A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Time flies, and two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

On November 4, 1935, the South Korean government announced the issuance of "legal tender" and the abolition of the "silver standard"; at the same time, it used the military and police in each province to maintain public order and strictly implemented the new monetary policy.

The initial exchange rate between the legal tender and the silver dollar was 1:1. The legal tender was based on the 'foreign exchange standard', meaning that the Ministry of Finance of Southern Whale purchased large amounts of foreign exchange from Britain and the United States, implementing a policy of unlimited foreign exchange reserves.

This monetary policy was perfectly fine in the initial stages, and could even be considered the only solution to the current domestic economic situation.

The Southern Treasury sold large quantities of silver to the United States in exchange for foreign exchange; simultaneously, it sold large quantities of gold to Britain in exchange for foreign exchange. This gave the government a large foreign exchange reserve, which guaranteed the 'standard' of both the fiat currency and foreign exchange reserves.

Since legal tender is recognized by the UK, France, and the US, and can be exchanged for the currencies of these countries, it naturally has real value.

Of course, all of this is just a superficial phenomenon. In the private market, silver dollars and silver are still being speculated on, and the exchange rate between legal tender and silver dollars is not 1:1 at all.
Chen Guangliang arrived at the Ping An Bank building and carefully inspected the issuance. Police officers from the concession were maintaining order all around. In order to promote the legal tender, every bank would deploy military and police personnel to prevent the public from causing trouble and to ensure the smooth implementation. The concession was no exception.

The responsibility of each bank was to hand over its silver and silver reserves to the central bank and implement the fiat currency policy.

Knowing that the 'legal tender policy' would be implemented, Chen Guangliang not only converted Yan Renmei and Jiang Meiying's savings into gold, but also distributed dividends to various companies in advance and purchased a considerable amount of gold.

After returning to Shanghai from Hong Kong, he began to distribute the cash flow of various companies as dividends. In the end, Chen Guangliang personally received 150 million silver dollars, which he converted into gold (1.9 taels).

"Boss, regarding the Zhoujiadu boat collision case at the end of last year, the court today ruled that Swire Group bears the main responsibility. Swire Group promised to pay us the compensation as soon as possible. They were quite prompt this time."

Zhao Tieyi, the deputy general manager of Global Shipping, walked in with a smile on his face.

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "Okay, this matter should be reported by the media more. Of course, we shouldn't report on our initiative to compensate first, but rather on the skills of our Chinese captains, which are trustworthy."

He has consistently supported the development of China Express Shipping, especially during his tenure as General Manager of China Merchants Group, where he strongly supported the development of senior seafarers at China Express.

Initially, the Hong Kong government refused to allow Chinese captains to sail ocean-going vessels into Hong Kong. Through negotiations between Chen Guangliang and China Merchants Group, an agreement was eventually reached allowing one of two China Merchants Group ships, captained by a Chinese, to sail into Hong Kong. Following this, Chinese captains began to be seen sailing into Sing Tao and Manila as well.
In short, as long as Chinese captains pass all the assessments, they should set sail for the open ocean.

Zhao Tieyi said, "There are quite a few reporters present today, and they will definitely report on it as soon as possible. I will follow up on this matter."

Chen Guangliang nodded. He didn't feel the pinch of paying 15 silver dollars in compensation to those shipwrecked ships; but he had been following this lawsuit closely, his purpose being to prove himself.

Now that the lawsuit is over, he can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Over the years, Chen Guangliang has made a lot of money in the shipping business, which is considered very successful. With a capital of more than three million yuan, Huanqiu Shipping has actually made back its investment, and now its annual profit is around 60 yuan.

Then, Zhao Tieyi asked, "There are still two months left on the lease for the two ships with China Merchants Group. China Merchants Group wants to extend the lease for another three months until two new British-built ships replace them."

Although registered in Hong Kong, everyone knew that it was actually Chen Guangliang's ship, who at that time was also the true 'ship king' of China.

Chen Guangliang readily agreed, "No problem, that's how it should be. However, I want to sign the contract myself to avoid any trouble."

"Ok"

Currently, Global Shipping has a total deadweight tonnage of 4.3 tons. What Chen Guangliang most wants to save are those 'six 5000-ton ships'. If the South Whale wants to sink them to fill the river, Global Shipping also has two large ships that can be provided.

A short while later, Chen Guangliang arrived at Ping An Bank downstairs.

Ye Ximing came to his office and reported, "Boss, today the legal tender was issued, but the government bonds actually rose. It seems that issuing legal tender is the right choice to improve the current economy."

