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

After inspecting the goods, paying the money, and ordering training and after-sales service, the transaction was considered complete. Suchinda believed that this would at least satisfy the navy and extend his term.

For example, changing from one month to two months...

Wang Yaotang didn't care about any of that. It didn't matter to him who took over; as long as they didn't owe him money for goods.

After spending two days in Bangkok waiting for the handover to be completed, I left with my team. We still need to deliver three more Type 037 missile boats, and we'll place an order when we get back.

As for Cambodia and Annam, there's no need to go; they won't be able to develop even in 40 years.

In mid-March 1992, Wang Yaotang returned to Hong Kong to handle the situation of the company here.

News has been coming in from the Strait of Malacca that two more kidnapping cases have occurred near Port Klang in the past month. With the increase in cases and the security warnings issued by the protection agency, business in Port Klang in March decreased by 5% year-on-year.

The staff below reported that if much of the logistics information hadn't been set months in advance and couldn't be changed, they would have inevitably changed the port of delivery.

In fact, the success rate of pirates boarding a ship is very low, only about 5%, but the fact that pirates are dispatched relatively frequently is undeniable.

Weapons are not allowed on board, and the reason is indeed for security reasons, but it's different from what you might imagine. It's to prevent ordinary crew members from mutinying at sea.

In fact, there must be weapons in the captain's and first mate's rooms, but if they really encounter pirates, can you expect the captain and his crew to fight them with weapons?
Most of the time, water cannons were used, which were more effective than guns at close range, but the crew members were generally not very willing to resist.

At sea, in a lawless, dark jungle, things are hard to explain, which is why security companies have a place to operate.

Pirates are more difficult to guard against in modern society than they were in ancient times.

Before the pirates pulled out their weapons and opened fire on the cargo ship, no one could determine that they were pirates. It was impossible to arrest all the small fishing boats and speedboats.

Even if they are caught red-handed, they can simply flee towards Indonesian waters, and Malaysia will not dare to cross the line to pursue them.

According to Wang Yaotang's estimate, the peak season for piracy has not yet arrived. The news is spreading too slowly at the moment. If we wait another two or three months for it to ferment, people from all over Southeast Asia who want to make a fortune will flock to this strait.

That's when things will get lively.

To Wang Yaotang's surprise, news came from Phuket in early April that a group of Malaysians had set up a maritime security company in Port Klang. They had taken on a government contract to eliminate pirates roaming the area. They had more than a dozen modified speedboats and were causing a great deal of trouble, resulting in heavy losses for many pirates.

Wang Yaotang: You motherfucker, trying to steal my job?!
"What kind of equipment do you have to copy others and come out to wipe out pirates?"

"You dared to take this job without even asking around?"

"There's not much equipment, just a heavy machine gun mounted on the large aircraft," Gao Lishi said with a smile.

"Take care of them." Wang Yaotang lost interest as soon as he heard that.

It's too rough.

That afternoon, a cargo ship carrying 50 people departed from Phuket and arrived in North Sumatra, Indonesia. They built a makeshift dock with pontoons and used hand tractors to create a temporary runway through the bushes by the sea.

The entire temporary camp was set up in just two days. Two Y-5 transport ships arrived at the temporary camp that evening, and four patrol boats arrived early the next morning.

The patrol boat's mission is to conduct surveillance at sea, while someone will also be keeping an eye on things at Port Klang. The two sides communicate via radio, and once that damn security company leaves port, they will immediately receive the message.

The patrol boats set off to determine the location, while the Y-5 transport aircraft was responsible for clearing the target.

Even the oldest Y-5 can still fly, and it's much faster than the older Y-5s. Dealing with them would be a piece of cake.

I believe good news will arrive in a few days.

The ocean is too deep; can they hold onto it?

This trivial matter didn't linger in Wang Yaotang's mind for long. After settling the affairs of his company in Hong Kong, Wang Yaotang headed north, and for the next year, he focused his attention on the newly established steel company and ship repair company.

In mid-April, Wei Tao gave a brief report that the small security company had dissolved due to heavy losses, and there had been no further news about it.

Pirates retaliated by hijacking ships around Port Klang, with six hijackings occurring in May alone.

In theory, this matter has nothing to do with Port Klang, but Port Klang's business volume has declined by 5% again, and since most ships traveling between Europe and Asia pass through here, the piracy problem is no longer just a problem for Port Klang, but has escalated into a regional problem.

