Chapter 702: The Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce!

Cloud Peak No. 1. Study!

Li Yi and the Governor sat across from each other at a desk, with neither hot tea nor coffee in sight.

Neither of them spoke first; at this moment, it was a contest of wills, and whoever spoke first would appear to be at a disadvantage.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was awkward, tinged with a touch of gravity.

After a long while, the Governor finally couldn’t resist speaking first: “Mr. Li Yi, I’d like to know—is your side prepared to use force to resolve the issues on Hong Kong Island?”

“Why do you ask that? Besides, Your Excellency shouldn’t be asking a mere businessman like me such a thing!” Li Yi said calmly.

“Sir, there is an old saying in your ‘Land of the Flowering Trees’: ‘Let’s be frank and open.’ I simply wish to know if you intend to use force. Please do not withhold the truth!”

“Haha, well, if we really do intend to use force, what does the Governor plan to do?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll immediately order all armed forces on Hong Kong Island to cease resistance and await negotiations between London and your country!”

Hearing the Governor’s blunt assessment, Li Yi let out a cold chuckle and said indifferently, “It seems you’re well aware of the vast disparity in strength between us. I’d thought you believed those few rickety old ships in your possession would allow you to do as you pleased in any waters?”

The Governor’s face flushed alternately pale and red, but in the end, he offered no explanation.

There was simply no way to explain such a thing; the more he tried to explain, the worse he would make himself look, and the more he would provoke his opponent.

Seeing the man’s defeated expression, Li Yi lost interest in humiliating him further and said indifferently, “As far as I know, our policy toward Hong Kong Island has not changed. You can verify this with your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant departments in our country!”

“If your country has no intention of resolving matters here by force, then why did you suddenly dispatch warships to seize our coast guard patrol boat for no apparent reason?” the Governor asked in a low, stern voice.

“What a coincidence—I happen to know about this. As far as I’m aware, your ship wasn’t seized for no reason; it was your patrol boat that first violated the territorial waters of our country’s government vessel and provoked us first!” Li Yi said.

“What?”

Li Yi continued, “From what I understand, your patrol boat was in our territorial waters and, without authorization, suddenly surrounded our government vessel and forcibly conducted an inspection despite our crew’s refusal.”

“As it happens, one of our naval fleets was conducting night training exercises in the relevant waters. Upon receiving a distress signal, we rushed to the scene, rescued the vessel and personnel that had been violated, and incidentally seized your ship and crew!”

“Just so happened?”

“Incidentally”?

Hearing this, the Governor of Hong Kong wanted nothing more than to punch Li Yi in the face and ask him if he actually believed what he was saying.

But he didn’t dare. Instead, he gritted his teeth and said, “As far as I know, our patrol boat was on a mission yesterday to crack down on smuggling vessels. How could it have forcibly boarded your country’s government vessel? That’s completely impossible.”

“Are you implying, Mr. Governor, that we’ve wrongly accused your people?” Li Yi asked, furrowing his brow.

“Well… that’s not what I meant…”

“Then what exactly do you mean?” Li Yi pressed further.

“I was just wondering if there might be some misunderstanding here.”

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not is simple enough to resolve. I can contact them and have the commander in charge of this operation return to report on the situation. Then we can discuss the next steps,” Li Yi said calmly.

“In that case, we’d be grateful for your assistance, Mr. Li Yi. If it truly was our fault, we will offer our apologies and provide appropriate compensation for your country’s losses!” said the Governor.

“You don’t need to discuss this with me, Your Excellency. I’m merely helping the Governor communicate with the other side; the rest has nothing to do with me!” Li Yi said.

“Understood!”

With that, the Governor turned and left Li Yi’s study. He didn’t want to stay in that place a second longer—it was too humiliating!

The Governor left, but Li Futao and Old Huo stayed behind. After the Governor had departed, they both came to Li Yi’s study.

As soon as the two entered, Li Yi had someone bring in some fine green tea. They gathered around a small round table, sipping tea and chatting.

Li Futao blew gently on the scalding tea, took a small sip, and then said, “Brother Li Yi, Old Huo isn’t an outsider, so I’ll get straight to the point: are they really planning to use force over there?”

“Absolutely not!” Li Yi replied firmly.

“Then what’s with all the panic at the Governor’s Office? They say the other side has deployed warships to seize their coast guard vessels, and that their fleet has already blockaded Hong Kong Island,” Li Futao said.

“They’re just guilty as charged!”

Li Yi then briefly recounted the events of the previous night—though, of course, he only covered the latter part, omitting the fact that he’d used a fake cash-in-transit vessel to lure the coast guard fleet into a trap.

Although Li Futiao hadn’t participated in the subsequent operation, he was well aware of Li Yi’s plan to transport a billion US dollars across the water. Upon reflection, he realized this was a trap set by Li Yi at the Governor’s Mansion, so he didn’t press the matter further.

As for Old Huo’s visit today, his main purpose was to confirm whether the other side truly intended to use force. Since the matter turned out to be nothing more than a misunderstanding, he saw no reason to dwell on it any further!

At that moment, Li Futiao changed the subject and said again, “Brother Li Yi, over the past few days, our group has held multiple discussions regarding the establishment of the Chinese Capital Group and has screened the first batch of members. We have preliminarily identified 32 Chinese families and companies with assets exceeding one hundred million as our inaugural members. Take a look and see if these individuals meet the qualifications!”

As he spoke, Li Futiao took a set of documents out of the briefcase he was carrying.

Li Yi didn’t hesitate; he immediately took the documents and began reviewing them.

The document was over thirty pages long. It listed not only the names of these families and companies but also brief profiles, including their assets and primary business operations.

More importantly, Li Yi noticed that at the very end there was a special survey—one that specifically inquired about the member’s attitude toward the mainland.

Wow, is it really that obvious?

After reviewing the members’ profiles, Li Yi nodded and said, “These members are all solid and qualified to join our alliance. However, I feel the name ‘Chinese Capital Group’ isn’t very catchy or appropriate!”

“Well then, Brother Li Yi, what name do you think would be better?”

“The Hong Kong Island Branch of the Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce!” Li Yi replied.

Upon hearing the name Li Yi had proposed, Old Li and Old Huo both perked up, while also being stunned by Li Yi’s ambition.

The Global Chinese Chamber of Commerce was clearly intended to unite Chinese businesspeople worldwide. Since there was a Hong Kong Island Branch, there would naturally be a Mainland China Branch and a Macau Branch, and eventually even branches in Southeast Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and beyond.

“Excellent! That name is truly impressive!” Li Fu exclaimed.

Old Huo agreed, “It’s truly excellent—far better than that British-owned conglomerate!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Old Li, Old Huo, I have no objections to this list. If there are no other issues, I hope this chamber of commerce can be established as soon as possible!”

“How soon exactly?”

“Within the next day or two!” Li Yi said.

“So urgent?”

“Yes, because my sister is getting married in a few days, and I need to head back as soon as possible. Plus, the Lunar New Year is coming up soon. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it’ll be at least two or three months before I’m back here again!” Li Yi explained.

“I see. Alright, we’ll make the arrangements as soon as possible and let you know when everything is ready!” Li Fu said.

“Alright!”

“Well then, you’re busy. We’ll take our leave now!” said Old Mr. Huo.

“Let me walk you out…”

……….