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

Annan did not have any overseas offices in Hong Kong, so he had to contact Wang Yaotang through business connections. The person who contacted him last time was scolded, so this time it was a different person, a rice merchant.

Wang Yaotang specifically instructed Wei Tao to write down this person's name...

Wu Wenjiang brought two of his men with him, one of whom was a man, and the other was also a man...

Downstairs at the Victory Building, Wu Wenjiang looked up, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, a group of security guards stopped me at the door. "Search me!"

"Why are you searching me? What right do you have? I am Colonel Annan Haijun's Chief of Staff, and you..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Sha Ze waved his hand, and Lu Shaotao and the others rushed forward, brandishing their stun guns.

"What are you going to do!"

"I want……"

"Fuck-"

"Fuck-"

"Uh--"

Wu Wenjiang knew that Wang Yaotang was ruthless and unscrupulous, but he never expected him to be so unscrupulous.

He was supposed to be representing Da'an South, a dignified colonel, yet he wanted to search me!

I could have just objected to the body search as a matter of routine, but I couldn't just let you search me directly, that would be too embarrassing. If you had insisted a little more, I would have agreed. Why did you have to use force?

You could use force, but why did you have to use a stun gun?!
It's a stun gun, why the hell are you sticking it down there?
mean!

Shameless!
Obscene!

After being stabbed hard a few times with a stick, the three men immediately became obedient and consciously went into the small room next door, while their two henchmen let themselves be handcuffed to chairs.

When they got to Wu Wenjiang, Sha Ze raised his chin and asked, "Will you take off your clothes yourself, or will we take them off for you?"

"Take off your clothes?" Wu Wenjiang was taken aback. Wasn't it supposed to be a body search?
"These are clothes I prepared for you." Sha Ze pointed to a set of loungewear hanging next to him.

Wu Wenjiang was, after all, a high-ranking military officer, and he thought he was quite familiar with security procedures, but changing clothes like this was still too advanced...

Just how afraid of death are you, Mr. Wang?
Seeing that the security guards next to him were about to pull out stun guns to stun him again, Wu Wenjiang's face turned red, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Change it if you want!"

The roar was so loud that it startled Sha Ze.

"You've taken your underwear off too! Who knows if you're hiding a gun in your underwear!"

"You!" Wu Wenjiang gritted his teeth, this was too much!

"Fine, I'll take it off!"

Underwear, socks, and shoes were all changed. Lu Shaotao even personally touched his head for a while to see if he had hidden anything, and shone a light on his ears and eyes. Wu Wenjiang closed his eyes and pretended to be a corpse, but he was secretly very glad: Luckily, he didn't listen to those bastards who brought in a bugging device to find something on Wang Yaotang, otherwise that bastard might actually have done something like murder.

Anyway, we've already killed so many.

The two handcuffed henchmen were relieved that they didn't have to go in to see Wang Yaotang, otherwise they would have been humiliated as well.

"Is this your way of treating guests? Where is your etiquette?!" Wu Wenjiang glared and questioned loudly as he finally met Wang Yaotang.

"Courtesy my ass!" Wang Yaotang scoffed. "Does a good hospitality make all the past issues disappear?"

Wu Wenjiang remained silent.

"So, you can't do it if you don't talk? Then why should I entertain you?"

"The Chen Jincheng family was killed by you in this way a few years ago when they refused to hand over their assets, and Huang Deming was also imprisoned by you in this way for refusing to hand over the factory."

“I didn’t do those things,” Wu Wenjiang argued.

"Am I fucking debating with you? I'm already being generous by letting you see me, and you're still spouting a bunch of nonsense. If you don't want to see me, get lost!" Wang Yaotang cursed.

Wu Wenjiang suppressed his anger, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "I'm here to negotiate, not to argue. You sent troops to occupy our islands and kill our soldiers..."

Before she could finish speaking, she saw Wang Yaotang pull open a drawer, pull out a gun, and point it at her. She was instantly terrified, her face turning pale. "No..."

"boom!"

