Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 210 Crushing Victory (4k)

You can say Li Ka-shing is bad, but you can't say he's stupid.

His vision, interpersonal skills, and way of thinking are all top-notch.

Even after experiencing a major setback, Li Ka-shing is still considered by British investors to be a promising young Chinese man worth nurturing.

It can become a good sheepdog.

In Chinese, calling someone a sheepdog is an insult, but in English, "dog" is not an insult.

Especially sheepdogs.

The Pope is God's shepherd on earth, regarding all people as sheep.

Of course, dogs are definitely inferior to humans.

The shepherd must be a white man from England.

The sheepdogs that the English found in Hong Kong also underwent a change in function over time.

Because Chinese people make up more than 98% of Hong Kong's population, the Hong Kong government has always regarded the upper-class Chinese as important intermediaries in managing the people, and they have been given certain privileges in political and social management.

However, the models differed. From the earliest establishment of the Heung Yee Kuk in 1926 to alleviate local public anger and maintain order, to allowing Chinese elites to serve as advisors to the Governor's Office in the mid-term, and then to cultivating economic leaders like Li Ka-shing after the 60s.

Their methods are actually gradually softening, which is inextricably linked to the growing strength of neighboring China.

The fact that Li Ka-shing was able to obtain such a position is enough to prove how capable he is at handling affairs.

However, a recent trend made him uneasy: the intrusion of American capital into Hong Kong. This made Li Ka-shing, who had successfully penetrated the core circle of English people in Hong Kong, realize that something was wrong.

After Hugh Barton asked the question, he gathered his thoughts: "Didn't Panda offer a free, half-price replacement?"

"Then we'll buy a batch of goods from the market and use those to exchange for new ones."

Hugh Barton's eyes lit up: "You mean, we're trying to damage the panda's reputation this way?"

Li Ka-shing held the white man in contempt in his heart. That's all you can think of. If you weren't white, how could you possibly be qualified to be the head of Jardine Matheson?

However, he pretended to be very polite and smiled when he heard Hugh Barton's suggestion, saying, "Mr. Barton, your suggestion makes a lot of sense."

However, we can do it more cleverly.

Damaging their reputation is only one aspect; more importantly, it's about depleting their inventory.

Universal Electronics, the company behind Panda Electronics, not only shipped a large quantity of goods in Hong Kong but also sold them to Southeast Asia and even Europe and America, accumulating a huge stockpile.

What we need to do is consume their stock and force them to restock.

Then find their restocking channels.

As we all know, and we've inquired, during this period, neither Japanese manufacturers nor manufacturers from England, Germany, or America have supplied transistor components to Universal Electronics on a large scale.

Its source of goods can only be China.

China has technology and production capacity, but no market.

What we need to do is force them to restock, and after that, we'll destroy their supply channels.

Take photos to leave irrefutable evidence that they have entangled with the mainland.

We need to communicate effectively with the Hong Kong government to completely eliminate this phenomenon at its source and prevent such rule-breaking players from appearing in the first place.

One more thing to add.

China does have a company in Hong Kong, namely China Resources, whose predecessor was United Bank, which was responsible for exporting goods from the mainland to Hong Kong.

However, electronic products are not among the categories that can be exported.

Hong Kong has what is known as the "Import and Export Ordinance." In the 60s version, Article 60 was used to control matters such as the import and export of strategic commodities.

Strategic goods include items that may be used for military purposes or have dual uses. At that time, electronic products were naturally regarded as strategic goods and were not allowed to be exported to Hong Kong.

The products that can be exported through China Resources are mainly food and textiles.

It wasn't until the 1970s, after China joined the United Nations, that China's electronic products were allowed to be legally exported to Hong Kong.

Therefore, even if GE helps with exports, they can only go through unofficial channels.

Hugh Barton understood immediately.

Getting rid of the pandas isn't enough; we also need to destroy the transportation routes from the mainland to Hong Kong to solve the problem once and for all.

The proposal put forward by Li Ka-shing was facilitated by Hugh Barton and quickly gained the support of Japan, the Big Island, and the Hong Kong government.

Suddenly, the situation became turbulent.

