with a smile. "We need you to work on the Taigu construction site and not take on any other jobs, just rent cars and learn to drive."

"What on earth are you going to do?"

"Now that you know the reason, you can't pretend to be stupid and make excuses," Bai Zeyan chuckled.

"I……"

Bai Zeyan put a finger to his lips. "Shh, don't refuse me. I'm coming to you politely, I don't want you to do anything, and I'll give you every penny you're owed. If you refuse such a good offer, then you don't want to be friends with us."

“You’ll be accompanying him starting tomorrow morning. After you finish your work for Taikoo, you just need to teach him how to drive. It doesn’t matter if you can’t teach him. We’ll give you HK$500 a day for rental, and we’ll cover the fuel costs.”

As he spoke, Bai Zeyan extended his hand.

An Chongshan still reached out his hand, knowing it was a troublesome matter, but Shengyi's people had already been very polite. If he didn't agree, they would become his enemies, which he couldn't handle, and his family couldn't protect him.

As for the gang behind his convoy... since they didn't fight or rob him, they wouldn't dare utter a single word even if they knew.

……

Several young people wearing T-shirts and jeans stood on the roadside waving a sign in their hands.

Seeing that the large truck showed no sign of slowing down or stopping, someone further away suddenly pushed the oil drum under their feet, and the drum rolled onto the road with a gurgling sound.

Nourishes—

Only when the distance was sufficient did the truck finally slow down. The driver leaned out of the window and yelled, "You bastards, are you fucking asking for it?!"

"You son of a bitch, try saying that again!" one of the henchmen yelled as he bent down to pick up a steel pipe from the ground.

"Alright, I told you to be polite." A slightly older man with a side parting and dressed a bit more formally slapped the person next to him on the back of the head. "Brother, we want to rent your car for 10 days. Name your price."

"Rent a car? What do you need a car for?" The driver looked at them warily. These people were obviously thugs, but he didn't know which gang they belonged to.

But these truck drivers aren't without power behind them; they're not afraid of ordinary thugs.

“It’s a victory!” the younger brother shouted.

He waved for his underling to step back, saying, "Delivering goods, learning to drive, whatever, why worry so much? It won't cost you a penny. You're out here driving to make money, right? As long as you have the money, that's all that matters."

"No, I won't rent it." The driver thought for a moment and then shook his head, not wanting to deal with people from the gang.

Sanqifen's face immediately darkened, and he pointed his finger at the driver's nose, saying, "Hey, don't push your luck. I advise you to think carefully before you speak. Either rent the car to us, or just stay here and do nothing!"

"So what if it's Sheng Yi? I work for Henderson Land Development."

"Hengji my ass! Hengji doesn't care if you're hospitalized, or if your family is hospitalized!" The man with the three-seven split gestured for his underling to open his bag, pulling out a triangular caltrop. "Have you ever seen one? One of these will give you a complete tire blowout!"

The driver looked grim, wanting to curse but not daring to, saying, "I have to haul goods for the company."

"It doesn't matter. From now on, my people will be with you. You can do whatever work at Hengji, but we'll cover all your other work. We'll compensate you 300 yuan a day. How about that? It's reasonable, right? It's not threatening you, is it?" Sanqifen said with a softened expression.

The driver pursed his lips and said, "Okay." He divided the bills into three hundred-yuan notes, one for each person, and handed them over. The driver reached for the notes, but couldn't pull them out.

"I'm your boss now, shouldn't you say thank you?" Sanqifen said with a smile.

"Thank you, boss." The driver forced a smile.

Not only did he not rob me, he even gave me money! I'm so happy!
"Shui Ma, you follow him."

"Okay big brother."

After the underlings did their work, they reported the news to the branch, which then compiled the information and reported it to Wang Yaotang. This is when you can see the power of the gang.

Speaking of mobilization capabilities, Wang Yaotang can mobilize over 2000 registered members across 14 branches with just a word. Each member is accompanied by three to five assistants, and he can mobilize tens of thousands of people to do things within an hour.

Whether you own a car or drive for someone else, the income for this kind of work is not low, and you won't be living in a cramped apartment, which greatly narrows down the search area. By asking around at convenience stores and small restaurants on the street, you can quickly narrow down the search area further. In the end, even if you ask door to door, with enough manpower, it's not difficult to find someone.

The most crucial thing is finding the door... then it's very difficult for the other party to refuse.

In addition, seven or eight people were stationed near each construction site to block the trucks coming and going. In short, by nightfall, Wang Yaotang had rented out at least 7% of the heavy trucks on Hong Kong Island.

……

The construction site has enough materials, so a shortage of two or three days is not a big problem. Lu Zhihe first made a phone call to explain the situation before going to the Qingzhou Yingni in Hung Hom, Tsim Sha Tsui. General Manager Mei Chengzhi personally greeted him at the door.

Lui Chi-wo has been a prominent figure in Hong Kong's business world for 30 years, and his reputation as the "King of Quarries" is still very well-known. Mei Chengzhi appeared very enthusiastic.

