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

Wang Yaotang was indeed in a difficult position regarding the selection of candidates.

If it were the original Sheng Yi, it wouldn't matter which of his gang leaders took over. But the problem is that Sheng Yi is not what it used to be. It doesn't have the largest territory or the most people in Hong Kong, but it is the number one in Hong Kong in terms of making money!

They abandoned the traditional "gambling, prostitution, and drugs" industries of the underworld and focused on legitimate businesses; the old ways of the underworld are outdated.

During dinner that evening, Aji asked again, and Wang Yaotang still seemed undecided.

"Let's do it the same way as always," Awei said nonchalantly.

"What kind of old rules are these? 'Eating one's own flesh and blood,' 'seducing one's sister-in-law,' 'betraying one's brothers'?" Wang Yaotang said irritably.

"Pfft!" Awei spat out a mouthful of food and coughed violently a few times. "What the hell is 'betraying one's own people,' 'seducing one's sister-in-law,' and 'betraying one's brothers'? Is this what you think it means to survive in the underworld?!"

"Otherwise, what can you imagine they would do?"

“Uh…” Awei scratched his head, as if the character “和” (hé) and “胜和” (shèng hé) had always been chosen as the leader in the past.

When Wang Yaotang first took power, he had Dahai and his gang take down "Da Niu," "Boxing King Hai," "Skinny Dragon," and others, eliminating all qualified competitors within the organization and making himself the sole candidate, thus smoothly seizing power.

If these people don't die, even if Wang Yaotang rises to power, he will inevitably be hampered by them later on.

However, we certainly can't let them fight each other now. Shengyi is now the Wang family's private property, and any losses would be their own assets.

"Then what should we do? Let them each expand their territory and see who has the most power?" Aji asked after thinking for a moment.

“No.” Wang Yaotang shook his head. “There are too many reasons. First of all, squeezing the living space of ‘Yi On’, ‘Sing Wo’, and ‘Tiao Lin’ will inevitably cause social unrest. Although we have been burning, killing, and looting outside, we have always been protecting the overall interests of Hong Kong inside. So although the Hong Kong British government wished I were dead, it could not do anything to deal with me. This is the greater good!”

"Besides, fighting and killing in Hong Kong creates social instability. What will our hometown think of us brothers?"

"One last thing: even if we disregard all of this, if Sheng Yi becomes the largest in Hong Kong and surpasses everyone else, how will we face our hometown after 97?"

“My hometown isn’t Little Britain.”

The three men felt a sudden unease, immediately understanding Wang Yaotang's concerns.

His decision to step down from Shengyi and take charge of the 'Shengyi Hall' investment company was not only because he felt burdened by the affairs of the association, but also because he wanted to make a final clean-up of his identity.

One by one, Wang Yaotang rejected various options. As he pondered, he said, "We definitely have to let them fight it out, otherwise they'll harbor resentment and distrust me, affecting my prestige. But we can't let Hong Kong descend into chaos, so we'll have to find another place..."

"Annam is not an option, Myanmar is not an option, we need to choose one from Siam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, or Singapore."

"Isn't Siam a bad place?" Awei said in a deep voice, "We have a lot of business in Bangkok, and our income is about one-fifth of that in Hong Kong. Wouldn't it be bad to make too much of a fuss?"

"And you just said there was fighting and killing in Hong Kong!" Wang Yaotang glanced at him sideways.

“Uh…” Awei scratched his head, unsure how to explain.

"Don't wash your dirty linen in public. This is a nation of etiquette, and it's important to maintain a good image abroad." The bespectacled man pushed up his glasses.

"Yes, yes, yes." Awei nodded with a smile, "It makes people lose face."

"Bullshit!" Wang Yaotang scoffed. "Barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue. To persuade others with reason, you'd better actually be a threat when they perceive you as one!"

“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have been considering ‘Malaysia’ or ‘Singapore’, but you’ve reminded me that Siam is actually a good fit.”

"Since Siam is becoming increasingly important in our industrial system, we must consolidate our influence there. Simply doing business won't do. Do you think Siam is some law-abiding place?"

"That damn place changes its leaders as frequently as it changes women. From 1970 to 1977, it had five leaders. In 1977, the Supreme Commander 'Chamanan' staged a military coup and came to power, ruling for three years. Then he handed over the reins to the current Prime Minister, Army General 'Tinsulanan,' and it's been eight years now!"

"Siam has a well-established history, but its political situation is relatively unstable. If it weren't for the 'protective umbrella' and our deep roots in Hong Kong, our business in Bangkok would have been targeted long ago."