On Nathan Road, the busiest street in Hong Kong at the time, the Panda Electronics store was almost bursting at the seams with customers returning goods, constantly squeezing out the living space of regular customers.

The media also spread rumors that Panda Electronics' quality was poor, that Global Electronics' half-price replacement program wouldn't last long, and urged people to take advantage of the remaining policy to replace their devices.

The incitement of some members of the public has led to a situation that is extremely unfavorable to Hong Kong Electronics.

"Li, you really have a way with things. We don't need that much funding at all. We've mobilized the people, and they'll spontaneously go to Global Electronics to exchange their goods."

The more popular the pandas were before, the more massive the wave of returns is now. Hugh Barton, holding a glass of red wine, wore a smug smile.

Hugh Patton had long resented the mainland taking a share of their pie; Hong Kong belonged to the English, he thought.

"After dismantling their channels this time, we also need to arrest and shut down the shipping companies that help China import goods!"
"Once the evidence is conclusive, I will take it back to London and demand that London pass a bill that prohibits Chinese goods from being directly exported to Hong Kong!" Hugh Barton said with a smile, seemingly already envisioning the future.

Li Ka-shing immediately thought of it: "You mean, we cut off the food supply from China and let Jardine Matheson and Swire control the food supply in Hong Kong?"
Are all of Hong Kong's food, clothing, housing, and transportation controlled by foreign firms?

Hugh Barton nodded and said, "It's not that it's cut off, but that the export must be handled by Jardine Matheson and Swire. We can no longer leave China Resources as an opening for them, as we did in the past."

We must tell China that there are consequences for not following the rules.

Li, how's it going on your end? Keep a close eye on Global Electronics.

After hearing this, Li Ka-shing knew it was a huge opportunity. With Jardine Matheson importing it, the pricing would be entirely up to Jardine Matheson.

Jardine Matheson controls Hong Kong's food import business, which means he controls the wet markets and food stores. He controls the midstream and downstream sectors, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation for all people in Hong Kong. What a huge business this is, and how incredibly profitable it is.

Prices can be raised for any reason.

Li Ka-shing knew that he needed to do this well in order to secure greater support from Jardine Matheson.

He quickly replied, "Everything is under control. I bribed three engineers at Global Electronics. Their internal information is cross-verified to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

According to their sources, at this rate of consumption, the radio components in the Universal Electronics warehouse can only last for a week at most.

Even if residents can take back the circuit boards they return and continue using them, the batch of goods we returned was violently destroyed.

"At most a week, at most a week later, they'll be moving."

Glasses clinked in the air, producing a crisp sound, and splashes of red wine seemed to celebrate. Both wore smiles, but their eyes scrutinized each other, a subtle power struggle that outsiders might find surprising, but they themselves seemed to revel in it.

On the fourth floor of the Hundred Flowers Society on Nathan Road, Hu Xiaoqing was covered in sweat, clearly under immense pressure lately.

“Mr. Zhou, we are currently facing a market run, and Panda Electronics will be out of stock in at most a week,” Hu Xiaoqing said.

The cramped room, coupled with Hong Kong's June weather, meant that the ceiling fan was completely ineffective at relieving the heat.

Zhou Nan said, "Don't worry, since we'll be out of stock in a week, we'll just hand over the goods in advance. We'll send a new batch of goods over in three days."

Hu Xiaoqing quickly shook his head and said, "No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that we're obviously being watched, and someone's setting us up."

Should we keep a low profile during this period?
After all, the goods were imported from the mainland. If they are discovered, the goods will be lost, and the transportation channels may also be discovered.

"How about we temporarily close down, or stop our 'half-price trade-in' promotion?"

Hu Xiaoqing knew very well that once you got on the ship, you shouldn't keep thinking about jumping off.

He is a prominent figure in Hong Kong's electronics industry, and many of his colleagues have recently been warning him that the Japanese and English are targeting him.

This also includes people on the island contacting him and asking if he wants to jump ship.

But he never thought about it.

Jumping off a ship after boarding is the most taboo thing to do.

Furthermore, from a technical standpoint, China is not necessarily inferior to Japan.