After exchanging pleasantries, Lü Zhihe stated his purpose: to borrow the car.

Li Rubber's current industrial structure is built around the real estate system, so Qingzhou Yingni, including its related construction and building materials companies, will allocate a small portion of its own transportation capacity.

With social transportation capacity as the main body and private transportation capacity as a supplement, it is more efficient and convenient.

Mei Chengzhi called his secretary in, asked about the company's fleet capacity, and nodded in agreement. He also smiled and promised to help contact a partner transportation company.

Although a subsidiary controlled by Li Xiangjiao was also bidding for 'Shek O' and 'Lamma Island', this did not affect his ability to provide assistance to Lui Chi-wo. After all, it was a favor he had to do, and besides, what did the other companies have to do with him? He didn't have that strong sense of ownership.

The owners of the two transportation companies that were cooperating arrived quickly. After Mei Chengzhi introduced them, the owners of both companies readily agreed, saying that they would take any business that came their way, and immediately called back to their companies to make arrangements.

After expressing his gratitude, Lü Zhihe got up to take his leave. He still had to visit other companies. In the car, Lü Zhihe squinted. "Those who act justly gain many supporters, while those who act unjustly find few. You, a young man, can't possibly catch up with my years of hard work."

There were no cell phones at that time. When Lü Zhihe returned to the company after a long day of running around, feeling that he had gained a lot and with a smile on his face, he immediately saw Gu Yuanbin's bitter face.

He didn't seem to care; he knew the company was facing difficulties. "How's the river dredging going?"

"The river is narrow and can only accommodate one salvage boat at a time. Today, a total of 12 gasoline drums were salvaged. At the current rate, it will take another 3 days to clear them. The progress in Lei Yue Mun is faster and can be completed within two days."

“Yes, that’s fine. We need to send people to patrol the area along the way. I suspect Wang Yaotang will have other tricks up his sleeve.” Lu Zhihe said in a deep voice while sitting in his boss’s chair. “Don’t worry too much. I’ve already arranged for a convoy. There will be some losses in freight costs, but it’s all within our means.”

Gu Yuanbin opened his mouth, his expression becoming even more bitter.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so sad?" Lü Zhihe asked with a smile.

"Boss, Bao Jiamin and Shang Hong just called..."

"Who?" Lu Zhihe was stunned for a moment before he realized, "The transportation company?"

Seeing Gu Yuanbin nod, Lü Zhihe sensed something was wrong. "What's going on? Is there a problem with their convoy? Has Wang Yaotang contacted them?"

"There's a problem. Most of their convoys have refused," Gu Yuanbin said in a low voice.

"What do you mean!" Lü Zhihe suddenly stood up.

"Wang Yaotang's men approached the vehicle owners and drivers, buying up all the time outside of their existing freight bills..."

"This is impossible!" Lü Zhihe roared through gritted teeth, his face contorted with rage. "How did he find those car owners?!"

Gu Yuanbin lowered his head and remained silent. He also thought it was impossible, but it just happened.

Lu Zhihe, his face ashen, grabbed the phone and made the call.

“Mr. Lü, I don’t know either. I don’t even know exactly where the owners of the cars in my company’s fleet live, but some people have come looking for us.” Bao Jiamin said with a wry smile, “Shengyi’s people have come to our homes, how can they dare to refuse?”

Suppressing the urge to curse, Lü Zhihe forced a smile and comforted the other party before hanging up. Still not giving up, he dialed a few more times, but all to the same result, which made his heart sink to the bottom.

Damn it, how did that bastard find those hundreds of car owners out of a population of over 500 million in Hong Kong? I just can't understand it. It's impossible!

When Lü Zhihe went to Hong Kong Island, he was too young and had never seen the mobilization capabilities of our army. Even criminals who deliberately hid themselves could not escape the human wave tactics, let alone truck drivers who already had a relatively big reputation.

Just in case, after calling the transportation company that others had previously introduced as a backup, he slumped into his boss's chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

"Mr. Lü, what should we do?"

"You think you can cut off my transportation line with such a small trick? Ha, he overestimates himself!" Lu Zhihe looked up, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented light. Suddenly, he felt like he had found himself back in more than 20 years ago. "Qingzhou Yingni, Hengji Construction, Xiexing Construction, Taikoo Construction, New World Construction, Lai Sun Construction, which one of them doesn't have its own trucks? No matter how arrogant Wang is, he won't dare to cut off their transportation. Tomorrow, I will personally visit them and ask them to allocate more business to those transportation companies and lend me their trucks."

"I, Lü Zhihe, have built up a network of connections over 30 years, so I still have some influence!"

Hearing this, Gu Yuanbin breathed a sigh of relief. Mr. Lü is indeed Mr. Lü!
However, despite his words, Lü Zhihe really didn't want things to come to this. He could afford to owe the general managers of these companies for the favors he had received yesterday, but mobilizing transportation capacity was not something these people could decide.

It requires the approval of the heads of each household.