Ping An Bank recently purchased 3 million yuan worth of government bonds, intending to make a small profit. After all, government bonds have been declining since July of last year and are already at a low point.

If you buy in at this time, you're unlikely to lose money unless it's a long-term investment.

This time, Chen Guangliang's investment in government bonds is also intended for a short-term 'short-term' investment, and he expects to sell them by the end of the year.

"With the support of Britain, France and the United States, there is no problem with the legal tender. The problem now is that the Japanese refuse to hand over their silver reserves and may even deliberately run on the foreign exchange reserves of the Ministry of Finance of the Southern Whale."

Ye Ximing was taken aback and said, "How should we deal with this?"

Chen Guangliang pondered for a moment and said, "Naturally, we should strive for the full support of the United States. After all, the United States initially only agreed to purchase 2000 million ounces of silver from China because it did not want to offend Japan. However, if Japan wants to destroy the Chinese currency, the United States will not sit idly by and watch Japan grow stronger in China. Therefore, the United States will definitely agree to continue purchasing silver from China."

Japan's move to cripple the legal tender naturally involves squeezing the Ministry of Finance's foreign exchange reserves, since the legal tender is currently based on a foreign exchange standard. Without sufficient foreign exchange reserves, the value of the legal tender cannot be supported.

If the United States agrees to purchase more silver, then the South Whale Treasury will naturally have more US dollar foreign exchange reserves.

Ye Ximing sighed and said, "Boss, this senior economic advisor to the South Whale government is indeed worthy of his reputation. He has already predicted the future development of the fiat currency."

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "Many things can be traced back to their origins. The Japanese are resolutely opposing the issuance of legal tender this time, simply because they want to cripple our economy. Besides, while I can predict things, I can't actually change anything. Let's talk about Ping An Bank's investment!"

Ye Ximing nodded and then said, "Ping An Bank owns a total of seven plots of land on Duyou Street (JF Monument, now the commercial street) in Chongqing, totaling 36 mu (approximately 2.4 hectares), with a total investment of 320,000 silver dollars. Now, we plan to build three- to four-story commercial buildings on these seven plots, with an estimated construction cost of 400,000 to 500,000 silver dollars."

Originally, I planned to invest in residential properties for rental income, but land in Chongqing was just too cheap. For example, the commercial street (equivalent to Nanjing East Road) of Duyou Street was only 7000 to 12000 yuan per mu.

Simply put, Cheung Kong Property mainly invests in residential properties, while Ping An Bank mainly invests in commercial buildings.

For example, the seven commercial buildings invested by Ping An Bank can be rented or sold later, which will definitely make a lot of money.

"Yes, it will be completed in about two years. The friction between China and Japan is getting more and more intense."

"Ok"

Two days later, Yan Renmei gave birth to her second child, another boy, named Chen Wenming.

The whole family was filled with joy!
Although Chen Guangliang has always claimed that he likes both boys and girls, he is naturally happy if he has many sons, which means the prosperity of the second generation of the Chen family.

In the VIP ward, Chen Guangliang held Yan Renmei's hand and said, "You've worked hard this time. If it weren't for the most favorable time arrangement, this child wouldn't have had to be born so urgently, allowing you to give birth to two children in three years."

Yan Renmei knew what Chen Guangliang meant by "time." Her husband seemed to know "when Japan would launch a full-scale invasion of China" and "who would be the final winner of the two wars." Although it was somewhat far-fetched, she still chose to believe him, after all, her husband had a legendary background.

She said weakly, "It's alright. Renyun and I were born closer together than the two brothers. My mother gave birth to three children in five years. When the third child was born..."

Yan Renmei's mother died during childbirth, even though it was her third child, a boy.

Chen Guangliang reassured her, "We'll have our third child later, there's no rush."

"Shh!" Yan Renmei said coquettishly, "Keep your voice down! The second child has just been born, and you're already bringing up the third one!"

Chen Guangliang gave an awkward laugh and said, "I was just hoping to have a house full of children!"

Having four children with Yan Renmei was considered normal for this era, and Chen Guangliang thought so too.

"I know what you're thinking. You only like beautiful women, not daughters!"

"Heaven and earth bear witness..."

"Okay"

The two whispered to each other to ease Yan Renmei's postpartum mood.

In fact, Chen Guangliang moved his family to Hong Kong in batches during the first half of 1937.

As for the question of going to Chongqing, Chen Guangliang would go to Chongqing with his family if invited by the Commander-in-Chief.

