Reborn Capital Madman

After Guo Bingxiang gained enough limelight, Sir Gao had to show up in order to gain actual control of the Kowloon Bus board of directors. This is just like a real war. Breaking the city is only the first step. If hand-to-hand street fighting can be avoided, the emperor will be directly forced to

If the city raises the white flag, then it is a complete victory that convinces the opponent and has the highest profit ratio, but Guo Bingxiang cannot do this yet.

In the final analysis, the acquisition of Kowloon Bus is a capital grab, and its founding family is a hurdle that cannot be bypassed, especially when founders like Tang Shiu-kin are still alive. He has the aura of being a justice of the peace in Hong Kong and a British knight. Although he is old,

But he is still enthusiastic about public welfare and has donated a lot to charity in Hong Kong. He has a great reputation and must be respected.

Thinking back to the 1920s, cars began to enter the public transportation field in Hong Kong. Bus companies appeared one after another, including the Kowloon Motor Company, Kai Tak Bus Company, China Motor Company, Heung Kong Hotel Bus Company, Heung Kong Tramway Co., Ltd., and Heung Kong Tsai Neighborhood Welfare Company.

Bus companies, etc. compete fiercely with each other, and the entire industry is in a state of chaos.

At that time, it was not that the British did not want to run the business themselves, but no matter how advanced the bus was, it was just a tool to replace the human rickshaw, and the localized nature of the operation would not change. In comparison, the British capital had a more worry-free way of making money.

In the field of big money, this piece of cake is left to Chinese capital to compete for.

In the 1930s, when the industry had to be regulated, the Hong Kong government decided to adopt a bus franchise model and divided the entire market into two major parts, Hong Kong Island and Kowloon and the New Territories, which were franchised by two bus companies respectively. It is said that in this process,

Deng Zhaojian exerted his influence.

At that time, Deng Zhaojian was about the same age as Gao Xian now. He came from the Deng Zhiang family that ran a bank. He was the second among the brothers and was known as Mr. Deng. At a young age, he held an important position in Hong Kong Chinese society.

He is the chairman of two major institutions, Tung Wah Hospital and Po Leung Kuk, and has become a justice of the peace in Hong Kong, giving him a certain say in the Hong Kong government.

In that era, there was little transparency in the Hong Kong government's bus franchise bidding. Anyway, the final result was that Tang Shiu-kin was optimistic that Kowloon and the New Territories were large areas with unlimited future development space, so he won the bus franchise in Kowloon and the New Territories, while Yan

The China Motor Company founded by Cheng Kun obtained the bus franchise rights on Hong Kong Island.

Next, there was a series of mergers and reorganizations in the Heung Kong bus industry. Kowloon Bus and China Bus officially appeared, forming today's structure.

However, after the Pacific War broke out during World War II, I defeated the British and occupied Hong Kong, causing heavy damage to the Hong Kong bus industry.

The British occupied Hong Kong in a bandit way. If their rule of Hong Kong showed some so-called gentlemanly demeanor, then they not only occupied Hong Kong in a bandit way, but also used bandit logic to rule Hong Kong. Fuel was used as military supplies.

Civil use is strictly controlled, and even buses will be requisitioned.

After the Japanese were defeated and the British re-occupied Hong Kong, the recovery of the Hong Kong bus industry could almost be described as starting from scratch. Take Kowloon Bus as an example, although there is Deng Shiu-kin, Chairman of the Board and Bus Director Zhang Luo, among the founders of Kowloon Bus

The Lin family and the Tan family thought it was too difficult to resume business, so they withdrew their shares.

Fortunately, after this difficult stage has passed, with the rapid increase in the population of Xiangjiang, the bus industry in Xiangjiang has benefited from the demographic dividend and has become more and more prosperous.

For the Hong Kong government, although the bus industry does not have as high a level as the banking industry, it plays an important role in the stability of governance that can only be imagined but cannot be explained. As early as the 1930s, when the bus franchise system was introduced, the Hong Kong government

Specific requirements were made that a majority of the board members of franchised bus companies must hold British nationality and that the buses used must be manufactured in Britain or elsewhere in the British Empire. Even today, such provisions still exist.

Seeing the booming development of the bus industry in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government felt that Kowloon Bus and China Bus had been firmly controlled by Chinese families, which posed risks to their own rule, so they made new requirements in the early 1960s. Kowloon Bus and China Bus

To become a publicly listed company, that is to say, the two bus companies must put at least 25% of their shares into circulation in the securities market.