“Bangkok then.” Awei nodded emphatically.

Ah Ji didn't care; he didn't understand these things. He only needed to manage the 2000-plus people in the "protective umbrella" group. With the "protective umbrella" around, anyone who wanted to touch their brothers' business would have to think twice!

The bespectacled guy said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Ah Jie is doomed. Who knows what kind of trouble these guys will cause when they get there!"

The brothers chuckled mischievously.

While drinking in Bangkok, Ah Jie suddenly sneezed violently, spraying the girl next to him with his drink all over her face and head.

Ah Jie's hair stood on end. Ignoring the girl's astonishment, he suddenly stood up from his seat, feeling as if he were being stared at by something dirty!
Once the plan was finalized, Wang Yaotang didn't delay. The next day, he made a phone call and summoned back all 11 gang leaders, including "Mong Kok Ah Li", "Tsuen Wan Hing Hung", "Sha Tin Tai Wah", "Tseung Kwan O Super A", "Clear Water Bay Big Head Bo", "Tuen Mun West Chiu Tsai", "Ho Kong Yellow Hair", and "Bangkok Horse Tail Bear".

They had long heard rumors from Wang Yaotang that Shengyi was going to change its leader, and now that Master Yaotang had summoned them, each of them had their own thoughts.

Gao Lishi, far away in Phuket, was pacing anxiously, waiting and waiting for Wang Yaotang's call, but to no avail. Finally, he had no choice but to call him himself, only to be met with a barrage of insults from Wang Yaotang: "I fucking went through so much trouble to get you the position of Executive Deputy Chief of the Phuket Police Department, and you've completely made it on the shore. Now you're going to ruin things for me?"

"I didn't, I wasn't, I..."

"You son of a bitch!" Wang Yaotang warned coldly, "Just be a good bureau chief. After a year, I'll promote you to the top, arrange a successor, and after you've accumulated some merit, I'll send you to Bangkok as bureau chief. In the future, we'll have more and more businesses in Bangkok, and the government must have its own people, understand?!"

"I understand!" Gao Lishi took a deep breath and said loudly.

A few minutes ago, he thought he had been abandoned and would never have a chance to go any further. A few minutes later, he realized that Yao still loved him!

After hanging up the phone, the thought of becoming the Bangkok Police Chief in the future, able to have that bastard "Horsetail" arrested and thrown into a detention cell with just a word, and humiliate him however he wanted...

Hiss, Gao Lishi shuddered, feeling a chill.

He did this kind of thing quite often in Phuket...

I just stepped out of the house when I stumbled and almost fell flat on my face. Damn it, how did I fall on flat ground?

What filth!

……

Tsuen Wan, Shan Tung.

After Wang Yaotang took the top position, Shengyi was reborn and could be called 'New Shengyi'. With new rules and a new atmosphere, he ordered the old mountain gate to be demolished and a new building to be built on it: Shengyi Hall.

Seven large characters stand atop the building: Shengyitang Investment Company.

There's no gang or syndicate involved; it's clearly a legitimate company!

Luxury cars were parked in a nearby parking lot, and hundreds of expressionless underlings dressed in white shirts, black trousers, and leather shoes were scattered around the parking lot. The 11 gang leaders had arrived one after another and were chatting idly in the parking lot.

When Wang Yaotang was about to step down, a new leader would be chosen from among the 11 of them. They were rivals, but at this moment they were all chatting and laughing, showing no signs of animosity.

Judging by the appearance of these 11 people alone, one might think they were high-ranking executives of some company. In recent years, under the influence of the corporatization of the gang, the high pressure from Wang Yaotang, and the weekly professional training, these gangsters have changed their previous vulgar and crude manner.

Of course, only they themselves know the hardships they endured.

You have to attend classes before you start out in this world, and you still have to attend classes after you become a gang leader? What a waste of your life!

If this were the learning material back then, who the hell would be out here doing this...?

not always.

What was the environment like when they went to school? Good schools were a mixed bag, and the public schools they attended were a mixed bag; you couldn't find many good students even if you searched the whole school.

Their family conditions were even more difficult; they lived in a pigeon coop and ate rotten vegetable leaves. Even when they tried to do odd jobs at the docks or factories, they were bullied by members of the gang.

These people were able to fight their way up step by step because they were ambitious, ruthless, and relatively intelligent. They were selected through the university's student council and were all quite smart.

The group walked and talked, testing each other's limits and seeing if they could win someone over to help them.

There is only one position for the leader. Among these 11 people, only three or four people actually have a chance to rise to the top. Those three traitors, such as "Clearwater Bay Big Head Wave", "Bangkok Ponytail Bear" and "Haojiang Yellow Hair", have no chance at all.