"Ah!" Wu Wenjiang clutched his arm, his face filled with pain and fear.

He didn't expect Wang Yaotang to actually fire a shot; if he hadn't dodged, he would have been shot in the chest.

He really wanted to kill himself!
Seeing the gun pointed at him again, Wu Wenjiang disregarded everything else and shouted loudly, "There was no encroachment, there was no encroachment, it was us who encroached, it was our fault!"

We've driven the Americans away, and we finally won. We haven't even had a chance to enjoy it for a few years. Wouldn't it be a waste if we suddenly died in Hong Kong?
"Kneel down!" Wang Yaotang pointed the muzzle of his gun.

Without saying a word, Wu Wenjiang knelt down on the ground with a thud. He suddenly felt very grateful that Wang Yaotang hadn't let his two men come in, otherwise they would have seen his embarrassing state.

A wise man doesn't suffer the consequences of his words; a true man can bend and stretch. It's just a humiliation, and there's no one else here...

Wu Wenjiang comforted himself in this way.

In fact, he didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said earlier. In Annan's view, the South China Sea should be a part of theirs, and according to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it is closer to them...

Malaysia and the Philippines also have something to say...

However, since ancient times, all these places have belonged to my great China. Even Annam was the territory of my great Qin Dynasty. The name Annam was given by my great China. How can it have the right to speak?

This also includes the Philippines and Malaysia, though they were merely vassal states.

Seeing how quickly this guy backed down, Wang Yaotang put down his gun with a mocking expression. "I still prefer your previous arrogant self."

"Speak, what brings you to see me?"

"Ceasefire." Wu Wenjiang's words were now very decisive.

"What's in it for me?"

"A ceasefire would benefit both sides."

"Damn it, you think you can just steal my ship whenever you want, and then call a truce whenever you want? You really think you're the third best in the world?!"

“Continuing to fight will not benefit either of us. You can’t really stand up to a country. If we don’t appease them, the Russian fleet will be dispatched under the pretext of threatening the safety of shipping lanes and cracking down on piracy.”

"Screw that." Wang Yaotang waved his hand dismissively. It was already July 1988, three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The economy was already in the deep waters of structural crisis. "On April 14, 1988, the Soviets signed the Geneva Accords, and on May 15, they withdrew 50,000 troops for the first time. Did they mean they were going to win?"

"No, it's because they ran out of money and couldn't continue fighting!"

88 was a turning point for Russia, with major cities such as Moscow and Leningrad experiencing a 'soap crisis'.

"The Russians are no longer capable of waging war abroad. If the stationed troops want to cause diplomatic problems, who will take responsibility? You?"

"Do you know what bread costs in Russia right now? The black market price is 20 times that of the official price. The time people spend queuing to buy bread is equivalent to the annual working hours of 1500 million workers. 1150 of the 1200 basic consumer goods are in short supply. 188 of the 211 food items require ration coupons. Prices in the Far East are 40% higher than in the European part of the country. Do you know what that means?"

"That's Siberia, the northernmost region of Europe. There's no food, no warm clothes, they're going to freeze and starve to death. Russia now has the highest infant mortality rate in Europe!"

Wu Wenjiang stared at Wang Yaotang in astonishment. He knew nothing of this. In his mind, Russia was still the most powerful country in the world, a Damocles' sword hanging over Europe, always on the offensive.

Before 88, Lao Mei was the one who was suppressed.

"What, you don't know? You don't understand?" Wang Yaotang said with a look of disdain, "Look at your uncultured appearance! What do you know besides embezzlement and bribery? You don't even know what your master is like, yet you come here barking like a dog!"

"Who am I? I am the fastest rising businessman in Southeast Asia. I am a super-rich man with assets of several billion US dollars. I know the business situation in various places like the back of my hand."

"War is all about money. If you don't have money, why don't you fight your own mother!"

Ignoring the scathing insults he was receiving, Wu Wenjiang realized that Wang Yaotang's demeanor suggested he wasn't lying. Was the Russian really finished?

if it is real……

Wu Wenjiang shuddered at the thought, because it was the Russians who dared to occupy Cambodia and challenge their neighbor.