Ever since, Kowloon Bus and China Bus have become listed companies. As far as Kowloon Bus is concerned, Tang Siu Kin reorganized the company, spun off the related construction business, established Kowloon Construction Industry, which holds shares in Kowloon Bus, and gave it to its partners

The Lei family, Wu family, etc., and then in accordance with the requirements of the Hong Kong government, the main bus business was posted on the blackboard in the lobby of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The period when Kowloon Bus was listed was a golden period of capital prices before the Hong Kong banking crisis broke out in the 1960s. Jardine Matheson was also listed during that time. The offering price of Kowloon Bus was HK$58, and it raised HK$4,000.

More than HK$5 million was raised, and the result was an enthusiastic response from the market. The subscription was more than four times oversubscribed, so that on the day the Kowloon Bus stock was officially listed, the opening price reached HK$82.

It is not difficult to understand such a popular scene. There are millions of people in Xiangjiang, and there was no subway construction at that time, let alone the popularization of private cars. Such huge travel demand means endless business opportunities. Specifically, if it falls on the bus company, there will be

Carrying hundreds of millions of passengers.

The dividends of this industry are so great that they can even benefit grassroots practitioners. For example, when Gao Xian first came to this era in 1969, the driver Wang brothers he came into contact with, as long as they were willing to endure hardships, they were among the working people who were living a pretty good life.

That part.

It can be said that during this period, Tang Siu Kin reached the pinnacle of his personal career achievements. In addition to serving as the chairman of the board of directors and bus service director of Kowloon Bus, a star stock, he also received a knighthood at the CBE level from the British royal family.

It is estimated that it is precisely because of this sustained and stable good market that British capital has become coveted, so on the grounds of improving service levels, it pushed the United Overseas Transport Company from the UK to take over Kowloon Bus and China Bus.

Of course, the founding shareholders of these two bus companies were unwilling to be peach-picked in this way, so they resisted resolutely despite the tremendous pressure that their franchises would not be renewed.

After the British Overseas Transport Company withdrew in disgrace, it is unclear whether the Hong Kong government became angry. Anyway, it once again made new regulations on the franchise of the Hong Kong bus industry. For example, the franchise was changed to be reviewed every two years, and there were more

The terrible profit restriction clause means that Kowloon Bus and China Bus, which have obtained the bus franchise, have a maximum annual profit rate of 16% and 15% respectively.

To put it bluntly, if the profit rates of Kowloon Motor Bus and China Bus exceed the limit in a certain year, the excess cannot be divided, but must be transferred to a development fund account to be used as a backup when the profits of the two bus companies decline.

Under such circumstances, the popularity of Kowloon Bus and China Bus in the stock market has naturally been greatly reduced. Coupled with the Hong Kong government's vigorous promotion of the subway construction plan, the Hong Kong bus industry, which is bound to take a large piece of the cake, will inevitably

Falling from its peak.

There is another negative factor that cannot be ignored, and that is the subtle issue of Hong Kong's future.

The impact of these factors comes together, and the specific manifestation of Kowloon Bus is that its board of directors has no motivation to make large-scale fixed asset investments such as purchasing new buses. As long as the service can maintain the original level, in short, wait and see, wait and see.

, and finally, in the eyes of those who are interested, the market value of Kowloon Bus, compared to its own asset value, is so low that it is worthy of snatching it at all costs.

But no matter how lonely Kowloon Bus is now, founders like Tang Shiu Kin, who have worked hard for it for decades, can't get around it. Gao Xian made a special trip to visit the other party, hoping to use a "decent" way to get the actual situation of the Kowloon Bus board of directors.

control.

Deng Zhaojian is a justice of the peace in Hong Kong, and Gao Xian is also a justice of the peace in Hong Kong; Deng Zhaojian is a cbe-level knight awarded by the British royal family, and Gao Xian is also a knight awarded by the British royal family, and is the highest-level gbe in this honor series. It is just that he is too busy now.

There was no time left to go to Buckingham Palace for a formality; Deng Zhaojian was an entrepreneur, and Gao Xian was also an entrepreneur, and the strength of the Gao family's business empire was beyond what Deng Zhaojian could influence over the territory.

In all kinds of comparisons, Gao Xian personally came forward to give Deng Zhaojian, an old man, face, and showed sincerity that Guo Bingxiang could not show.

After the greetings, Deng Zhaojian, who always wore a long gown and dressed in traditional clothes, took the initiative and took the lead in breaking the window and saying: "Sir Gao is really good at letting Xindi charge into the battle quietly."