First, he has not done anything to betray the current government; on the contrary, he has made many contributions and received numerous honors, so there is no need to worry about his personal safety.

Secondly, Hong Kong only lasted until the end of 1941, and sooner or later it would have to move to another location. Macau was too small, crowded and chaotic, so his brother's family could just take their mother, Yang Hui, there.

Third, Chen Guangliang will always adhere to the concept of "commercial resistance," so he will not remain holed up in Hong Kong.

Therefore, Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei may have a child in both Hong Kong and Chongqing.

Reports from the South Wyoming indicate that the Yokohama Specie Bank of Japan has withdrawn its foreign exchange reserves, which threatened to destabilize the Japanese fiat currency. The South Wyoming Ministry of Finance urgently contacted the United States, hoping to obtain its assistance.

The so-called 'help' was naturally not free; it was hoped that the United States would purchase silver from China, so that the Ministry of Finance of South Korea would have more US dollars in foreign exchange reserves and would not have to worry about the Yokohama Specie Bank of Japan withdrawing foreign exchange.

Initially, the South Korean Treasury Department hoped that the United States would purchase 1 million ounces of China's silver reserves, but the United States ultimately only purchased 2000 million ounces due to various considerations.

The most likely explanation for the South Whale Treasury's appeal for help is to increase the production capacity from 2000 million ounces to 5000 million ounces, thereby stabilizing the fiat currency.

Chen Guangliang assessed the situation and concluded that the legal tender should be fine for the next year and a half. However, the legal tender would not truly collapse until after 1940, so there was no need to be overly concerned.

this day.

When Liu Hongsheng arrived at the chairman's office of Ping An Bank, his expression was unreadable, but Chen Guangliang knew that these 'industrialists' were having a tough time.

The "industrialists" who rose to prominence in the 1920s and 30s are now struggling. People like the Jian brothers, who were once known as the "Tobacco Kings," the Rong brothers, who were once known as the "Flour Kings," and Liu Hongsheng, who were once known as the "Textile Kings," are now heavily indebted to banks and are at the mercy of others in this crisis.

The root cause is the fragility of China's national industry and the lack of state support (instead, they took advantage of the situation).

Liu Hongsheng said sincerely, "Mr. Chen, I'm currently short of funds, and the bank is pressing me for several overdue loans. I was wondering if you could provide me with collateral for a loan to help me through this difficult time. What do you think?"

Chen Guangliang was somewhat surprised that Liu Hongsheng had come to him for help. Although the two had some acquaintance, business relationships didn't matter. Liu Hongsheng should have gone to his classmate and friend Song Ziwen instead.

"Mr. Liu, what are you offering as collateral?"

Having suitable collateral is not a problem; for example, properties in the former concessions are now accepted by Ping An Bank.

"Liu Hongji's stock pledge"

“That won’t do. Ping An Bank can accept properties in the concession area as collateral at present. As for stocks, we have never accepted them as collateral. No one’s stocks are in a good position.”

Stocks in this era are simply a joke.

In fact, Liu Hongsheng had already gone to see his classmate and good friend Song Ziwen, but Song Ziwen was quite sharp-tongued, saying that Liu Hongji's stocks were like toilet paper, worthless. Enraged, Liu Hongsheng went back and berated Song Ziwen as a "snobbish friend."

Liu Hongsheng could only say, "As for property mortgages, there aren't any suitable ones at the moment. I'll go back and sort things out."

Chen Guangliang nodded and added, "Now that the legal tender is being issued, the shortage of funds will soon ease. Mr. Liu, you might as well discuss it with a few bond banks. I don't think there will be any major problems."

Liu Hongsheng is also from Zhejiang Province, and the largest creditor bank should be Zhejiang Industrial Bank. We can negotiate, and there shouldn't be any major problems.

He nodded, then couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Chen, we're both in the manufacturing industry, so why is your life getting more and more comfortable?"

So many industrialists are now struggling to make money due to debt, while Chen Guangliang's companies are all doing very well.

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "I made some money through speculation, and I've invested it all in real industries. I know that real industries in China are facing difficulties these days, and I've made all the necessary preparations."

Liu Hongsheng already knew the answer, after all, Chen Guangliang was still the 'Financial King' of Shanghai. He could only laugh it off and then take his leave.

Watching Liu Hongsheng's retreating figure, Chen Guangliang's face showed a heavy expression. The difficulties of running a business were perhaps something he couldn't directly feel.

