Chapter 652: The Fiercest Fighter
Yuanhua Tower, Star Company!
The negotiations were still ongoing!
Faced with Li Yi’s somewhat tricky question, Powell remained silent for a long time, then let out a deep sigh!
After a long while, he finally nodded and said, “You are right, sir. We truly do not wish to remain enemies with you any longer; that would benefit no one in the development of our Jardine Group!”
Although he was very reluctant to admit it, Powell knew he had made the right choice at this moment.
Backing down now meant losing face, but if he continued to stubbornly clash with that scheming old fox, the Duke, and this young man before him, what he stood to lose would be far more than mere face—it would be the very lifeblood of the Jardine Group.
Others might not know just how formidable this young man’s tactics were, but as a core member of the British-owned conglomerate, he understood this all too well.
According to incomplete statistics, as of now, the entire British-owned conglomerate has lost over 20 billion yuan due to this young man and the company he controls!
That’s right—two hundred billion!
His first move came in July of this year when he shorted the Hang Seng Index futures. In that battle, the greenhorn swung his scythe with reckless abandon, raking in 4 billion from the Hong Kong stock market in one fell swoop—the vast majority of which came from the British-owned Group.
Although the stock market crash a few months ago cannot be attributed solely to Li Yi, he was by far the most ruthless profiteer in the market.
Li Yi’s second move came recently when he shorted gold. He first set a trap for the British-funded group, forcing them to take on over a billion Hong Kong dollars’ worth of physical gold.
Then, taking advantage of the high prices, he made them buy 12 billion Hong Kong dollars’ worth of gold financial products. Now that international gold prices have plummeted, everyone has suffered massive losses.
More importantly, that sneaky old fox, the Jazz, poured a billion US dollars into the New York futures market to ambush him—only to watch that entire sum go down the drain in a single day.
Furthermore, this time, Li Yi rallied other bigwigs from the Chinese-funded conglomerate to wage a full-scale war against them in the stock market.
First, in the battle for control of Hang Seng, he caused the British-funded group to lose billions.
Subsequently, in the battle for control of the New Territories Warehouse Center, he decisively crushed the Jardine Matheson Group and seized controlling interest in the New Territories Warehouse.
Such a track record is absolutely unparalleled in the history of Hong Kong Island, and it is unlikely that anyone in the future will be able to match it.
To make an enemy of such a man is truly unwise—even foolish!
Seeing his opponent admit it so readily, Li Yi smiled and replied noncommittally, “Even if I really did make that promise, would you believe me?”
“I would!” Powell declared with absolute certainty.
“Oh, now I’m curious. Do you really trust me that much, Mr. Powell?” Li Yi asked.
“I trust you, in part because I’ve investigated you and know you’re a man of your word. As you Chinese say, you’re a man whose word is as good as gold!”
Powell then glanced at Zhang Ziqiang and the others standing beside Li Yi before continuing, “Furthermore, the reason I believe you will keep your promise is that I see certain traits of your people in you!”
“Traits?”
Hearing this, Li Yi was a bit baffled. How had he failed to notice any such traits in himself?
“Hmm, fierce and fearless, yet civilized and trustworthy!”
“???”
Seeing the look of confusion on Li Yi’s face, Powell added, “Mr. Li Yi, you may not know this, but my father was a soldier who fought in the war on the peninsula thirty years ago. He has told me more than once what he thinks of you people!”
“What kind of opinion?” Li Yi asked instinctively.
“You are the fiercest fighters, and also the most civilized enemies!” Powell said.
Li Yi nodded and said, “That’s quite an unusual assessment, but it certainly rings true!”
“My father told me more than once that, whether in business or on the battlefield, one should never underestimate the people of your country. For you possess both a fierce and fearless side, as well as the radiance of humanity; your strength, emanating from within, is truly invincible.”
Powell continued, ““My father once told me about an incident he personally experienced during the war. At the height of the battle, your men actually took the initiative to return several severely wounded UN prisoners of war to my father’s company. The reason was that the prisoners’ injuries were too severe, and your medical facilities were inadequate. To save their lives, you decided to hand them over to us for treatment.”
“In a letter to my mother, my father described your army in this way: he said you fought with unparalleled ferocity, yet at the same time, you were filled with the radiance of humanity—even kinder than we were. An army like that should not be an enemy.”
Li Yi hadn’t expected Powell’s father to speak so highly of our predecessors; he was deeply moved.
After a brief silence, he replied, “I am not a soldier!”
“But you possess the same qualities as they did!”
Powell continued, “You’re tough and decisive, yet you have a strong sense of integrity—just like your predecessors. So, if possible, we’d be better off not becoming enemies!”
Sensing Powell’s sincerity, Li Yi said in a grave tone, “I can make you that promise, but on one condition: from now on, the Jardine Matheson Group must not participate in any actions by the British-funded conglomerate targeting Starry Sky Corporation or the Blue Dragon Society. Otherwise, this promise is void!”
“That goes without saying. We wouldn’t do things to harm you while demanding that you not attack us!” Powell replied.
“Then here’s to a fruitful partnership!”
With that, Li Yi extended his hand to Powell!
Powell immediately shook Li Yi’s hand and said, “A fruitful partnership…”
With both sides having reached a consensus on this collaboration, the negotiations concluded. The remaining time would be spent drafting the share transfer agreement in preparation for the formal signing.
While their lawyers were drafting the agreement, Powell suddenly asked to speak with Li Yi privately.
Li Yi didn’t refuse. Although he didn’t know what Powell wanted to discuss, he could tell that this foreigner was different from Smith and the others he’d met before.
How to put it? Powell was a more pragmatic man; he didn’t seem to be on the same page as the British-funded group or that so-called “Journeyman.”
The two then found a quiet spot to hold a private discussion.
Powell didn’t disappoint Li Yi. As soon as he opened his mouth, he laid out the Duke’s entire plan for the next phase, including the involvement of the family behind the Duke.
After hearing Powell’s account, Li Yi felt more curiosity than surprise.
“Mr. Powell, why are you telling me all this? This shouldn’t be in the best interests of your British Capital Group. Are you planning to break ties with them? Could you explain this to me?” Li Yi asked.
Powell paused briefly before replying, “It’s true that this goes against the interests of the British Capital Group, but it aligns with those of the Jardine Matheson Group. I can’t go into specifics, but suffice it to say, we’re doing this to protect ourselves!”
Li Yi carefully mulled over Powell’s words. Although he didn’t understand what was going on between Jardine Matheson and the British Capital Group, it was clear that Powell’s interests no longer aligned with those of the British Capital Group.
This was definitely a good thing for Star Company and the Huazi Group.
With that in mind, Li Yi did not press the matter further. Instead, he reiterated, “Mr. Powell, thank you for the warning. I assure you here and now: if your company keeps its promise and ceases to be an enemy of Star Company and the Blue Dragon Society, we will absolutely not target the Jardine Group!”
“Rest assured, sir. As long as I remain the head of Jardine Matheson, we will never again be so foolish as to oppose you!” Powell said earnestly.
“Very well…”
……….