The roots are not pure.

Although "Tuen Mun Sai Chiu Tsai" has a pure background, he was a prostitute in his early years, and his identity can never be cleaned up, so he has no chance.

Those who have a chance are simply the few who followed Wang Yaotang in building the empire back then. But the fact that others don't have a chance doesn't mean they can't bet on it. Once the people who unite become the leader, their status in the sect will also rise, accumulating resources for the next time, and the time after that, to rise to the top.

Even if they weren't aiming for the top position, just looking at Wang Yaotang's development, they knew that Shengyi's pace wouldn't stop. After studying for so many years, they understood what a 'rising period' meant, so naturally they wanted to seize the opportunity.

The group entered the Shengyitang building. The underlings rested downstairs while the leader took the elevator to the top-floor conference room to continue drinking tea and chatting. After waiting for more than ten minutes, the conference room door was pushed open again, and A-Jie, A-Ji, and the other three escorted Wang Yaotang as he stepped in.

"Master Yao!" A group of people stood up.

Wang Yaotang nodded and walked towards the main seat.

"Brother Ji, Brother Jie, Brother Xiang, Brother Wei." A group of people greeted the four brothers one after another.

Although they are all currently in the position of hall master, their actual status is that of superior and subordinate.

Wang Yaotang sat upright, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, and the meeting room immediately fell silent. "Since I entered the martial world at a young age, I have been in charge of the 'Shengyi Hall' for five years. In the past, with the loyalty of my brothers and the clash of swords, I have settled the territory and restored order, making the hall's foundation solid and its reputation spread far and wide. Fortunately, you brothers have never abandoned me and have gone through fire and water for me, which has led to the situation we have today. I am very gratified."

"However, time waits for no one. Now I am over thirty and my energy is waning. I can no longer personally handle all the affairs of the branch. The world is ever-changing, and new opportunities need to be created by the strength of new talents. The succession of the branch also needs virtuous and capable successors. With this in mind, after careful consideration, I have decided to step down. Shengyi Branch will select a young, promising, intelligent, brave, steady, and loyal person to succeed me. I believe that he will be able to lead all the brothers to uphold the right path and innovate, and protect the peace of the branch."

"After stepping down, I will retire to the background and not concern myself with worldly affairs. I only hope that the brothers of the hall will abide by the ancestral precept of 'Shengyi', work together with one heart and one mind, and assist the new leader. From now on, the road ahead is long. I hope that you will value harmony, stay away from unnecessary disputes, protect the peace and stability of the local merchants and people, and continue the hall's good reputation."

His abdication declaration was delivered in a very formal and flowery manner, which was tiring for everyone to listen to. Fortunately, he had been studying continuously over the years, otherwise he would not have understood it at all... "Brother Yao, Shengyi is where it is today because of you leading the brothers to fight for it. You are in your prime, and who else but you deserves to be the leader? I will not accept anyone else taking the position!" Ali said loudly.

"At the height of your career, who else but you? You've even started using idioms now. You've really improved." Wang Yaotang chuckled, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces.

Let me see who harbors rebellious intentions!

"Yes, Master Yao, Sheng Yi is thriving right now, and we can't let this momentum be interrupted. You can't just ignore it!"

"Brother Yao, our Sheng Yi hasn't become number one in Hong Kong yet, you can't abandon your brothers!"

"Master Yao..."

Everyone immediately started trying to persuade him to stay, but Wang Yaotang listened with a smile, saying, "I may not want to do it anymore, but you can't think like that!"
At least on the surface, you can't think that way!

"Since none of you want me to go down, then I'll continue." Wang Yaotang laughed.

An eerie silence fell over the meeting room. The group of people stared blankly at Wang Yaotang, their minds blank.

No, is it possible to go back on this?
Deep regret flashed in the eyes of those who had the best chance of rising to power, while those who had no chance, such as the ponytail bear and the blond hair, recovered the fastest and shouted "Good!"

"What? Didn't you all not want me to step down? Now you're not saying anything. What do you mean by that?" Wang Yaotang said coldly.

"No, it's the will of the people that Yao should continue to be the leader..."

"Brother Yao, am I so happy I've gone crazy...?"

"Master Yao..."

"Alright, alright." Wang Yaotang raised his hand to shove the order down. "Your acting skills are all subpar. Your faces all changed the moment you heard I wasn't going to stop. You beasts!"

"Brother Yao was just kidding you guys," A-Jie said with a joking expression.

Everyone's hearts sank. Damn it, how could they joke about something like this? What a tyrant!