His investment in the textile industry was indeed massive, amounting to a staggering 600 million yuan in a single transaction, but its actual advantages were obvious:

First, he bought into the textile industry at its lowest point, entering during the period when it was most undervalued;
Secondly, he had banks as a backing, and the textile industry could obtain funds. For example, in this cotton hoarding, Xinfeng Textile received a full 500 million silver dollars in financial support to purchase a large amount of 'low-priced' cotton.
Third, he knew the future trends and operations of the textile industry.

If it weren't for these advantages, Chen Guangliang wouldn't have dared to invest in the textile industry. Chen Guangliang quickly brought Yan Renmei and her son back to the villa, which immediately made him feel even more secure. Sometimes, family is also his support.

Before getting married, Chen Guangliang was more like a 'wealth killer,' coldly accumulating wealth without much thought; but now, while making money, he thinks about how to protect his family and give back more to society.

He donated almost all of the dividends from companies like Vitasoy, Tongchang Motor Vehicle Company, Jierui Coal Briquettes, and Changjiang Motor Vehicle Company, except for a portion used for family expenses. From 1931 to 1935, Chen Guangliang had already donated a huge sum of 200 million yuan.

Many people say that Chen Guangliang is a wealthy man who is "stingy with himself" because his villa is located on Weihai Road and covers an area of ​​only three acres; at the same time, Chen Guangliang's expenses are not high and he has no bad habits. All these behaviors seem inconsistent with the status of a wealthy man.

However, Chen Guangliang mainly felt that the "play" of this era was basically limited to "pornography, gambling, and drugs." He never pursued luxury goods. He only spent a little more on "eating," but he owned a restaurant and only occasionally went out to try new things.

"Little brother, little brother, quickly call him big brother!"

Watching Chen Wenjie, who was almost three years old, teasing Chen Wenming, Chen Guangliang hugged Yan Renmei and smiled at each other.

"I hope that when these brothers grow up, they will be united and love each other!" Yan Renmei said with maternal radiance.

"Yes, I will not let them overlap in their careers. In addition, in the family environment of our loving couple, they must have been surrounded by love since childhood."

Yan Renmei glanced at Chen Guangliang and said, "That would be good."

She understood that Chen Guangliang was also implying to her that she should learn to back down, especially in the matter of Jiang Meiying, and not to embarrass her husband, as this would not be good for the education of their children.

Yan Renmei understood these principles, so she never mentioned Jiang Meiying in front of Chen Wenjie.

In fact, Chen Guangliang was also in pain. If the children from his two wives continued to develop in this way, they would definitely become complete strangers when they grew up.

It would be wonderful if the children of the two families could organize regular gatherings in Hong Kong after 1937.

Hopefully, Yan Renmei won't be so intense by then.

"By the way, Renyun and Du Weifan are planning to get married next year. What do you think of Du Weifan? Is he worthy of Renyun's lifelong commitment?"

Yan Renmei became concerned about her younger sister's marriage.

In the past, she naturally had no right to interfere; everything was decided by her father.

Now that she's married to a powerful husband, she naturally has some say in things.

Chen Guangliang said decisively, "It's a good match, don't worry! Putting aside Mr. Du's identity, he is a person who can judge the situation and knows how to adapt, and he is destined to make good choices in the future. Of course, with the ebb and flow of life, Mr. Du's descendants may not benefit much from his success, so Renyun and Du Weifan's marriage can be said to be a peaceful and stable life, and great wealth and honor are naturally out of the question."

Yan Renmei immediately said, "That's good. I feel relieved to hear your words. You're truly a fortune teller. Although it hasn't been verified yet, I already believe it!"

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "Some things are predictable. Take the fate of the three tycoons, for example. It was actually predetermined long ago. Huang Jinrong was greedy for money, so he would definitely suffer because of it. Zhang Xiaolin liked power and would die the most tragic death. Mr. Du was astute and liked to make friends. He would undoubtedly make a similar choice to me in the future. He might go to Hong Kong to make a living for his descendants."

In fact, Du Yuesheng also had two sons who remained in mainland China, but they later disappeared without a trace. Presumably...
Yan Renmei quickly said, "Please don't reveal any more secrets of heaven, I'm scared."

She was terrified; how could her husband know so much!
Chen Guangliang said, "It's alright. I'm not revealing any secrets. I'm just looking at a person's fate from the perspective of their character. Besides, I won't go around spreading rumors."

"It's good that you know, but don't go around telling everyone."