Port Klang is facing increasing pressure from various international sources due to its inability to curb piracy, leaving it in a state of utter distress.

In June, the Malayan Navy began deploying defenses in the surrounding area, and the piracy problem was immediately contained.

A few weeks later, the pirates upgraded their equipment, with a large number of high-powered walkie-talkies and low-quality night vision devices appearing in their hands. Their operations began to spread to areas hundreds of kilometers away on both sides of the waterway, and the number of ships hijacked not only did not decrease but increased.

The Malaysian Navy has a limited number of ships, and not many could be deployed to Port Klang, so they were suddenly overwhelmed with work.

At this point, people, both overtly and covertly, have been suggesting to the people of Port Klang that it would be best to bring in a more 'authoritative' international security company to solve the problem.

The people of Port Klang aren't stupid; they immediately thought of a certain wealthy man surnamed Wang who wished to remain anonymous...

Wang Yaotang is currently in Shanghai and is very busy.

The recruitment team that went to Moscow returned with two large groups of people. The first group, which was just ahead of the main force, consisted of only about a hundred people and received a warm welcome. Wang Yaotang personally took them to meet the leaders in Shanghai.

Shanghai applied to establish the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park a long time ago, and the approval was granted in July of the previous life.

Shanghai currently has upstream and downstream industries in the wafer industry, such as Radio Factory No. 7, Radio Factory No. 14, and Shanghai Belling.

上无十四厂88年与贝尔（魔都）合资成立了贝岭微电子制造，建设了第一条4英寸晶圆生产线，1992年工艺迭代至 2.4微米、1.2微米。

Another company, Shangwu No. 7 Factory, manufactures discrete components such as transistors, IC packaging, and gas/pure water/specialized equipment. It is currently negotiating with Philips and is supplying components to Belling.

Wang Yaotang will also benefit from this support. Once a large number of researchers from Moscow arrive, he can start working on a 5-inch production line.

For this reason, Wang Yaotang specially invited two former high-ranking officials, Khvatov and Sidorov, to come and show their support.

The general himself has testified to this, so what is there to worry about? He traveled all the way from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and then entered China through Suifenhe, bringing a team of more than 2000 people, along with their families, totaling tens of thousands!

There were too many people, more than the Far East technical talents he had originally intended to keep. Wang Yaotang was shocked when he received the news, not expecting the lobbying team to be so capable.

The main reason is that the situation in Moscow is too bad.

With the loss of Russia and Kazakhstan as major grain-producing regions, and Europe's blockade of grain import channels, the situation among the lower and middle classes in Moscow, a city of 887 million people, has deteriorated.

The only problem is that most of the 2000+ people are ordinary engineers, and there are very few people who can truly lead the construction of the factory and the core technology. They were all poached in advance!

However, it's not without its advantages. These people aren't just from wafer fabs; they cover everything from quartz sand ore beneficiation to manufacturing electronic-grade polycrystalline silicon rods, from silicon wafer substrates to lithography machine production, from cleaning, etching, and deposition chemicals to target materials and sputtering materials, from die bonding and wire bonding to IC design...

After all, Moscow's electronics city was built independently of the entire integrated circuit ecosystem under complete Western blockade.

Throughout July, Wang Yaotang was in Shanghai. While the staff placement could be coordinated by the Shanghai authorities, the factory construction issue was something he had to handle himself.

Following the Moscow model, there are nearly 30 factories in the entire upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, including polysilicon plants, wafer slicing plants, polishing and epitaxial plants, photoresist plants, developer plants, lithography machine plants, etching machine plants, deposition equipment plants, ion implanter plants, etc.

Wang Yaotang only knew about one wafer foundry and one lithography machine factory. When he heard about so many factories, his head buzzed. This electronics city was really exaggerating.

Even with his financial resources, it's impossible for him to build a complete industrial chain. Not to mention the money, he would probably need to hire tens of thousands of workers.

That's why it's said that integrated circuits can only be played out under global economic integration. The required components are too complex. If you break it down, even a single optical component requires multiple factories to produce.

Finally, five major factories in the industry were selected: large silicon wafer factories, photoresist factories, photolithography machine factories, wafer fabs, and back-end packaging and testing factories.

In addition, we need to set up an IC design company.

If you calculate it this way, even $2 million won't be enough. Most of the equipment will have to be purchased from abroad because of the Eight-Card System, most advanced equipment cannot be sold to China.

There was no other way, so the decision was made to move the lithography machine factory to Hong Kong.

