1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 515 Twelve Hours of Lockdown

In the bar association of Europe and the West, there is never a shortage of people who enjoy 'political shows'.

Whether we win the lawsuit or not is irrelevant.
Even if you lose, you'll still earn an appearance fee and some media exposure.
Winning immediately became the most glorious chapter in his career.

So when Tuen Mun elected district councilor Tsao Siu-wai went to London with a photocopy of the 'deed of office', lawyers from all the top associations flocked to him.

The seasoned, white-collar lawyers, dressed in black robes, adopted an air of righteous indignation and took the initiative to visit him.

"Mr. Cho, rest assured, if both China and Britain fail to abide by the agreement, this will be a historic case of the colonial government betraying its promises!"

“We will make Downing Street officials admit that all of these official deeds have sacred legal effect.”

"The New Territories Ordinance will surely be recorded in history, and you will never become forgotten guardians of the land..."

In addition to the Bar Association, several other media outlets, including The Times, The Guardian, and the Financial Times, rushed to conduct exclusive interviews.

The sensational headline reads: 'The villagers' land, which has been theirs for centuries, may be wiped out by a major power agreement.'

The BBC even offered to help the New Territories rural elites produce a documentary, using a condemnatory tone to force both China and the UK to declare that the New Territories Ordinance would not be changed.

The trailer uses the BBC's usual dark filter, accompanied by a photo of Cao Shaowei and other local gentry holding official deeds, with a fluent London accent providing a voice-over:

'With the New Territories bearing the shadow of colonial heritage, will Downing Street and Yanjing City deceive these simple villagers who make their living by farming?'

During the cocktail party and roundtable discussions, the lawsuit, even before it had officially begun, had already been packaged as a contest between human rights and the spirit of contract.

As for whether it will be effective?

White people don't care at all.

But the extravagant praise still made Cao Shaowei and the other local gentry feel like they were floating on air.

The group of country gentry then had a packed schedule in England, attending various banquets and parties.

Behind the dinner party, however, lies a mountain of bills.

After all, justice requires resources, and resources require investment.

“Mr. Cho, if you want history to remember the New Territories, you must first pay a consultation fee of £100,000.”

“BBC documentary? Oh, that’s just a teaser trailer. We need more funding for production, otherwise it will be difficult to start filming.”

"To win this case, we need to lobby the members of parliament, otherwise they won't even open the door. Here is the list of offers from the members of parliament, starting at 300,000 pounds."

Several local gentry instinctively felt that the high expenses were outrageous, especially since the case had not yet gone to trial.

But seeing the inscrutable expressions on the white foreigners' faces, they swallowed their words, feeling guilty.

Cao Shaowei pulled out his checkbook and waved his hand, "Here! All of it! The British value the spirit of contracts and legal procedures the most. As long as we pay them, they will definitely do their work. Don't always look at the world with Chinese thinking. Foreigners are different. They are a civilized society and will definitely stand up for us!"

at the same time,

In the office of a law firm in London.

A light rain was falling outside the window, and several senior lawyers dressed in black robes were playing with cigars in their hands.

A silver-haired lawyer jokingly remarked, "That Eastern farmer named Cho is a real gem. He signs for consulting fees, lobbying fees, and media fees without batting an eye. Compared to those stingy financial oligarchs, these Eastern farmers are like a rain of gold coins falling from the sky."

Another lawyer lit a cigar and slowly exhaled smoke: "This is the first time I've ever seen someone use a checkbook as proof of identity. They paid their bill faster than I lit my cigar. They were as generous as a gentleman in a movie."

"Perhaps it's because they watch too many movies, but true gentlemen are never in a hurry to pay; they know how to bargain."

A younger lawyer flicked the bill and then exclaimed in a comical operatic tone, "I love Hong Kong!"

The group burst into laughter.

Amidst the swirling smoke, the stack of official contracts and documents that Cao Shaowei and his men regarded as treasures were casually tossed into a corner, like a pile of worthless waste paper.

The phone next to me suddenly rang.

The silver-haired lawyer smiled, made a shushing gesture, and picked up the receiver to his ear.

After a while,

He hung up the phone, a meaningful smile on his face.

"News just came from Downing Street that thousands of fishing boats appeared overnight along the Hong Kong coast, almost blocking all cargo terminals in and out of the port. It seems to be another large-scale human rights movement that concerns our Eastern customers."

"Downing Street's hotline has rang three times this afternoon, and every call is saying the same thing—the docks are surrounded, freight has stopped, foreign trade orders may be damaged, and London must intervene immediately."