"You, you, you can't scare me!" Wu Wenjiang swallowed hard, his face pale, whether from losing too much blood or from being frightened by Wang Yaotang's words, it was hard to tell.

"Trying to scare you?" Wang Yaotang chuckled. "The Russians have troops stationed at Cam Ranh Bay, belonging to the Pacific Fleet, the 8th Fleet. In 1985, a joint operations command was established, composed of both Russian and Anglo-Chinese forces, responsible for coordinating base defense and regional operations. At that time, the garrison reached its peak size of 1 troops, with more than 170 ships deployed."

"This year, the number of troops stationed has dropped to 4500, and the ships are only 10: 2 Type 956 destroyers, 2 Type 56 destroyers, 2 Type 1135 frigates, 1 Type 159 (Beyja-class) frigate, 1 Type 671RTM attack nuclear submarine, and 2 Kilo-class (Type 877) conventional submarines."

Why are there fewer and fewer people?

"We're out of money!" "The Russians have to pay about $3 million a year for the Cam Ranh Bay base. This year, the average price of Brent crude oil is about $14.6 per barrel, and European countries are even pushing down the price when they buy crude oil from the Russians. They're only selling it for $10 per barrel! We can't even afford to eat our own food, how are we going to support the fleet at Cam Ranh Bay!"

"Don't talk about you providing the money. The money isn't going to go into the Pacific Fleet's account. Once it's in the hands of the state, how could it possibly reach Cam Ranh Bay!"

"The Pacific Fleet will continue to withdraw this year, and at this rate, it will be completely gone in two years at most."

"The Russians are going to come after me, damn it!" Wang Yaotang cursed. "Stop dreaming. You should be thinking about what you're going to use to fight me after the Russians leave!"

"No, you've missed your chance. The moment the Russians leave, they'll be back home dealing with you!"

Wang Yaotang chuckled coldly, making Wu Wenjiang's scalp tingle.

"What you're saying, I, I..." Wu Wenjiang stammered, unable to speak clearly. It wasn't that he was naive; before coming here, they were discussing how to get military funding from above, how to persuade the Russians to sell them new warships, and they were even preparing to regroup and give Wang Yaotang a good fight...

If this comes to fruition, let alone fighting Wang Yaotang, we'll be lucky if our home isn't blocked by the fleet of his protectors!
"You're so high and mighty, so great. How many years has it been since you inquired about the living conditions of the lower-ranking Russian soldiers' families?" Wang Yaotang laughed. "Alright, stop wasting my time here. If you bleed to death, I'll have someone send you to the hospital for treatment. You can call back and have your men go to Jinlan Bay to ask those ordinary soldiers."

"Don't listen to what the Russian high command says. They're even more greedy than you. Where do you think they got this detailed intelligence?"

"Ah."

Wang Yaotang was too lazy to say anything more and waved his hand to let Sha Ze take the person out.

He now genuinely feels that these so-called high-ranking officials are unbearable to look at. They wield such enormous power and can mobilize so much manpower and resources, yet they have absolutely no information sensitivity.

He knew perfectly well that the Russians were doomed in 91, but after the first conflict with the Annamese, he learned that the Russians had a fleet in Cam Ranh Bay. He immediately began to arrange for people to inquire about news from the Russians. He didn't use any special means; he could sense the impending storm simply by gathering information through trade channels.

Of course, it's also possible that I come from a later era and have demystified all countries.

In the minds of these people today, the Russians were a super behemoth that swept across Europe, defeated Germany, and turned half the world red.

He is the only one in the world who is invincible!

These people today probably never imagined that such a powerful nation as Russia could one day collapse!

Don't be fooled by Wu Wenjiang's current wavering resolve; as long as the Russians don't propose withdrawing their troops, he won't believe them. Even if he does investigate based on the information I gave him, he'll still find excuses for the Russians in his mind.

Just like sheepdogs of later generations...