"Although the Transport Company used by Kwok Ping-cheung to acquire KMB is owned by SHKP, SHKP only owns 40% of the shares of Transport Company. On the other hand, Gaoxing Strategic Investment Company holds 35% of the shares of Transport Company.

shares, and Gao Gao Strategy is the highest-level behind-the-scenes organization responsible for the capital operation of the entire Gao Xing Group."

"Presumably, the Canadian company that holds the remaining 25% of Zaitong Company's shares is also owned by the Gao family!"

Gao Xian, whose expression remained motionless, did not answer the question directly. Instead, he opened his eyes and lied, evading the important points and saying, "Bingxiang is my younger brother. He is young and energetic. He wants to make a difference in his career, so he makes a mistake in front of him."

This mess."

"Bingxiang has realized that riding a tiger will not end well, so he asked me for help. As the eldest brother, I had no choice but to step in and help."

"If I believe your explanation, then I'm really stupid!" Deng Zhaojian complained endlessly, but everyone was a decent person and would not even pierce this layer of window paper.

Gao Xian continued: "Sir Deng, the matter has come to this, it is better to accept the reality and agree to Transport Corporation's acquisition of Kowloon Bus."

"After all, the current situation is clear. KMB is suppressed by the government's profit control agreement. With its bus business alone, it is difficult to do more in the face of competition from the MTR. In addition, the future of Hong Kong is unclear, and existing shareholders have no intention to do so."

By increasing investment, the Lei family will find another way to enter the film industry."

"If this continues, the Kowloon Bus that Sir Tang has worked so hard to build will really sink. That would be very heartbreaking. Why not take this opportunity to inject fresh blood."

"Of course, I can guarantee here that the interests of Sir Tang's shareholders in KMB will not only not be damaged, but will also be enhanced."

"Accept reality?" Deng Zhaojian said with a serious look on his face: "What if I don't give Sir Gao this face?"

Gao Xian looked at Deng Shiu-kin gently and continued to persuade in a sincere tone: "Sir Deng, as far as I know, although you are the chairman of the board of directors and the bus operations director of Kowloon Bus, your influence on Kowloon Bus is unparalleled, but in fact

The number of Kowloon Bus shares held by the company is not as large as that of other shareholders such as the Lei family and the Wu family."

"Because Sir Tang, you are a smart investor. Kowloon Bus stock is just one of your many investments. In addition, there are Yau Ma Tei Ferry, Hang Seng Bank, Commercial Radio, Miramar Hotel, etc. What do you think about KMB?"

The reason why you are so persistent in your work is because of your enthusiasm for the public service field in Hong Kong."

"Now, there is a better development opportunity in front of Kowloon Bus. Don't you think this is a win-win solution?"

Deng Zhaojian's face softened after being complimented and said: "Sir Gao's information on capital is really detailed!"

Gao Xian smiled slightly, "Since Sir Deng praised the juniors so much, I might as well explain to Sir Deng that in addition to the 34.9% share of Kowloon Bus that has been obtained by Express Express, I have also passed through other

The channel controls about 6% of Kowloon Bus shares."

These hidden words made Deng Zhaojian touch his bald head. Of course he could taste the implication of Gao Xian's words. Even if the veterans of Kowloon Bus wanted to fight stubbornly and fight a comprehensive takeover war, they had no chance of winning.

Chance.

"Sir Gao can even take over Heung Kong Land by force, let alone a mere Kowloon Bus." Deng Shiu Kin's expression quickly changed, and he sighed with a wry smile: "Speaking of which, it was because Sir Gao successfully acquired Heung Kong Land and was so scared.

The British capital encouraged the government to lower the trigger line for a full acquisition from 51% to 35% to make the acquisition more difficult, but this protection mechanism still cannot change the fate of Kowloon Bus being acquired!"

The dignified Sir Gao, of course, could not admit that he took advantage of others' danger and bullied the weak. He clarified again: "I had to disturb Sir Deng because I wanted to help Bingxiang clean up the mess."

Deng Zhaojian carefully looked at Gao Xian, who was always smiling, and couldn't help but feel in his heart. The rumors about the smiling tiger were indeed not false. You are only in your thirties, and you are so hypocritical. I am an old man, and my descendants are so...

How can I really offend you if I talk too much!

"Sir Gao's heroic appearance reminds me of the saying that the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead." In the end, Deng Zhaojian used a compliment to whitewash this cruel capital grab.

Gao Xian smiled and raised his chin slightly, confirming: "Did Sir Deng agree to Transport Corporation's acquisition of Kowloon Bus?"

Deng Zhaojian nodded, spoke decent words like Gao Xian, and confirmed: "Of course I would like to see KMB have better development prospects."