"Please, sir, please! We need our suzerain state to intervene, otherwise Hong Kong's economy will be finished!"

The silver-haired lawyer spread his hands, adopting a helpless posture, which drew another burst of laughter.

He puffed on his cigar, his narrowed eyes revealing a sly glint, and chuckled, “So gentlemen, it doesn’t matter what answer the panicked Hong Kong officials beg for. What matters is that chaos is the most expensive bargaining chip. Hong Kong is now in complete disarray. If those Eastern farm owners truly want to uphold their so-called contractual spirit, they must be even more generous than yesterday. We need to renegotiate the matter of compensation…”

…………

Due to time difference,
When the news from Hong Kong reached London, it was during a relaxed time when politicians and lawyers were having dinner and sitting in clubs smoking cigars.

In Hong Kong at dawn,
Thousands of fishing boats lit up their lights on the sea, and rows of boats of all sizes floated with the waves, distributed across various docks, effectively locking all cargo ships, oil tankers, and supply barges within the harbor.

The sounding of ship horns rose and fell, and the alarms of the Naval Dockyard were sounded throughout the night.

Overnight, the port of Hong Kong seemed to have been seized by an invisible hand.
Countless container ships at anchor sounded their horns urgently, the noise echoing repeatedly across the water, only to be drowned out by the clamor of the densely packed fishing boats.

This morning, countless citizens in Hong Kong were awakened by a series of sirens and car horns.

The capitalists' voices trembled as they answered the phone, and the phones of the heads of various trading companies rang incessantly.

"All the containers are stuck at sea, and the port is completely paralyzed!"

"Forget about foreign trade, we can't even get today's fuel supplies!"

"If the ship can't get out of here again, the contract compensation will be enough to burn through a quarter's profits!"

Central Administrative Secretary.

Chief Secretary for Administration, Hodgson, opened his office window and looked down at the sea, where fishing boats were densely packed. His face turned ashen.

"Bloody hell!" Hord cursed. "Are these fishermen going to rebel?!"

The assistant behind him reported in a low voice: "The Governor said he would be back immediately. Until then, please be prepared to act accordingly."

"I'll fucking kill his mother!" Hord yanked hard on his tie and asked, "What did they say in London?"

The assistant glanced at Hod, then quickly relayed the contents of the phone call from London: "The bigwigs on Downing Street say they are aware of the situation. Please remain calm for now; an assessment and advice will be given at the appropriate time." Hod nearly choked on his words.

In other words, London will not step in to clean up the mess.

With the signing of the joint statement, the return to China was a foregone conclusion. The foreigners were well aware that Hong Kong was only temporarily under their jurisdiction, and that as long as the transition was completed, the world would be at peace in the next few years.

If faced with a sudden situation like today, it would be even less likely that they would step forward to intervene.

Otherwise, we will inevitably offend Yanjing City.

In fact, the British have always treated all their colonies by having highly paid colonial officials take the lead.

London will only act as a safety net in terms of diplomacy and military affairs, while local authorities will have to handle social order and conflicts related to people's livelihoods.

Government House, the three departments, and the police force are the core of actual governance of Hong Kong.

"Then tell me something I don't know!" Hod slammed his fist on the table: "Why did these Tanka people suddenly blockade the port?"

The assistant quickly interjected, "Based on their current demands, they are asking for the same treatment as the indigenous people of the New Territories... that is, to be treated equally with the villagers on the shore in terms of Ding rights and Ding houses."

Upon hearing this, Huo De frowned, veins throbbing on his forehead: "It's Ding Quan again! What exactly is Wei Yixin up to! Does he think that building a new airport will make the people of Hong Kong grateful to him? Or that he can lower land prices to save Hong Kong's financial reserves so that Beijing will hire him as a high-ranking official in the future? What a crazy idea! Now he's caused such a big mess, what are we going to do about it!"

Chek Lap Kok Airport, which is Wei Yixin's biggest political ambition since taking office, has been repeatedly hoped to be completed by him, with many trips between China and the UK.

The mainland has only two requirements for it: first, it cannot use the airport plan to deplete Hong Kong's fiscal reserves; and second, it must leave sufficient land reserves.

So, Wei Sir and Zhai Yuan hit it off immediately. You want Hong Kong and mainland China, I want the airport, and they both set their sights on the New Territories.

The assistant cautiously said, "Director, according to the conclusion just reached by the Maritime Administration, the Tanka people rely on fishing for their livelihood. The long-term port closure has effectively cut off their own supply lines. At most, they will face shortages of fuel and food in three days, at which point they will naturally disperse."