By September, the framework was already in place. The Port Klang issue was handed over to Ah Jai to handle midway. After acquiring a 30% stake, the pirates entrenched on Sumatra Island were attacked by unknown individuals, and another group of outsiders went to Phuket to deal with the 'hostages' and never returned...

The pirate revelry came to an abrupt end.

In February 1993, after much preparation, five factories were established one after another, which made Wang Yaotang very happy.

The large silicon wafer plant uses a 6-inch production line, the photoresist plant uses technology imported from Japan, and the lithography machine plant purchases some equipment from Europe. The R&D team is cooperating with Beijing, and it will take a long time to see results.

Currently, all materials for the wafer fab are sourced externally, and the company is working on the 1.5-micron process, making it a top-tier domestic manufacturer.

The current mainstream process technology internationally is 0.8 micrometers, while NEC and Toshiba's leading process technology has reached 0.5 micrometers.

The difference is a full four generations!
Wang Yaotang couldn't do anything about it. This was already an advanced process for the Russians. Starting in the late 80s, the Russians fell behind in process technology due to internal strife.

Take it slow, there's still time. With the talent pool in China and so many universities in Shanghai, plus the Zhangjiang Science Park, schools should also set up relevant majors. We can donate some money every year and create scholarships at various universities across the country with relevant majors. The talent pool will catch up within a few years.

Make friends with time...

Anyway, I'm not short of money.

In May 1993, three Type 037 missile boats were delivered. Wang Yaotang took them on a trip to Bangkok. The first phase of the Khlong Tram district had been developed. The busier docks after renovation made the area prosperous while eliminating the dirt and disorder of the past, which felt quite good.

Located in the heart of Bangkok and close to the pier, the properties there were no shortage of buyers. Some were sold before the development was even finished to recoup funds, while others were divided up and rented out as commercial real estate.

Because they are making a lot of money, the second and third phases are being developed simultaneously. When I inquired about the demolition and relocation, some minor issues arose, but they were all resolved.

Wang Yaotang was too lazy to ask about right or wrong. As long as it didn't affect development, that was fine. He wasn't in the mood to uphold justice for the Siamese. Instead, he took the opportunity to visit the new Siamese prime minister.

Since the last one, there have been three changes in leadership. The most recent one is called "Chuan Lipai," whose Chinese name is Lü Jiwen. He is a third-generation Chinese descendant, originally from Quanzhou, and speaks Chinese.

After being elected, Lu Jiwen formed a five-party coalition civilian government, ending the previous period of turmoil caused by military intervention. He was known for his moderate reforms and crisis management.

Wang Yaotang had a pleasant chat with this Chinese-Thai prime minister. His first impression was that he seemed more reliable than the local Thais, and judging from his appearance, he could hold this position for a longer period of time.

The premise is that the military's interests are not touched. In Siam, the military controls the military-industrial complex, real estate, hotels, logistics, etc. The army alone has hundreds of affiliated companies. If their interests are threatened, a coup will be launched immediately.

The upper and middle ranks of the military are controlled by the powerful and wealthy, representing the "urban elites" also known as the "Yellow Shirts." They advocate "rule by the elite," firmly disagree with the "one person, one vote" system, and believe that the "Red Shirts" from the rural grassroots are brainless and easily manipulated.

A representative example of the coups during the reigns of Thaksin and Yingluck is the implementation of pro-people policies such as 30 baht health insurance, farmer subsidies, and rice subsidies. These policies were seen by the military-represented "urban elites" as "buying votes," and the military often launched coups under the pretext of "protecting the interests of the elites."

He believes that four presidents of his family and one ally, President Leesama, were all ousted by the military.

The funniest thing was that the court ruled that his hosting of a cooking TV show was unconstitutional, forcing him to step down...

I didn't stay in Bangkok for long, and headed south straight to Natuna Island. In just two years, Natuna Island has undergone a dramatic transformation. Ranai has gone from a small seaside town with only a few thousand people to a city with a population of over 5, and it looks very vibrant overall.

The development of fishery processing, ports, and ship supply has created a large number of jobs. The island is mostly populated by Chinese, with a small number of Russians, totaling about 5000 people. You can hardly see any native Indonesians.

Walking down the street, you see signs in simplified Chinese everywhere. There is only one mosque in the entire city. The city government is staffed entirely by Chinese people, and the police force is also mostly Chinese. Of the 25 councilors in the local city council, only 2 are Indonesian.