He not only owed Wang Yaotang a huge favor by coming to him for help, but he also admitted that he couldn't defeat Wang Yaotang alone, despite his reputation built up over 30 years!

So, early the next morning, Kowloon Tong.

Wang Yaotang came downstairs in his pajamas, looking at Lü Zhihe with sleepy eyes. He never expected that the old man would actually come to his door.

Now that they were rivals, Wang Yaotang, too lazy to feign intimacy and invite the other party in, stood in the courtyard and asked, "At your age, why are you getting up so early? You may not have a sex life, but I do."

Lu Zhihe's expression instantly turned cold. "Young man, everyone competes on their own merits in mine auctions. You're using these underhanded tactics in the wrong place!"

Wang Yaotang chuckled and said with a mocking smile, "You think you're so high and mighty? You can fool those young people with your words, but you don't actually believe it yourself after saying it so many times, do you?"

Wang Yaotang pointed at Lü Zhihe, "Wei Xiaohui and You Wei will take you away tonight."

"That's what I learned from you old guys, the true essence of business competition!"

As expected, he couldn't intimidate the kid. Lu Zhihe took a deep breath, and his expression softened. "Wang Yaotang, leave some room for maneuver. If you want to compete for Shek O and Lamma Island, you should have given us a heads-up beforehand, instead of making a move right away."

"Seven days ago, at 9 pm, a Rolex gold watch. Do I need to be more direct?" Wang Yaotang sneered. "I spent almost half a year trying to take over Shek O and Lamma Island, and now you're jumping out to try and reap the benefits? There's no such logic in the world."

"Since you've come to me, don't accuse me of being ruthless. I'll leave you a way out today. You withdraw from this auction, and we'll consider this matter over. How about that?"

A smile suddenly appeared on Lü Zhihe's expressionless face. "You thought you had driven me to the brink?"

Wang Yaotang remained silent.

“The Hong Kong stone market is only so big; it can’t accommodate two sharks. I’ve worked in this industry for 30 years, and it’s not so easy for me to quit,” Lui Chi-wo said softly.

"If having more years of experience is useful, then what's the point of competition? Everyone should just compare ages. You're treating this like an upgrade game. If you're still not convinced, then give it a try."

"Okay, let's try again."

Wang Yaotang stepped forward and tapped Lü Zhihe's chest. "I'm afraid you'll die if you try. I'm still willing to abide by the unwritten rules of the business world and play with you, but my patience is limited. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it if we continue."

Lü Zhihe didn't say anything, but gave Wang Yaotang a deep look before turning and leaving.

……

“Brother Li, this is of course a matter between me and that young man Wang Yaotang. Although we are rivals, I have to admit that he is indeed formidable. It’s no exaggeration to say that he is the best among the younger generation.”

At the Banana Li family's reception room, tea was served. Lü Zhihe said with a solemn expression, "At first, I really underestimated him. Now it seems that this kid came with great momentum and was well prepared."

"How so?" Li asked with a smile.

"This kid has been eyeing the stone industry for more than half a year. He secretly acquired the Fanling stone mine half a year ago and has been making plans ever since. I only found out today that the reason why Shek O and Lamma Island have to go through the bidding process is also because of his behind-the-scenes efforts."

"It's him!" Li Xiangjiao was genuinely surprised. "How did he manage to get those guys to listen to him?"

"It's probably nothing more than those methods. He probably got hold of those people's weaknesses, after all, he's involved in a gang."

“That’s true.” Li Xiangjiao nodded.

“Brother Li, the gang’s business has always been nightclubs, entertainment, smuggling, and the like. But half a year ago, he started to venture into the stone industry, which has nothing to do with the gang. There’s no wrong nickname, ‘Little God of Wealth.’ It shows how big his appetite is. He’s entered the stone industry today, but what about tomorrow? I don’t believe he’ll stop after swallowing up the stone market.” Lu Zhihe said in a deep voice, “That kid brought in a lot of stone from the mainland. But the mainland has more than just stone.”

“He’s only in his twenties, and he won’t stop for at least the next 20 years. His appetite will only grow bigger and bigger. Once the market is stirred up, it won’t benefit anyone.”

Li Xiangjiao remained silent for a while. He could tell what Lü Zhihe was planning. He originally didn't want to get involved, but after being told this, he felt a little uncomfortable.

Hong Kong's real estate market is already very crowded, and newcomers will inevitably take over the market share of those who are already established.

“Young people should be given a warning,” Li Xiangjiao nodded.

Lü Zhihe was delighted and smiled as he picked up his teacup. "Then I'll drink tea instead of wine. Thank you for your help, Brother Li."

"Hehe, Brother Lü, you're too kind. It's just a small favor. I'll explain it to my subordinates," Li Xiangjiao said with a smile.

"I won't say thank you. I'm withdrawing from the bidding for Shek O and Lamma Island this time," Lui Chi-wo said with a smile.

"Haha, Brother Lü is truly decisive." (End of Chapter)