"Boolshit!" Hord cursed. "Three days? Three days is enough for the housing market, stock market, and foreign exchange market to collapse all at once, paralyzing the entire Hong Kong economy. Will he take responsibility then?"

The assistant quickly nodded in agreement and added, "The police department recommends that the Marine Police Headquarters immediately deploy armed speedboats and water cannons to disperse the fishermen, and if necessary, board the boats to make arrests..."

“Look at the environment outside.” Huo De took a deep breath and pointed to the coastline outside the window: “There are over a hundred fishing boats at any one dock. If a bloodshed occurs, it will immediately turn into a political bomb that we cannot afford. Can Li Junxia bear the responsibility?”

Moving is not an option, and remaining still is not an option either.

The assistant opened his mouth, but didn't say the last word.

"Wei Yixin is really something!" Huo De's face twitched twice. He rubbed his face vigorously to calm himself down, and then ordered, "Call all Hong Kong government officials here immediately. Any means of force are a last resort. I hope to resolve this through negotiation."

The assistant, not one to mince words, asked, "What do all the officials mean...?"

Hod braced his hands on the table, glared at his assistant, and roared, "Everyone!"

…………

"Boss, Che Fangqiang said that the Tanka people's supplies at sea can only last for three days at most."

On the set of "The Life of Deng Amei, the Disliked Woman" in Sham Shui Po.
Weixing received a phone call from one of the Tanka people and walked over to whisper the message to Zhai Yuan.

Neither Zhai Yuan nor Lei Zhendong will have any public contact with the Tanka people during this period.

The person in charge of communicating with the satellite this time was a guy named Che Fangqiang from the Number Gang.

"Three days?"

Zhai Yuan sat in the director's chair, turned his head to look at the satellite, shook his head and said, "If it exceeds twelve hours, regardless of whether the Hong Kong government reacts or not, they must retreat!"

Six hours have passed since the Tanka fishermen besieged the Xiangjiang Wharf.

With the support of women's rights in the past, the feudal system in the New Territories is now notorious. Now, the Tanka people have just played the human rights card, which has surprised and intrigued the people of Hong Kong and Kowloon.

It turns out that not only women in the New Territories lacked the right to have children, but even Tanka men were not treated as human beings.

No wonder I always thought they liked playing in the water because they lived on a boat!

Over the past six hours, the impromptu news reports and street speeches have greatly satisfied the sense of justice and compassion of ordinary citizens.

Media outlets, led by the 91 Group, have mobilized and are preparing to launch a second round of overseas media offensive.

But Zhai Yuan knew in his heart that no matter how big the commotion of the port blockade became, it had to end by today.

Otherwise, it would affect Hong Kong's normal trade and commerce.
If this affects the interests of ordinary citizens, they will quickly turn their 'support' for the fishermen into 'complaints'.

At that time, the Tanka people's knife will surely turn against them.

Twelve hours is enough time, regardless of whether the Hong Kong government responds or not, to create a media frenzy and make a breakthrough in London and New York.

…………

"Fuck you!"

North of the New Territories, on the mountainside of Tai Hang Shan.

Liu Huangfa raised his binoculars again and looked down at the surroundings.

The scene of thousands of villagers besieging Xiawan Village last year is no longer there.

The camera lens reflected rows of simply dressed fishermen, numbering over a thousand, surrounding the entire village council office, holding up a white cloth banner with a blood-written message.

'New Territories Ding rights, shared by fishermen'

Human rights are inalienable; the Tanka people are also indigenous people.

'Uncle Fa, please acknowledge our right to survival.'

A two-pronged approach, both on the water and on the land.

By the 1990s, the Tanka people in Hong Kong numbered only 50,000 to 60,000, and less than 30% of them actually still lived on their boats.

Most of them have become intermingled with grassroots workers and are scattered throughout various fishing communities.

The only thing that remains is their unity. Years of endogamy and complex kinship relationships have long made the Tanka people a cohesive unit.

The wind continued to blow across the mountainside, the banners fluttered in the wind, and shouts echoed endlessly...

Liu Huangfa's face twitched a few times, he bared his yellowed front teeth and bit his lip hard, laughing angrily: "These good-for-nothings live off the sea all day long, they can't even read a few words, yet they dare to talk about human rights!"

He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then opened them again and looked at Deng Zhaotang beside him: "What's the reaction from London?"

Deng Zhaotang's face was no longer relaxed as usual. He said in a deep voice, "The trial will officially begin tomorrow. Cao Shaowei sent a message back saying that the foreigners attach great importance to those official contracts. Our chances of winning this time are still very high!"

(End of this chapter)