Natuna District belongs to Riau Islands Province. The two largest islands in Riau Islands Province are Tanjung Pinang and Batam Island, which are located opposite Singapore. They are also located at the entrance to the Strait of Malacca and have a large population.

Nobody really cares about Natuna County. Despite its rapid development in the past two years, Wang Yaotang even doubts whether the governor of the Riau Islands knows about the situation here.

It's 550 kilometers away as the crow flies, and there's no telephone communication between us.

Two years ago, Lanai was just a small town. How much profit could be squeezed out of its thousands of fishermen? Even the mayor and city councilors didn't have many families that could afford to eat meat every day.

Now they've all become incredibly wealthy, owning numerous businesses, all thanks to Wang Yaotang. Their interests are intertwined, so they have little say in many things. The police on the island are all recent arrivals, with crew cuts all around them.

Wang Yaotang came here to check on the progress of the base that Umbrella Corporation is building here.

These past two years have been the peak of development on the island, and it's best not to interrupt it. The municipal government will sign a defense contract with the Umbrella Corporation, after which the Umbrella Corporation will quietly move in, and everything will be legal and legitimate.

Of course, whether it's illegal or not isn't that important; as long as there's a plausible reason, that's fine.

According to Indonesian law, city councilors, state councilors, and governors are all elected at the same time, serving a five-year term and eligible for re-election once. However, since 1966, governors have been indirectly controlled by the Ministry of the Interior and local councils, and the council elections are essentially a formal appointment endorsed by higher authorities.

But that was in the past.

The only bank on Lanai Island is the 'Overseas Trust'. In two years, the city has grown rapidly, and the government's tax revenue is simply not enough to cover it. Only a small portion of the income comes from the sale of land and the port, and most of this money is embezzled. The funds needed for the city's development are all borrowed from the 'Overseas Trust'.

Once you take my money, you're mine!

Of course, all loans are legal and legitimate.

The last election was in 1992, and the next one will be exactly 5 years later...

If I remember correctly, Su Tsui fell from power after the 98 Asian financial crisis, and even caused a scandal.

Wang Yaotang planned to use this incident as a starting point to promote autonomy for Natuna County.

After that incident, Sutton stepped down, and Indonesia was preoccupied with its own problems, so pushing forward was a natural step and not difficult.

In the past two years, no one has been involved in conflicts in various places, but after the Black Hawk Down incident, Wang Yaotang had no choice but to get involved in the Somali situation...

Umbrella Corporation is registered in Somalia, and its fleet still flies the Somali flag.

Somali envoy Abdikarim Omar, whether inspired by someone or suddenly enlightened, approached Wang Yaotang and expressed his desire to return home to fight for the Somali people and restore peace to Somalia...

Regardless of his thoughts, considering Africa's excellent matching mechanism, Wang Yaotang finally nodded in agreement. Two Type 037 cannons with enhanced firepower and 300 men followed Abdikarim Omar on his 'triumphant return home'!
Somalia actually has a lot of resources: the world's largest camel population, the longest coastline in Africa, the world's sweetest bananas, and the world's largest gypsum deposit, all of which have already been developed.

Most importantly, the northeastern Puntland region is estimated to have 12 billion barrels of recoverable oil potential on land, not counting offshore reserves.

Of course, these development plans will have to wait until the end of the civil war in Somalia. For now, they can only think about selling camels, fish, and plaster, which Wang Yaotang wouldn't be interested in anyway.

We’ll talk about the future in the future.

By the second half of 93, several steel companies had already achieved stable production of various special alloy steels and aluminum alloys. These materials were scarce globally, so there was no need to worry about sales.

Shanghai's wafer manufacturing industry has begun trial production, product yield is ramping up, and the next step is to overcome higher process requirements. Everything is developing in a positive direction.

In 1994, 50 children were born. Wang Yaotang had set up a small family of about 50 on the estate. The oldest child was already 7 years old and in elementary school, while the youngest had just been born. The 20-acre estate was starting to feel cramped...

The second phase of construction on the island in the South China Sea has been completed. An airport has also been built on the island, which has a population of about 2000 and mainly focuses on tourism. About 200 kilometers to the south, the Daxiong offshore oil field, which is jointly developed with CNOOC, has completed experimental mining.

Meanwhile, the Wan'an Basin was still in the exploration stage, and development was not in a hurry. Times had changed, and the Annamese ships dared not approach it at all.