After the person was seen off, someone came in to clean up the bloodstains on the floor, and Awei happened to come over to talk about what had happened.

Luo Wenhua had mentioned the 'food' issue before, and Wang Yaotang had already started making plans. However, the original chain of interests had lasted for decades and was deeply entrenched, making it difficult to deal with. He couldn't possibly hold a gun to someone's head and force them to give up.

This time, dealing with Annam has given us an opportunity.

Awei took out two bottles of cola, tossed one to Wang Yaotang, and then opened one for himself and took a few gulps. "I've found out about the grain situation."

Wang Yaotang put the cola aside. This thing was small, but the market potential was huge. If he didn't already have so many businesses, he would really like to get into it. Selling water is so damn profitable, you could become the richest man!

"How to say?"

Ah Wei plopped down on the sofa and said, "Rice and flour are both duty-free goods. As for the difference, according to the Reserve Commodities Ordinance, rice is listed as a reserve commodity. Imports require an import license from the Trade and Industry Department (TID). At the same time, Hong Kong implements a quota system for rice imports, designating storage companies and warehouses and requiring them to regularly report inventory to the government. Merchants selling rice must purchase it from here."

"Flour does not require a license. It does not need to apply for a license from the Trade and Industry Department. It only needs to comply with the provisions of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance regarding food safety and provide a certificate of origin or health certificate."

“I’ll take it. This is no different from a notebook. Those who play the rice game are all connected people. They can just sit back and wait to make money!” Wang Yaotang snorted.

Objectively speaking, this quota system has both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is stability, the disadvantage is corruption... Pshaw, the disadvantage is that it's hard for outsiders to shake it.

Any rule that is inconvenient for you is bad!
Are the quotas fixed, or are they adjusted annually?

"Last year, the total import volume of rice and paddy was 15.2 tons."

"Where's the flour?"

4 tons.

"By the way, does Sheng-yi's dim sum restaurant near the police station mainly use rice or flour?"

"Little God of Wealth, you seem to have a bad memory. Ten years ago, we were eating pork trotter rice on the street, which was definitely rice-based. How much more expensive were those fancy restaurants?" Awei teased.

"How can the police be compared to us petty thugs? Look how much they earn!" Wang Yaotang said irritably.

"Police officers have to support their wives and children, their parents, their houses, and their cars. Aren't these what you always complain about? I think they don't even eat as well as we did back in the day!"

Wang Yaotang burst into laughter, "That makes sense, so never get married!"

"Check with the Industry and Trade Bureau about those who produce Annam rice, and tell them to find their own way out in the next six months. Also, make sure they have their channels sorted out in advance, and we'll work on finding a substitute," Wang Yaotang said, toying with the Coke bottle in his hand.

"Have you taken care of the Annamese?" Awei asked with a smile.

"They have no choice. Besides, it's only 12% of the market, 2 tons of goods, the market price is only HK$6000 million, the import price is estimated to be around HK$2000 million, it's a small business."

"The grain business is all based on long-standing relationships, so it's difficult to expand the market. What are you planning to do?"

“What does Shengyi do, and what do the others do? They charge the appropriate price. Food stalls and vegetable markets all buy from us. If other grain merchants can't sell their inventory, they will naturally have to reduce their quotas the following year. It's just normal competition. Why blame us?”

Wang Yaotang sneered, "If seniority is all that matters in business, then no newcomers will ever rise to the top. I'll talk to a few major chain supermarkets in Hong Kong later and ask them to change distributors. I don't think I can't get away with that, can I?"

"Hahaha, you're really going to drive those grain merchants crazy!" Awei laughed.

"Is it my fault that you're not good enough? You made enough money while lying down to retire so many years ago!" Wang Yaotang scoffed.

"Will you be able to get that many quotas when they are allocated next year? The Hong Kong government won't agree to entrust food safety to one person, especially since we can't supply that many in a short time, right?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to think I'm some kind of saint," Wang Yaotang laughed. "If the cooperation isn't enough, then you resort to smuggling! Who checks every single grain of rice at their braised pork trotters rice bowl to see where it's from?"