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, which were a mix of crying and laughing, Ah Wei, Four-Eyes, and the others couldn't stop laughing.

"Ah Jie meant that I was just teasing you guys when I said I wouldn't back out," Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

One moment it's true, the next it's false, leaving everyone completely bewildered and speechless, looking utterly utterly fooled.

After playing around for a while, Wang Yaotang tapped the table and said, "Alright, enough fooling around. Shengyi is not what it used to be, so the rules for choosing the leader must also change. I will give you a fair chance. Under the new rules, you all have an equal chance. Whoever suppresses everyone else will rise to the top."

“Sheng Yi does not plan to continue developing in Hong Kong. The next focus of development is Siam. You can send your subordinates to Siam at will, and you can choose to develop wherever you want. The period is one year. Finally, we will conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on factors such as manpower, territory, industry prospects, political resources, revenue, and profits. Whoever scores the highest will be the leader of Sheng Yi.”

"The specific settlement standards will be sent to you once they are finalized. We will speak based on the data. Under the new regulations, there is no such thing as favoritism or bias. The capable will rise and the mediocre will fall. What Shengyi needs is a leader who can guide everyone to go further, not someone based on personal relationships."

Upon hearing that the new rules had been introduced, it was clear that Wang Yaotang's resignation was no longer a lie. In particular, the method of selecting the leader was entirely based on individual ability, which instantly warmed everyone's hearts.

They all fought their way up from humble beginnings, and none of them thought they were inferior to others.

The newly forged alliance crumbled instantly, and the gazes they exchanged sharpened.

Wang Yaotang was very satisfied with this situation. If you guys form cliques, how can I demonstrate my control?

He wanted to establish the competitive spirit from this moment on.

Shengyi's steps cannot stop!

"Brother Yao, if this battlefield is in Siam, what about the horse-tailed bear?" Ali asked loudly.

Wang Yaotang said loudly, "His current performance will be calculated according to the standard, and the final performance will be reduced from the current performance. This has both advantages and disadvantages. Although he seems to have an advantage in conquering territory in Bangkok, he has actually reached a bottleneck, and it will be more difficult for him to go further."

"And since you're newcomers, every point you score counts as a result, so you're not at a disadvantage."

“The new territories you have opened up in this process will still be under your control after the competition. They will be considered as branches of your respective halls. The winner of the competition will become the leader and return to Hong Kong to stabilize the base. The second-place winner will become the deputy leader and stay in Siam to coordinate the affairs of the various branches. The main force, Sheng Yi, will develop and grow in Siam.”

"Oh, so are we going back to Hong Kong afterwards?"

“Go back. The branch will select a deputy leader to stay in Siam. Of course, anyone who wants to stay in Siam can do so. Hong Kong will be given to the deputy leader.” Wang Yaotang explained, “Shengyi’s current goal is Siam, and its future goal is the whole of Southeast Asia. In the process of development, each branch must also develop. In my plan, the scale of each branch in the future should be comparable to the other three. Do you understand what I mean?”

"Yes!" Everyone stood up and responded in unison.

The meeting ended, and everyone went to prepare.

In fact, it's not just these 11 branches that are taking action. Five other branches, originally controlled by Wang Yaotang in Tsim Sha Tsui, controlled by Ah Jie in Jordan, controlled by Ah Ji in Yau Ma Tei, controlled by Ah Xiang in Causeway Bay, and controlled by Ah Wei in Wan Chai, are also going to act together. However, they are vying for the branch leader position after Wang Yaotang and the other four leave, and are not participating in the competition for the top leadership position.

These five branches are the essence of Sheng Yi in Hong Kong, and the foundation upon which Wang Yaotang previously controlled Sheng Yi. After this, the five branch leaders are also under his control, a means to restrain the new leader.

It's not that Wang Yaotang is cunning, but rather that having checks and balances is necessary to prevent the new leader from becoming arrogant and complacent after gaining power and being fawned over by all sides, which would ultimately force Wang Yaotang to take action and eliminate him, thus disrupting Shengyi's great momentum.

Opening a branch in Siam is not easy. First, you need to understand the details of the underground forces in various parts of Siam, as well as the main industries, population, political situation, development potential, and other factors in each place before you can choose where to open a branch.

After Sheng Yi's business model shifted towards commercialization, its requirements for territory changed drastically. It's no longer willing to put in the effort to grab just any territory.

Some of this information could be collected by the various factions themselves through connections within the martial arts world, while others were beyond their control and required Wang Yaotang to collect them and then send them to them.

