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

"Mr. Wang, we found that these data don't match up after checking."

The joint venture, Huayao Trading, has been using data from Myanmar's customs, ports, railways, and highways to calculate and plan the transportation of goods to Kengtung. However, after several days, they discovered that the data contained serious errors.

It was raised immediately at the weekly routine meeting.

"How so?" Wang Yaotang looked at Luo Wenhua, as if to say, "You can tell just by looking at me."

"Take customs for example. When we checked on-site, we found that the port terminal utilization rate was much higher than the data they provided. We don't know if it's a problem with their work efficiency, or..."

"Smuggling?" Wang Yaotang answered for the other party. "What about the railway and highway routes?"

"There are many problems. Transportation capacity is being occupied, the on-time rate is very poor, the road conditions are terrible, and there are not enough transport vehicles. There are many problems." The people from Huayao Company were somewhat helpless. If they were in China, they could use administrative power to solve the problem, but this is Myanmar. Who would listen to them?

"In that case, when you're working on the plan, leave some space for the port and dock berths. I'll leave people here." This was the only solution Wang Yaotang could come up with.

Cargo ships wouldn't risk a fight over these things; the few freight charges they earn aren't worth risking their lives for.

As for complaints...

Who among you has accused me, the official?

Huayao, being unfamiliar with the area, was even less able to handle the situation.

Since ancient times, only powerful individuals have been able to run away with bad luck.

There are some drawbacks to Myanmar, though: there are almost no Chinese gangsters or shady characters there.

Globally, if a place lacks the influence of Chinese underworld figures, it is either extremely poor, extremely chaotic, or both...

Myanmar is mainly in chaos, with ethnic conflicts and rebels, leaving little room for underworld forces to operate, which makes it difficult for Wang Yaotang to find people to do things for him.

Many people are used to being high and mighty and don't think much of it, but in many things, the underworld forces really do it better.

After the meeting, Luo Wenhua walked over and asked with a smile, "How did it go? Did you come up with a solution?"

“Hmm.” Wang Yaotang nodded. “Last time I came here, I intimidated those scumbags on Phuket Island. After that, I was busy and didn’t pay much attention. This time, we can take care of things at the same time. When we get back, we can choose someone to come here and open a new branch of Shengyi. We can let them handle these kinds of messes.”

"Alright!" Luo Wenhua raised his hand. "Don't tell me about this. Just make sure the trading company operates normally. We don't know the specifics of how it's done."

Wang Yaotang curled his lip.

“Well, it would be best to find another way to add another layer, or even switch to a legitimate company. You…” Luo Wenhua hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

“OK, OK.” Wang Yaotang raised his hand. “I will register a Shengyi Logistics Company in Myanmar later. We will recruit people and operate it properly. Then we will have the logistics company cooperate with Huayao.”

Luo Wenhua clapped his hands, his face full of smiles.

"They're all the same group of people, it's pointless," Wang Yaotang muttered silently with a smile.

"Try to do things cleanly and honestly. Isn't that better? You did it very well in Hong Kong," Luo Wenhua said with a smile.

“There are pros and cons. Hong Kong is a place where everything is governed by law, so it’s certainly more convenient to use a different name. But Myanmar…” Wang Yaotang shook his head. “The social environment here makes it harder to follow the rules, because those people never intend to follow the rules.”

"I call this adapting to local conditions. Of course, for the sake of China Resources' reputation, I can bear the losses."

Luo Wenhua was speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. After Wang Yaotang said that, he suddenly felt a little guilty...

"Is it really that serious?"

“A legitimate company is bound by the legal framework. We have connections with the upper echelons of Myanmar, but as the saying goes, it’s easier to deal with the devil than with his underlings. If it were Sheng Yi’s branch, following the rules of the underworld would be enough, but with the added layer of a legitimate company, there’s an extra layer of constraints.” Wang Yaotang explained simply, but the reality was actually a bit more complicated than that.

Therefore, we still need to maintain the Sheng Yi shrine; we have no choice but to.

The logistics company can be used as a cover. Of course, there's no need to tell Luo Wenhua this; he probably knows perfectly well, but it's best not to know about his identity.

After discussing Huayao, Luo Wenhua said he was going back to Hong Kong Island. China Resources has such a large presence in Hong Kong Island that many large export-oriented factories in mainland China often send people to Hong Kong on business, and they all have to visit China Resources. They can't do without it. He said that he had squeezed out time to come to Myanmar.

“I was saying I’d take everyone on my yacht for a ride on the sea tomorrow, but the boat just arrived and you…” Wang Yaotang smacked his lips.

Luo Wenhua smiled and waved his hand. Wang Yaotang thought for a moment and threw down the documents in his hand. "I certainly can't stop you from going back. It won't be good to invite people out to play after you get back to Hong Kong. So let's do it today. Wei Tao, Wei Tao, go and organize the people. We'll leave in half an hour."

