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

Chapter 453

"Little God of Wealth Plants Flag in Myanmar!"

Wang Yaotang hosts tea ceremony in Myanmar to mediate conflict between government and local armed groups.

Wang Yaotang's Prestige Shakes Southeast Asia

Shocking! The Emperor of Pornography is Actually Wang Yaotang

"Smack!" Wang Yaotang slammed the newspaper on the table with a dark expression. "Damn it, does this newspaper editor want to die?"

Ah Jie, Four-Eyes, and the others burst into laughter. They had already read the newspapers that morning, finding the various sensational headlines quite amusing.

“Keep reading. In your words, it’s clickbait. Specifically, it says that after your investment, the distorted opium economy in their controlled area has been shaken, many industries have been revitalized, and there is hope that they can get rid of their dependence on opium. This will greatly benefit global anti-drug efforts and solve the problem of rampant drug abuse,” Awei explained with a smile.

Wang Yaotang's expression softened slightly but was still not good. "That won't do either. Not everyone reads the newspaper carefully. Do you think everyone has the leisure to read so many newspapers like we do?"

"Most people just read the headlines. Otherwise, why would newspapers write such sensational headlines? Besides, a lot of people are brainless. They only read what they want to see and don't care about the specific content."

"Wei Tao, have someone contact all the newspapers. I'm spending so much money to get their cooperation in the publicity, not to smear my reputation."

"Okay, boss." Wei Tao nodded, suppressing a smile.

The first wave of media bombardment was paid for by Wang Yaotang. The large-scale publicity was intended to highlight just how powerful Wang Yaotang was, the powerful military force of the No. 1 Chinese security company, and to demonstrate the enormous influence of a Hong Konger in Southeast Asia. This influence was not limited to the traditional business sector but had extended into the security field, penetrating into some war-torn and impoverished areas, and thoroughly affecting the confrontation between local armed forces and government troops.

Wang Yaotang has already acted as a peacemaker between the two sides and promoted regional peace. Isn't that amazing enough?

Hong Kong was, after all, a colony, a place where people were conquered. Although people don't say it out loud, they do feel inferior and need something to comfort them.

Hong Kong people also yearn for resistance, which is why martial arts films like "Wong Fei-hung" and "Chen Zhen," which depict fighting foreigners and Japanese invaders, are very popular because they inspire a sense of national pride through martial arts.

Wang Yaotang and his "protective umbrella" company hit the nail on the head regarding "fighting foreigners," instantly igniting a frenzy among Hong Kong citizens.

Money is indeed attractive and can bring people spiritual happiness, but it is essentially a form of compensation. Money has been associated with decadence since ancient times because it cannot satisfy people's core need for 'pride'.

Fame comes first, profit comes second.

Those who pursue fame are determined and can resist all kinds of temptations, thus forging ahead and leaving their mark on history.

But profit doesn't work; money has never been associated with being high-class or sophisticated.

History doesn't record things like someone being a wealthy person in a certain period. People are often ashamed to talk about wealth, and the richer they are, the less willing they are to talk about wealth. They always want to talk about something high-class and sophisticated.

Wang Yaotang wouldn't have to spend a penny on follow-up reports. These newspapers would naturally dig deeper into the story behind it in order to boost sales. After all, newspapers only have so many copies sold every day. If you don't report on what people want to read, someone else will.

So even before the news broke that Wang Yaotang had seized a gold mine in Myanmar, the stock prices of Hong Kong Mining and Yiu Kwong Audio-Visual soared, and CLP Power's stock price also surged.

The financial team immediately sprang into action, accelerating their preparations to reap a hefty profit once the 'gold mine,' 'Nandu tin mine,' and 'Jingdong tin mine' were successively exposed.

……

After seeing Naiwen off that day, Wang Yaotang stayed in Yangon for another week, visiting different places and attending receptions every day. His photos appeared in the media more frequently than those of the military government, completely dominating Yangon's news feed.

Naiwen is getting old and can no longer be as authoritative as he once was. The people who joined him in the coup have grown up and each of them has more and more powerful forces behind them. He needs to be strategic and mobilize public opinion to push things forward.

The mining and timber interests in Jingdong belong to the Eastern Military Region.

The mining, hydropower, timber, and transportation interests of Lashio's Nandu area belong to the Northeast Military Region.

The gold mines and shipping in Mandalay are under the control of the Central Military District.

The Myanmar military government only has ten military regions in total. This time, it has cut off the core interests of three military regions, causing internal conflicts to boil over!