Each branch also needs to conduct a selection process. Opening a branch in Siam requires elite personnel, most of whom will be based in Siam in the future. There are many factors to consider, not to mention that Thai language training must be provided in advance.

Such a large-scale operation could not be concealed. It was soon known to other forces in Hong Kong. As the most powerful force in Hong Kong, they were being watched closely by all sides.

After learning that Wang Yaotang was going to abdicate and that Sheng Yi was going to march into Siam, Yi An, Tiao Lin, and Sheng He had very mixed feelings.

With Xing Shengyi no longer expanding in Hong Kong, their pressure has been greatly reduced.

Yumen Shengyi has lofty ambitions and a rapid development momentum, making them seem like guard dogs with no ambition in comparison.

In fact, all three have branches outside of Hong Kong. For example, 'Tiao Lin' has influence all over the world, but these branches only have a cooperative relationship with Hong Kong and have almost no control over them.

Ultimately, underground forces rely on 'cruelty' and 'loyalty' for control, and their systems are inherently flawed due to their interconnected interests.

On top of these, 'Shengyi' has added a company 'system', a protective umbrella 'deterrent', and a family inheritance 'future', giving it control far exceeding its peers.

Not to mention further afield, at least within Southeast Asia, we can guarantee that no branch can escape our control.

Having suffered repeated defeats at the hands of 'Shengyi', the three families were spurred to undertake 'informatization,' 'rapidization,' and 'organization' reforms in response. This led to a significant increase in their combat capabilities, and with their weapons at their disposal, their killing intent naturally arose. At that time, many of the lower and middle ranks were no longer satisfied with their current interests and wanted to expand outwards.

Now that 'Shengyi' has taken the lead in this step, the number of people dissatisfied within the three companies is increasing, and the pressure on those old-timers who are unwilling to take risks is growing...

If things go wrong, an internal reshuffle could erupt.

……

Sheng Yi was busy with the initial work for almost a month, and before he knew it, it was October. Wang Yaotang finally had time to focus on business, and Li Menghui immediately approached him about acquiring the 'Overseas Trust Bank'.

"Sharpening your axe won't delay your work. What's your rush? The bank is currently under British trusteeship in Hong Kong. You're in the finance industry too, don't you understand how much profit you can make by controlling a bank that's currently losing money and will definitely be sold in the future? How could they let go so easily!"

Wang Yaotang gestured for Li Menghui to make his own tea. "Now, I'll use the momentum of annihilating a fleet from Annam to let things digest and spread. After a few days, I'll bring the fleet back, and then negotiating with the Governor of Hong Kong will be much more effective."

Li Menghui, who works in finance, had never thought of this before. He blinked and said uncertainly, "This sounds like Britain won the Opium War and forced the Qing Dynasty to sign the Treaty of Nanjing and occupy Hong Kong."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yaotang's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily, "Not heavy, nor far off!"

Just as they were about to continue discussing this point, the doorbell rang, and Wei Tao pushed the door open and walked in.

"what happened?"

"Boss, the Industry and Trade Bureau is holding a meeting next month to determine the import quotas for grain traders next year, but Lin Xiangnan, who mainly deals in Annam rice, has rejected our purchase intentions. What do you think..."

"Didn't I say to get him out of here? When did I mention an acquisition?" Wang Yaotang frowned. "Damn it, what's his background?"

"Annan Chinese grain merchant, who did business supplying US military rations during the Vietnam War, immigrated to Hong Kong with his whole family before the US withdrawal, and then re-established his previous relationship and started doing grain business in the following years."

"Damn it, isn't this guy a traitor?!" He was just bragging about his great victory, and now he'd been slapped in the face by an Annamese Chinese. It was making his face burn. "Aze, see which gang that bastard lives in and which gang he's ordering his men around. Tonight, we'll turn him into fish feed!"

"You dog, you don't know what's good for you!" Wang Yaotang cursed.

"Okay, Yao-ge, I guarantee his whole family won't survive tonight!" Sha Ze shouted.

"Are you crazy? If one person is missing, that's called missing person, but if the whole family is gone, that becomes a major case!" Wang Yaotang scolded.

Li Menghui breathed a sigh of relief; he had thought his boss was so heartless.

"Oh." Sha Ze touched his nose.

“The person has gone missing, and the heat will die down soon. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. We’ll make our move when no one cares about his family anymore. We need to be strategic and take things slowly!” Wang Yaotang added.

Li Menghui was dumbfounded: Is this how "delayed action leads to success" is used?

"Brother Yao, you're so thoughtful." Sha Ze gave a thumbs up with admiration.

Given Yao Ge's current status, he's still as cautious as ever in his actions! (End of Chapter)