"No, no, no!" Luo Wenhua reached out to stop him, but Wang Yaotang pressed him down. "Listen to me on this. There's always time to do work. You can't live a life where you're always thinking about work. I'm also a shareholder of Huayao. Today's a holiday, that's my word!"

Luo Wenhua smiled and shook his head without saying anything more.

More than 30 people arrived at the seaside pier, where many speedboats and yachts owned by wealthy people in Yangon were moored. They usually looked quite luxurious, but now a 60-meter-long streamlined luxury yacht was moored in the middle, making the surrounding yachts look like chickens in comparison.

Whispers of amazement rose from the crowd.

The money wasn't wasted; hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars were spent, and the word "luxury" immediately became visible to the naked eye.

The ship's staff led everyone on a tour. Luo Wenhua and Wang Yaotang personally guided them, showing them around the yacht and explaining that it had three floors with 1000 square meters of living and recreational space, divided into many rooms. They toured the yacht for quite a while.

When this most luxurious yacht in Asia arrived in Hong Kong, it caused quite a stir. Hong Kong media gave it a lot of coverage and praise. Luo Wenhua had heard about it before. He couldn't understand how HK$2 million was spent. Now he saw it for himself.

The money was all spent on the details; even a simple curtain could be worth an apartment on Hong Kong Island…

“Your yacht feels more expensive than our most expensive naval warship. Do naval warships even have this kind of technology?” After walking around, Luo Wenhua shook his head and sighed as he reached the 260° super-large ocean view salon on the top deck and drank some golden Sauternes.

“Neither is more advanced.” Wang Yaotang shook his head with a smile and said, “Civilian and military technologies take different approaches. One pursues convenience, luxury, and comfort, while the other pursues stability, robustness, and performance balance. Putting aside weapons, it’s like comparing apples and oranges; you can’t say who is better or worse.”

"Like the radar on my ship, it's not good at long-range detection, but it is indeed more accurate than military radar in close-range detection, which is to prevent ship collisions."

Luo Wenhua wanted to ask if it could be dismantled so the research institute could learn from it, but he swallowed his words. Several hundred million yuan—how could he possibly ask? Besides, he wasn't in that position, and it would be suspicious that he was using Wang Yaotang's money to do favors.

Besides, he doesn't understand it.

Wang Yaotang saw through it and laughed, saying, "This ship does have some research and reference value, but that's in the civilian sector. I've talked to Wen Chong and his team. If they're planning to enter the civilian luxury yacht market, this ship can serve as a reference for them."

Luo Wenhua gave a thumbs up, "No wonder he's Hong Kong's little god of wealth, so generous!"

Wang Yaotang said with a smile, "It's impossible in recent years. Wenchong and Guangzhou can't even keep up with the demand for cargo ships, fishing boats, and offshore operations vessels. There's really no manpower or resources to develop yacht manufacturing. It's like trucks and cars. They're both vehicles, but their development paths are completely different. It's too difficult to start from scratch."

After a day of sea fun, it was getting dark when they returned. They then had dinner with General Mohayu and others from Myanmar. The next day, Luo Wenhua and his group took Wang Yaotang's private plane back to Hong Kong. This trip included a team-building event in Siam, a luxury yacht trip, and a private plane farewell—the hospitality couldn't be better. However, Luo Wenhua had to put extra effort into the motorcycle factory market research.

Talented people in this field are hard to find!
This is nothing like the market research conducted by people going around the streets to conduct questionnaires in later generations, nor is it comparable to the market research that uses various data from the Internet to create a survey report.

In the 80s, only 12 out of 197 countries in the world had this capability, and only China, the Soviet Union, and the United States had comprehensive market research capabilities.

The remaining European countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, lack even the most basic full-fledged industrial capabilities. They're just doing bits and pieces here and there, making it impossible to conduct any meaningful research...

These kinds of talents are relatively wealthy in China, but even the worst ones are all in the province, they are all precious assets, focusing on data from all aspects to support the province in adjusting its industrial structure and production. They are not easy to find to help.

Without Luo Wenhua, the exact production capacity of the motorcycle factory would have to be determined solely by my own imagination...

After seeing the people off, Wang Yaotang also got busy. A 0 and Xingye ship came along with the yacht, along with a battalion of Umbrella soldiers. They departed from Yangon and arrived in Phuket in the afternoon.

Last time, Wang Yaotang was in a hurry to deal with the affairs of Myanmar, and only made a brief trip to Phuket before leaving. It wasn't that he didn't value it, but rather that he had other plans.

What kind of people were active in Phuket at this time?

Killing them all would likely result in some innocent people being wrongly accused, but killing every other one would definitely leave some survivors.

They're all outlaws; how could they all become obedient just because Wang Yaotang said one thing? If they were really that obedient, they wouldn't have committed crimes.