In 1996, the party led by Abdikarim Omar occupied northern Somalia and became the largest force in Somalia. Perhaps due to his long-term influence in his hometown, Omar did not rush to move south to pursue unification. Instead, he began to steadily develop the economy. Wang Yaotang also lent a hand, bringing many outdated industries from his hometown over.

In the same year, Natuna Regency's population exceeded 10. It had grown to such a extent that it could no longer be hidden. The Indonesian side was extremely vigilant and, after confirming the situation, immediately dispatched a fleet. However, the fleet was blocked by the Umbrella Corporation's fleet 30 kilometers away.

The two sides are locked in a standoff at Haishan. Intimidated by Indonesia's formidable reputation, the Indonesian side dares not fire first and can only attempt to communicate.

The Umbrella Corporation, citing the protection of Natuna Island's safety, prohibited the fleet from approaching, nearly infuriating Sussou.

This is our territory! When did it become your place to protect it, you surnamed Wang?!

The Umbrella Corporation evaded the contract signed in Natuna Regency, but Indonesia pointed out that they were official troops and that the area was Indonesian territory, and a private company had no right to stop them.

Deny it? OK, you're the president, you call the shots.

Stop, no problem, you're the military, you're in charge.

But the Umbrella fleet is lurking nearby, making it impossible for Indonesia to launch any military operations. With defense contracts in hand, do you think the Umbrella would dare to open fire?

This is not the first time...

Although the Umbrella Corporation hasn't caused any major disturbances in recent years, there have been two small-scale 'rescue' operations in the Philippines that were carried out by Chinese.

Of all of Southeast Asia, only Indonesia remains uncontested...

When have I ever held back?
Ultimately, it all comes down to strength. Umbrella's troops on the island even brought out armored vehicles, and the Indonesian side ultimately failed to land.

After waiting for more than ten days, another group of government officials arrived on the island under the guise of administrative review, and the aircraft carrier under the protection of the government also arrived...

Check it out, check it out freely.

The municipal accounts were all in deficit, and the city had borrowed money for development, owing Wang Yaotang a huge sum of HK$87 billion.

Without concrete evidence, Indonesia dared not take any action and could only slink away. As long as the Umbrella Corporation did not publicly declare that it had occupied the island, Indonesia would not dare to take action, and what followed was just wrangling.

The wrangling continued into the election year, and this time the number of councilors increased to 30, including the mayor, all of whom were Wang Yaotang's people.

One year later, Wang Yaotang was invited to attend the handover ceremony and witnessed the Union Jack being lowered and the red flag being raised.

During the subsequent financial crisis, Southeast Asian countries suffered heavy losses, and Wang Yaotang seized the opportunity to acquire industries on a large scale.

Siam's energy, ports, and petrochemicals.

Malaysia's ports, energy, electronics, and petrochemicals.

Indonesia's ports, coal mines, palm oil, and petrochemicals.

Philippines...

Yes, the Philippines... has beautiful scenery.

In 1998, after Black May, Slipper Su stepped down, and Natuna County's population surged to 45, gaining autonomy.

The island is beginning to focus on oil and gas extraction and primary petrochemicals.

……

In 2010, Wang Yaotang's eldest son, Wang Chengxin, graduated and began working in a company under the family business. To celebrate, he took a second wife...

From then on, every year several of their children would move into their family's businesses in Southeast Asia, including mainland China, Taiwan, Siam, Malaysia, and Singapore...

In 2015, Wang Yaotang's eldest grandson was born.

In 2025, Wang Yaotang will be 45 years old, in excellent health, and will have taken a second wife. His 101st son will be born, and his family will be spread across the political, business, and military circles of Southeast Asia, and will begin to radiate outwards to Europe and America.

In 2045, Wang Yaotang is 65 years old and in excellent health. He has taken a second wife, and 168 sons have been born. He continues to manage the family business, and the family population has officially exceeded 800.

Wang Chengxin and his children finally realized that instead of thinking about inheriting the family business, they should start their own...

The key issue is that they may not be able to outlive the old man.

In 2050, he will take a concubine...and have a son...

In 2051, he will take a concubine...and have a son...

In 2052, he will take a concubine...and have a son...

He was the crown prince for 66 years!

In 2065, Wang Yaoting, at 85 years old and in excellent health, finally decided not to take a concubine...

A living fossil in both political and business circles in the Asia-Pacific region, his prestige is soaring!
The No. 1 family in Southeast Asia!

The End! (End of Chapter)