Zhou Nan smiled when he heard this. He felt gratified because Hu Xiaoqing was on their side and could be considered half one of their own.

"Mr. Hu, don't worry about these things. Just focus on doing your own thing."

Three days later, the goods will appear intact in Global Electronics' warehouse.

Section Chief Zhang was somewhat excited.

Because this time we're going to take down the English.

Although he didn't have to participate personally, but only acted as a wingman, it was enough to excite him.

Electronic products from China were transported from Sha Tau Kok to Hong Kong.

Sha Tau Kok is located on the border between the North District and Yan Tin District of the New Territories, spanning the two areas. It used to be a thriving village. When the New Territories were officially leased to England in 1898, the Sha Tau Kok River was used as the boundary, and it was designated as a border restricted area. The section at the end of the river became Chung Ying Street.

This place is naturally a good location for entrepot trade.

On the Hong Kong side, the police station is a low concrete building with the English flag flying atop its watchtower.

Unlike the usual police officers who were fast asleep, the police station was now filled with fully armed officers.

Besides the police, there were also reporters with cameras, Hugh Barton, the head of Jardine Matheson & Co., and a Gurkha soldier responsible for protecting him.

They already had accurate intelligence that the Chinese government would be handing over the latest batch of goods here.

The officer picked up binoculars and observed the distance.

At the same time, everyone pricked up their ears; the passing of the truck would certainly not be without sound.

"Notify everyone to prepare riot gear. If they cross the border, we will stop them immediately!" Inspector Li said calmly.

Everyone just treated it as a small task.

Fully armed, even a dragon would have to coil up before me.

Hugh Barton smiled and said, "Inspector Li, thank you. I will definitely give you a good gift after the matter is done."

Inspector Li nodded and said, "I'll need Mr. Barton to put in a good word for me with Director Edward."

On the Chinese side, the trucks weren't carrying cargo at all; they were also full of heavily armed soldiers, ready to fight the Englishmen and their lackeys from Hong Kong head-on.

Thanks to the computing power of the Raspberry Pi, they have a natural advantage in intelligence.

In order to prevent Hong Kong from causing trouble, America exerted pressure on one hand, and on the other hand, she had to teach England a lesson.

"Comrades!" ZW shouted from the vehicle, "England has enslaved our compatriots! Today, we will cross this false border and show them our power!"

"We will complete the mission with determination!" the crowd responded in hushed tones, as if flames were burning inside the carriage.

In the darkness, Hugh Barton finally spotted the trucks. He squinted as if he could make out their outlines. "It looks like there's more than one. But that's understandable, we've put a lot of pressure on Universal Electronics."

Inspector Li, standing nearby, laughed and said, "These peasants from China want a piece of the cake? They don't even know their own worth."

The sound of the vehicle grew closer and closer.

The atmosphere inside the police station suddenly became tense.

"Relax, everyone. It's a small task. All we need to do is force them to stop and accept the inspection."

"Once we've forced them to stop, we'll investigate thoroughly to find out who let the Chinese in!" Inspector Li shouted.

"They've crossed the border!" Inspector Li's voice echoed through the soldiers on the walkie-talkie. "Prepare for action."

Walkie-talkies already existed in the 60s.

Inspector Li grabbed the megaphone and shouted, "This is the Hong Kong Police! You have illegally entered Hong Kong territory. Stop the vehicle immediately!"

Tear gas canisters pierced the air, and white smoke exploded in the crowd.

A burst of rapid gunfire shattered the silence.

The police officers standing in line outside were like targets, falling one after another.

"Something's wrong! They're firing!" Inspector Li exclaimed, nearly wetting himself in fear.

The gunfire was so intense that they were completely unprepared.

"Hide!" Inspector Li roared. "Unless there is a clear target, do not retaliate!"

However, it was too late for him to speak; there were no police officers left standing below.

"Headquarters, headquarters, this is the Sha Tau Kok Police Station, enemy attack!"

These were the last words left by Inspector Li.

There is no one left alive in the entire police station, from top to bottom.

"Ha, two white men and an Indian died. Not bad."

　Those who are interested can search for "Shatoujiao gunfight," it's much more exaggerated than what I've described.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)