But times have changed. Wang Yaotang is now a leading figure in the East Asian underworld. It is no longer appropriate for him to do something like the Pattaya incident where he was killed without being taught. We should try to persuade him first and then resort to force!
0⑶⒎ descended again, this time without immediately unleashing a barrage of cannon fire, but it still shook the entire port.

Half a year has passed, and these scumbags who frequent Phuket Island have not only forgotten Wang Yaotang's instructions but also disregarded them, turning it back into the crime-ridden city of the past. Now that the warships have arrived again, many people are beginning to remember the previous 'legends'.

Anyone with a modicum of sense felt a chill run down their spine, sensing impending doom. Like an ant on a hot pan, they immediately scrambled for manpower. Whether they fled or kept quiet, they had to keep a low profile for the time being.

Those who are not smart enough don't think that much about it, while those who have never seen it before are curious and ask which country's warship it is and why it doesn't have a national flag.

"Are you fucking stupid? Don't you know what a warship at sea that isn't flying its national flag is for?!"

I'm not afraid of merchant ships flying the skull and crossbones flag, I'm afraid of warships not flying their flags...

Widow maker.

Some ships were fully manned, and seeing that 0 did not fire immediately, they prepared to set sail without saying a word. However, even though the engines were warmed up, the captains did not give the order to set sail. One by one, the captains stood on the deck, looking around and cursing: "Damn it, a bunch of cowards, why don't you go!"

Last time, the fastest ships were almost sunk by the 0 bombardment; this time, they're all waiting for someone to test them.

Didn't we agree that the leader would go first?

They used to shout so loudly, why are they shrinking back now?

Seeing that 0, 3, and 7 were all preparing to dock but no one was leaving, a group of captains started shouting loudly in the channel, hurling swear words, but no one moved.

In the end, no one knows who first suggested that everyone move slowly at the slowest speed, because time was of the essence, and everyone agreed.

A few minutes later...

"Son of a bitch!"

"A bunch of pigs!"

"A dead rat in the sewer!"

"Maggots!"

Nobody moved, and the group of captains started cursing even more filthy.

Seeing that they couldn't hold it in any longer, someone ordered a slow move outside. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Look at the sky!"

The captain looked in the direction the finger was pointing. A small black dot in the sky rapidly enlarged, followed by the sputtering sound of the propellers churning the air. It was just a Gazelle, theoretically nothing to worry about, ignoring the open engine room door and the protruding machine guns...

hastily...

The captains, who had just been preparing to flee, wiped their sweat. The salty sea breeze made their backs feel cold. That Wang guy was too insidious. He actually arranged a helicopter in the sky. If they had run away in advance, they would have been torn to pieces on the spot!

No one had fled before reaching the shore. Wang Yaotang shook his head with some regret. The helicopter circled once more before finally landing on the deck of the Xingye.

The Xingye was the first ship to dock. The dock workers rushed over, bowing and scraping. Just as they were about to say something, several men in camouflage uniforms jumped down and roughly shoved them aside, nearly causing them to fall into the sea.

"Make way, clear the scene, don't block the way!"

"Ah, uh, oh..." The dockworker, who was usually so dignified, was now bowing even lower when he saw the man with the buzz cut carrying a gun. Without saying a word, he turned around, ran around and shouted, "Get out of the way, everyone disperse!"

The men below waved, and one by one, men with buzz cuts in camouflage uniforms jumped down. The entire service team lined up in platoons and then ran toward the dock.

The once bustling dock fell silent instantly. Everyone stared blankly at the Xingye, where over 300 fully armed crew-cut men with short hair jumped out like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Each man carried a submachine gun, grenades at his waist, and some even carried light machine guns in squads.

Is this... is this some kind of attack on Phuket?

Just as the people on the dock breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that no one else was jumping down, the sound of a military green armored personnel carrier started up again.

The salty sea breeze on the pier was suddenly sucked away...

No, this guy surnamed Wang is serious!

The news of the last warship blockade of the cargo ships had been circulating for half a year, and most people knew about it, but there were still some who didn't know, and they whispered among themselves, wondering whose subordinate this was.

The group of people active in Phuket didn't know much about Wang Yaotang. In those days, news came from either hearsay or newspapers, and there was no reliable source. People would say one thing and then another, and the rumors were extremely far-fetched.

Some say Wang Yaotang was a Siamese warlord, others a Malay warlord, still others a Filipino warlord, and some even say he fled with his army after losing the struggle for Singapore, intending to occupy Phuket and replicate the Singapore miracle...

People have said even more outrageous things, and yet everyone dares to believe them.

On the contrary, no one believed the claim that Wang Yaotang came from the Hong Kong underworld.

After all, who hasn't seen street thugs? But this guy has a buzz cut, all slicked back, and he's more well-trained than any of the troops they've seen back home. They've even brought out armored vehicles. And you're telling me he's a gangster?
When did gangsters start bringing armies into the streets?
Do you believe it?
I don't believe it! (End of Chapter)