Fortunately, the Northeast Military Region had already been scattered, and the remaining part in Guizhou was about to surrender.

With the Eastern Military Region severely weakened, Kayah State saw an opportunity and has recently started causing trouble, greatly diverting the Eastern Military Region's attention.

The only thing we need to worry about now is the Central Army; taking their gold mines has harmed the interests of many people.

On the contrary, the dock and teak procurement rights were not significantly affected. Wang Yaotang had provided real money, enough to shut some people up. Of course, having received the money, they would strongly support it.

Of course, the most fundamental reason is that the person surnamed Wang is indeed powerful.

……

Beijing University of Technology (BJUT) holds its routine morning meeting.

"General Manager, this is a message from the Honglu Temple. Myanmar has contacted us and wants to purchase 0 missile frigates." Tian Guobin, who is in charge of business in Southeast Asia, handed over a document.

"0 missile frigate?" General Manager Li Shengli blinked, his tone full of doubt.

A murmur of discussion arose in the meeting room.

"No, does Lao Sun have missile frigates?" Li Shengli looked at the person in charge of naval equipment.

"Absolutely not!" Old Sun shook his head.

"Old Tian, ​​what's going on?"

"You know, 0 actually does have missile escort boats." Tian Guobin laughed heartily at everyone's bewildered expressions. He himself was also stunned when he received the information, and it took him quite a while to figure out the ins and outs before he brought it up at the meeting.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could I not know what equipment the navy has!"

"Hey, you're being too sure of yourself, Lao Sun. If I produce evidence, you'll be treating everyone to dinner tonight."

"Alright, I'd like to see what tricks you can come up with!" Old Sun chuckled. "If you can't come up with anything, you'll have to treat everyone to dinner."

"Yes, well said!" the others chimed in.

Tian Guobin smiled and took out a stack of photos from the file bag, then gently pushed them in front of Lao Sun.

Old Sun was stunned after looking at the top picture. The shape was indeed 0, especially the 57mm twin-mounted gun, turret, and radar at the front of the ship. But what about the missile launcher at the rear?

He picked up the photos one by one and looked at them. They were all taken from different angles. He was sure that it was 0⑶⒎, but why didn't he know?
"Where did this photo come from? Is it from a new project at the research institute? How could the photo have been leaked!" Old Sun frowned, his face serious.

Upon hearing the word "leak," everyone became serious.

"The photo was taken in Yangon. It's not a leak; we just drove there openly and legitimately," Tian Guobin said with a smile.

"This is impossible! How could it be in Yangon!"

"Old Tian, ​​what exactly happened?" General Manager Li Shengli asked in a deep voice. "This is no joke."

"I'll mention two names and everyone will know: Somalia and Wang Yaotang," Tian Guobin said with a smile.

Everyone suddenly realized that this matter had been discussed in a meeting, and the final decision was that they could not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. Once someone else bought something, it was theirs, and how they handled it was none of their business.

Although everyone knew that the item was actually in Wang Yaotang's hands.

"This 0 belongs to Wang Yaotang? Wasn't he selling submarine chasers? How did it become a missile ship?" Old Sun asked, puzzled.

"These two 0 ships had a fight with Rio Tinto's escort fleet in the South China Sea. They sank an old warship with a displacement of 1050 tons and were also damaged. They were later sent back to Wenchong Shipyard for repairs. Wang Yaotang proposed to convert the damaged warship into a missile boat and test it. He would pay for it and he would also cover any damage."

"But we can't drive it all the way to Yangon, that would be a leak!" Old Sun slammed his hand on the table.

“Look, you’re in a hurry again.” Tian Guobin explained, “It’s just an empty shell, only the exterior, and it’s a copy of the 021 layout. He’s just using it to scare people. Anyway, the Burmese can’t climb up and check it carefully.” Old Sun breathed a sigh of relief, then laughed again, “He’s got guts. If he hadn’t intimidated them and they had actually started fighting, he would have been finished.”

"How could that be? The military attacking foreign businessmen, is it preparing to declare war?!" someone immediately retorted.

"What kind of legitimate businessman sails a warship to another country's capital?"

"Never mind what he does, just tell me if he's a businessman or not."

"It must have been invited by Myanmar, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to dock at Yangon port."

"This guy is absolutely certain that the other side won't dare to do anything to him."

Everyone was talking about it.

"So Myanmar has been intimidated and wants to order missile ships from us?" Li Shengli asked with a smile.