"Okay, let's go quickly!"

The next day, Chen Guangliang held a meeting with Lin Hongying, Wu Xinhe, and other senior executives of Yangtze Real Estate.

Lin Hongying is in charge of real estate investment in Chongqing. When she returned this time, she gave Chen Guangliang a salary report.

In those days, it took nearly ten days to travel from Shanghai to Chongqing, mainly through a combination of rail, ship, and car transportation. This is why Chen Guangliang did not go to Chongqing for inspection this year.

Lin Hongying reported: "Before I came back, the land purchase was completed. We purchased a total of 100 mu of residential land in Chongqing, which were mostly high-quality residential land in Chongqing. The average price was less than 5500 yuan per mu. The land deeds for all 36 plots were completed and deposited with Ping An Bank's office there. As for expenses, the main expense was in bribing people, which cost about 3 yuan."

Chen Guangliang naturally knew that buying land there for investment would definitely require bribing local connections. This 30,000 silver dollars was only for bribing the land buyers; if construction started, he would also have to bribe local powerful figures.

However, it doesn't matter. Chongqing was under Liu Xiang's rule for at least twelve years, and the public security was relatively good.

In addition, with the entry of the Central Army into Sichuan in the following years, the situation in all aspects has improved a lot.

"Yes, the next step is to build in batches. There's no rush. We'll build one batch next year and another the year after. As for funding, it will be financed by loans from Ping An Bank."

“Okay, we’re already preparing for the salary. Of the 100 acres of land, we’ve initially designed five high-end villas for the boss and your family to live in or rent out. These five villas are located on five separate plots, each covering 10 acres. For the remaining 31 plots, we plan to build 260 villas that are 2 to 4 stories high.”

Before even arriving in Chongqing, accommodation there was already completely arranged.

Moreover, the fact that Yangtze River Real Estate has provided so many villas to the market can alleviate the housing shortage in Chongqing to some extent.

To illustrate just how cramped housing was in Chongqing in the past, consider this simple example: In late 1941, on the eve of Hong Kong's fall, Li Chunying, a female student from the University of Hong Kong, traveled to Chongqing on foot with her classmates. In Chongqing, she shared a room with her classmates. There was no toilet in the room, so they had to dump their excrement and urine directly on the street behind the house. Due to the limitations of wartime conditions, Li Chunying was unable to take a bath for three whole years and could only wipe herself down with a sponge. Even so, this was still hundreds of times better than many people who were homeless.

Because of the harsh living conditions, Li Chunying was almost shocked when Wang Xuezheng, the son of Wang Yunwu, the general manager of the Commercial Press, invited her to their luxurious villa in the mountains of Chongqing. Since she could take a bath and use a flush toilet at Wang Yunwu's home, and the Wang family maintained a luxurious lifestyle during the War of Resistance Against Japan, Li Chunying quickly fell into the arms of Wang Yunwu's son, Wang Xuezheng, and became Wang's daughter-in-law.

Chen Guangliang then said, "I will have my staff take the detailed development plan back to Shanghai later. As for funding, it will be fully supported by loans from Ping An Bank."

The bank's money needs to be put to use.

Lin Hongying said, "Okay, I'll get it sorted out as soon as possible. Actually, we've made considerable preparations, but we haven't completed the development of all the land yet."

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "There's no rush. Besides, I'll grant you ten days of leave to reunite with your family this time. After all, we can't spend the New Year together, so let's have a proper get-together in advance."

Lin Hongying said, "Thank you, boss."

In fact, Lin Hongying himself was motivated to invest in Chongqing—if things went well in Chongqing, they could take their families there to seek refuge if they couldn't stay in Shanghai in the future. True to his style, many of these 260 buildings also housed employee dormitories.

As a result, Ping An Bank and Yangtze Real Estate have already purchased a considerable amount of land there and have basically completed the necessary arrangements.

As for investing in a factory in Sichuan, Chen Guangliang was also considering it—the Japanese bombings always targeted factories, so there was never a peaceful day.

The only advantage of textile mills is that they can be dispersed, and after each bombing, a significant amount of textile machinery can actually be repaired.

Chen Guangliang was also considering sugar factories and alcohol plants—China's sugar industry had already risen, and even if Japan had bombed the factories in Guangdong Province, everyone's experience, sugarcane varieties, and planting methods were all valuable.

In fact, the success of sugar production in Guangdong Province has accelerated the development of the sugar industry across the country in recent years, with several factories investing millions of yuan in the trend.