"Whether the Hong Kong government agrees or not is none of my business. Let them do it themselves. If they want to save trouble and leave the problem to the market, then they have to bear the consequences of monopoly. They don't want me to control the safety of electricity, huh."

"Supply is a problem. We can only sell as much as we can get. We can't take the market all at once. We can take it slow. It will be enough to control 70% in three or four years. We can't make as much money as half a night's electricity if we control 100%. But food is a nuclear weapon. It is one of the core forces that can make the Governor's Office talk to me properly. We can't talk with an aircraft carrier, can we?"

“Understood. We’ll promote someone to be in charge of this business, set up a separate food company, and separate it from the group,” Awei said.

Wang Yaotang nodded. "By the way, how's the fishing company doing? It's been over six months."

"Brother, there are more than a dozen companies in Hong Kong, and they're all in completely different industries. How could I possibly remember them all? Please let me go!" Ah Wei cried out.

"Then you can just assemble a team of 50 secretaries and you'll be all set."

Awei raised his middle finger. "The fishery company connects with Shengyi, and Shengyi connects with the fish market. What problems could there be? Would they dare to lower prices or delay payment to us?"

"Maybe, it's normal for these scoundrels to spend the money on drinking, gambling, whoring, and drugs, and then use it to do other things."

"That's the gang's business. They'll cut off hands if they need to, and feet if they need to. It's none of your business. How long has it been since you've cared about Sheng Yi's affairs?" Awei complained. "Why don't you just step down? It's a bit beneath a Southeast Asian super-rich man to be the head of Sheng Yi."

Wang Yaotang rubbed his chin. "You're right. It's enough for me to be the chairman of Shengyi Investment. With the protection in my hands, it doesn't matter who's in charge of Shengyi, as long as they don't mess things up."

"Okay, you can release the news first so that everyone is somewhat prepared."

"By the way, didn't you say you didn't want to do business with the Annamese? Why are you still buying their rice?" Awei asked curiously.

“This is taking their lifeline.” Wang Yaotang laughed as he thought about what ABCD would do in the future. “Rice exports are an important source of foreign exchange for them. The annual production of this stuff is fixed. If they make me unhappy and I suddenly stop buying it, their rice will just rot in the warehouse!”

"If I don't accept it, who will? Aren't they afraid the cargo ship will encounter a storm and sink on the way?"

"In the future, we will not only buy their rice, but also their fruit. Once the supply chain is stable, we will drastically reduce their prices, making them produce more than the slaves but earn less!"

Awei clicked his tongue twice, "You're fucking wicked!"

"Ha ha ha ha--"

……

Wu Wenjiang probably relayed Wang Yaotang's words to Ruan Wenhai. In any case, the speed of information verification was quite fast. He made an international long-distance call to Moscow and asked someone to go to the street to see how long the line was for buying bread. They could also check the price of bread on the black market.

When Wu Wenjiang saw Wang Yaotang again on the third day, he seemed a little dazed. His two big dark circles made him look like he was about to die, but there was still a stubbornness in his eyes, believing that everything was just a little bit of hardship on the road to greatness.

The Russians will eventually rise from the ashes!
It didn't matter to Wang Yaotang. "I want 30% of Annam's rice exports. This will be done in stages, and we'll discuss the specifics. Besides that..."

Wang Yaotang wiped his face. Damn it, he really couldn't think of anything else Annam could say...

Oh right, and rubber too, and then that's it.

Neither side said much about the South China Sea issue, and it wouldn't make a difference anyway; ultimately, it comes down to whose fleet is more powerful!
After dealing with matters in Hong Kong, the aircraft carrier fleet arrived in Shanghai. Wang Yaotang gave the crew members a break to go back and rest, and then boarded his private plane and headed straight to the Shanghai factory. The entire naval battle generated a large amount of combat data, which was extremely important for the navy's combat and scientific research!

When the factory said they could further modify the aircraft carrier, Wang Yaotang immediately became restless. (End of Chapter)