"Correct."

"Well, there's nothing we can do. It's not that we don't want to sell, it's just that we don't have any."

"It's good that they have the intention to buy. We should seize the opportunity. We should tell them that it is our latest model that our troops have not yet equipped, let alone export models. We should recommend the normal 0 to them. Their needs are just to combat smuggling and insurgents, and at most, to deter Bangladesh."

"We could also sell them 021; the mosquitoes have a pretty good track record!"

After some discussion, a decision was made. After the meeting, they contacted the research institute to ask if the 0 missile boat program was really in place.

Yes, it really does.

……

Guangzhou, Huangpu Shipyard.

After swaggering around Myanmar, Wang Yaotang returned to Hong Kong Island. One of the ships, 0, remained anchored on Po Toi Island, while another empty hull was sent back to Whampoa Shipyard. A few days later, he received a call from Whampoa inviting him to visit.

Wang Yaotang had never been to Huangpu before. His 0 was a basic model, launched in the early 70s, and he bought it secondhand. However, he had a general idea of ​​why Huangpu had invited him here.

Factory director Huang Jiahui and the director of the 70 Institute personally greeted them at the gate. This was the first meeting between the two sides, and during the exchange of pleasantries, Huang was once again praised for his youth and promising abilities.

After introducing themselves to each other, the factory director personally accompanied Wang Yaotang on a tour of the site. There were civilian-use 10,000-ton giant ships as well as military-use warships under construction. Wang Yaotang certainly got a glimpse into the world.

After the tour, we arrived at the reception room, had some tea and chatted for a while before getting down to business. "I heard from General Manager Chen that Mr. Wang is planning to donate money to support the research and development of the 0 improved model?"

"We took an empty missile boat to Myanmar before, and the effect was quite good. Although naval guns are good and commonly used, the possibility of them actually fighting is extremely low. They are more for mutual deterrence. Naval guns can't compare to missiles at all. They are terrifying to look at." Wang Yaotang didn't mince words and said with a smile.

“Indeed, it’s more of a deterrent. Even when catching smugglers or driving away foreign ships, at most we’ll use water cannons. Once the artillery is fired, the only purpose is to sink them.” Huang Jiahui nodded with a smile.

The purpose of artillery is to penetrate armor, blast, and kill, but its stopping power is far less than that of water cannons that attack from the side.

It can knock people into the sea, impact the side rails, and cause the ship to rock, effectively forcing it to stop.

"Speaking of the new 037 model, we did have a research and development plan. In January 1982, because the Southern Army urgently needed it, the Navy requested that the 'Yingji'-8 ship-to-ship missile system be added to the 037-I type boat. But as you know, military spending was tight, and research funding was severely insufficient, so things have been delayed. It's still in the blueprint demonstration stage." Huang Jiahui sighed as he spoke.

Huangpu also makes money by taking on commercial orders, but it has to support such a large facility and develop and apply civilian technologies. It really can't afford to provide any funds for the 0 improvement model. Besides, even if it were built, what then? The Navy doesn't have the money to purchase it.

"I am very willing to support national defense construction." Wang Yaotang smiled at the director of the 70 Institute and said the most inspiring words in a light tone, "Money is not a problem."

"Is 5000 million RMB enough?"

Huang Jiahui had seen a lot of money before, but after gritting his teeth, the director of the 70th Institute couldn't take it anymore. His eyes widened and he stood up, asking, "Are you serious!"

Wang Yaotang simply smiled and nodded.

After the Zhuhai quarry was integrated, most of the profits were retained in Hong Kong Island, but there were still quite a few here. Wang Yaotang didn't know how to spend the RMB he earned.

It's not that foreign companies are unaware of the vast Chinese market; rather, the "centralized revenue and expenditure" foreign exchange policy, coupled with the dual-track exchange rate system, means that the RMB is not an international settlement currency. Therefore, RMB earned domestically cannot be spent...

Foreign companies that need to purchase Chinese goods must do so through foreign exchange or by relying on foreign trade agents. Cases of directly using RMB are only seen in intergovernmental agreements or special operations of foreign-invested enterprises.

Of course, Wang Yaotang belongs to the overseas Chinese capital among the three types of foreign-invested enterprises. He could ask to purchase supplies or exchange them for US dollars, but there's no need for that. He doesn't lack money, so why waste face?

Moreover, the Zhuhai Power Plant and Shajiao B Power Plant will generate even more revenue after they are connected to the grid, so for now, RMB can only be used for reinvestment in China.