However, the sugar-making industry in Sichuan seems to have always maintained the traditional earthen pit process without any major breakthroughs, which puzzles Chen Guangliang. He plans to investigate further before making a decision.

These investments weren't necessarily made with the intention of making money, after all, Chen Guangliang knew that the government would be looking to annex the company at any time. But Chen Guangliang also had to make a show of investing, otherwise, with so much money of his, he would attract unwanted attention.

Moreover, the truth and falsehood are sometimes very important. His investment in Sichuan was a smokescreen, a means to deceive the Chiang Kai-shek regime. After all, before 1946, he still needed to live under their control.

On this day, Mr. and Mrs. Chen Guangliang attended a family dinner hosted by Swire Group's Schjöck as arranged.

Yan Renmei had just finished her postpartum confinement period, so she accompanied him to the event.

Arriving at the Schjoker family's grand villa in Shanghai, it was indeed impressive, befitting a long-established company that has amassed wealth in China for nearly a century.

Schjok and his wife welcomed him in the villa's courtyard, then introduced them: "Mr. Chen, this is my wife, this is my partner Mahler, also the owner of the ship involved in the collision, and this is his wife."

This family dinner was mainly to express Swire's respect for the ship collision incident.

Chen Guangliang also introduced his wife, and then everyone went into the villa.

During the banquet, Mahler took the initiative to say, "We are deeply impressed by Mr. Chen's handling of the collision last time, and we specially invited you and your wife this time to express our gratitude."

Chen Guangliang said with a smile, "I trust the court's judgment and I also trust Swire Group's strength, so it is perfectly reasonable for them to advance the losses of our compatriots."

Swire Group was so wealthy that it was impossible for them to default on their debts.

Schjoker nodded, raised his champagne glass in a gesture of respect, and said, "Mr. Chen, although you've only been in the shipping business for a few years, your achievements are truly admirable. I hope we can cooperate in the future and achieve good communication within the industry."

Foreigners will never easily back down, and in fact, they look down on Chinese people deep down.

However, if you demonstrate sufficient strength, foreigners will respect you greatly.

Schjoker demonstrated this by making a prudent decision to cultivate a good relationship with Chen Guangliang.

Chen Guangliang also said, "That's natural. Swire Group is a company I admire, and the Schjoker family is a role model for me. To be honest, I would also like to ask you for advice on family succession."

The topic then unfolded.

The Schjokers enthusiastically shared with the Chen Guangliang couple the secrets of family legacy, the most important aspect of which was the education of their children.

"Instead of training successors, it's better to select successors from among them!"

These were the words that Schjöck said to Chen Guangliang.

It means that painstakingly raising children from a young age may not yield the desired results; it is better to choose the most suitable one from among many outstanding children.

Chen Guangliang somewhat disagreed with this statement, mainly because the conditions were different.

If he and Yan Renmei had 'three sons', and only one could be chosen as the leader, Chen Guangliang would be more worried that the other two brothers might not be convinced.

Instead of that, Chen Guangliang felt it would be better to divide the business into three parts: shipping, real estate, and manufacturing, so that the three children could each take on their own responsibilities.

The approach proposed by Schjöck will only be implemented after the third generation.

Of course, there is no right or wrong, it's just a choice made in different circumstances.

Chen Guangliang then shifted the topic to shipping, saying, "Swire Shipping also has partners on board. I wonder if it would be feasible for my ship to also be affiliated with Swire Shipping?"

Schjörk replied, "As long as the captain is British, that's fine."

He didn't think much of it. Chen Guangliang's fleet only had two ships that wanted to be registered under the Swire Group's name, so these weren't major issues.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "I understand the reasoning behind this."

In fact, Chen Guangliang now has certain plans for the future of shipping.

After 1937, the ships that Chen Guangliang retained would certainly be registered in Hong Kong and then registered under the name of a foreign firm. The ships would then be used to transport supplies for the War of Resistance against Japan.

The closer they got to the war of resistance, the stronger Chen Guangliang's determination became.

The supplies were transported from the Shanghai International Settlement, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou Bay to the southwest, and then transported to the war zone via land transportation.

This way, it could operate until at least 1941.

Afterwards, Chen Guangliang's fleet had no choice but to flee to the Americas. He hoped that the British and American governments would be requisitioned by then, so that at least he could get reparations after the war. However, if he could get war-related orders, he estimated that he could break even on one trip, and make a fortune by making several trips.

Registering it in a UK offshore jurisdiction should allow for production as well. (End of Chapter)