"Director Huang." Although Director 70 was tempted by the money, he did not rashly agree to anything. After all, no one's money comes from thin air, and how could he give away 5000 million for nothing?

“On behalf of Huangpu Factory, I would like to thank Mr. Wang for his generosity. I wonder if Mr. Wang has any requests?” Huang Jiahui asked with a smile.

"How about selling me two if you can produce them?" Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

"That's not something I can decide; it depends on whether it involves military secrets."

"Don't worry, I understand." Wang Yaotang laughed. "Actually, my requirements aren't high. It doesn't necessarily have to be the final product. It's too time-consuming to always design on blueprints. Let's take it one step at a time. For example, we can first conduct experimental modifications on the 0⑶⒎ basic model, find the advantages and disadvantages in the modifications, and then optimize it. Wouldn't that be better?"

后面直到86年经过论证修改后形成了设计代号为0⑶⒎-Ⅱ型的 520吨级导弹护卫艇，与350吨排水的0⑶⒎基本型不能说毫不相干，只能说完全不同。

"I don't mind this half-finished product, as long as it doesn't blow up our own people. It's just something to scare people. Do you think I'm going to actually fight with someone?"

Huang Jiahui just laughed. "The damaged 0 was repaired by our factory. I'm not blind!"
Wang Yaotang was used to making up lies on the spot, and he only felt embarrassed when he saw Huang Jiahui's reaction. It was all because of these unscrupulous businessmen who had led him astray!
"Would you believe me if I said we were attacked and forced to retaliate?" Wang Yaotang laughed as he finished speaking.

“I believe it, of course I believe it.” Huang Jiahui laughed heartily.

That's one thing, but the higher-ups are looking at the possibility of a leak, not whether it will happen.

However, since Huang Jiahui asked him to come over, he most likely agreed.

As the investor, Wang Yaotang was an outsider, but the director of the 70 Institute was still willing to listen to his opinions.

"It depends on the application scenario. The navy is considering its role in long-range strikes within the fleet, but for some small countries, the navy is simply unaffordable. For example, Myanmar, a 350-ton ship is already its main force for daily operations. Pairing it with some ships around 50 tons is sufficient for tasks such as combating piracy, smuggling, and routine patrols. The core principle is to make one ship multi-purpose."

Wang Yaotang thought for a moment and said, "It's pretty much the same for my security company. In the open sea, this is the main warship, with radar search and helicopter platforms, mainly for attacking enemy ships, aircraft and personnel. There is almost no need for anti-submarine warfare, and missiles are only used for deterrence. The possibility of their application is extremely small, but they are necessary."

"So, you mean to cancel the ability to strike submarines, retain the ability to strike artillery, improve the ability to defend against attacks, increase the number of helicopter platforms and radar capabilities, and add missiles?" The director of the 70th Institute had a strange expression and really wanted to ask him if he should look at what he was saying.

"Haha, I know it's too much integration. If it doesn't work, we can divide it into different models. If one isn't enough, we can combine two. Anyway, that's my actual need. As for the modification, money is not a problem. We'll pay for it separately." Wang Yaotang waved his hand again, speaking quite generously.

The director of the 70th Research Institute looked a little better. Using experimental modifications for testing could greatly accelerate the design of the new model, which was ultimately a good thing.

After finishing their business, Director Huang pulled Wang Yaotang aside to chat about the development of civilian vessels such as bulk carriers, container ships, oil tankers, and ocean-going fishing boats, and his views on the future market.

Wang Yaotang is an expert in port investment.

They chatted until lunchtime, had a simple meal together, and then Wang Yaotang said goodbye. Before leaving, he placed an order for a Type 0-I ship.

The 0-I type primarily addresses three major issues: poor seaworthiness in the open sea, insufficient endurance, and weak anti-submarine detection. By extending the hull, upgrading the propulsion system, and optimizing electronic equipment and radar, it transforms from "near-shore anti-submarine warfare" to "near-shore patrol and anti-submarine warfare".

However, Wang Yaotang requested that the two BMB-2 depth charge launchers at the stern be removed and replaced with helicopter platforms, as helicopters have a stronger deterrent effect and greater maneuverability at sea.

This modification was relatively simple, and Huang Changzi agreed to it immediately.

Upon returning to Hong Kong from Guangzhou, Wang Yaotang received another piece of good news: Jardine Matheson was willing to sit down and negotiate.

(End of this chapter)