Chapter 809: Don’t Let the Character Collapse!
The conversation at the Li Family Estate continued!
Hearing that Li Yi planned to move against the British-owned conglomerate without delay the very next day—and that this time, the target was Hang Seng Bank—Li Futao didn’t even know how to describe his feelings!
Don’t be fooled by the fact that the British-owned Group currently seems to lack both momentum and capital—they are, after all, the largest commercial alliance of those Westerners across the entire Asian region, with influence spanning Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, the Philippines, South Korea, and all of Southeast Asia.
Right now, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce is only facing off against the local British-owned members on Hong Kong Island. But once these people are pushed to the limit, British-owned members from other regions will inevitably intervene.
At that point, whether it’s Star Investment or the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, they won’t just be facing Dolsons and his crew—they’ll be up against members of the British-owned conglomerate across all of Asia.
With this in mind, Li Futao immediately said, “Brother Li Yi, isn’t this a bit too hasty? And launching a takeover bid against Hang Seng so abruptly—couldn’t that…”
Li Yi shook his head and said, “It is indeed a bit rushed, but we must do this now!”
“Why is that?” Li Futao asked, puzzled.
Li Yi didn’t answer his question but asked in return, “Old Li, do you know the story of Zhuge Liang’s six campaigns against Qishan?”
“Of course I do. I wouldn’t dare claim to know the Romance of the Three Kingdoms by heart, but I’ve read it several times. Why are you suddenly asking me this?” Li Futao replied.
Li Yi immediately followed up, “Then do you know why Zhuge Liang launched six campaigns against Qishan? Even though he knew full well that the Shu Han state’s resources couldn’t sustain such frequent northern expeditions, he still persisted?”
“Of course, it was to restore the Han dynasty and unify the realm, as well as to seize resources like population, grain, and land!” Li Futiao replied.
“That answer isn’t wrong, but it doesn’t get to the heart of the matter!” Li Yi said.
Li Futao’s interest was piqued by Li Yi’s words, and he immediately asked, “Then, Brother Li Yi, what do you think was the reason behind Zhuge Liang’s northern campaigns?”
“To survive!”
“?”
“The fundamental reason for Zhuge Liang’s northern campaigns was to ensure the survival of Shu Han. The Six Expeditions to Qishan were all aimed at prolonging the life of the frail Shu Han!” Li Yi said.
“But… how could that be?”
“Old Li, since you’re well-versed in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you should naturally know that ever since Guan Yu lost Jingzhou through carelessness, and later Liu Bei was defeated by the Wu general Lu Xun at the Battle of Yiling, Shu Han had completely lost any chance of competing for dominance over the realm.”
Li Yi continued, “At that time, Cao Wei’s strength far surpassed that of Shu Han. The longer the conflict dragged on, the more the balance of power shifted in their favor. If Zhuge Liang hadn’t adopted a strategy of offense as defense during his lifetime, Shu Han would have been annihilated by Cao Wei within a few years.”
“That’s why Zhuge Liang kept launching northern campaigns—to apply military pressure on Cao Wei and make them believe that Shu Han was a formidable power.”
“So… the Empty City Strategy? Deception?”
Li Yi shook his head and said, “Neither. It’s called ‘the best defense is a good offense!’
“Offense is the best defense?”
Li Fu was stunned by Li Yi’s perspective, but upon reflection, he found it to be quite reasonable.
Although Zhuge Liang’s six campaigns against Qishan did not result in a successful northern expedition or significant achievements—and even drained Shu Han’s national resources—
Yet he kept the Wei army running ragged, leaving them no time or energy to prepare an offensive against Shu, effectively prolonging Shu’s reign.
Drawing a parallel to the current situation of the Chinese and British-funded groups—with their main capital not based on Hong Kong Island—they had no choice but to constantly launch preemptive attacks to confuse the enemy and divert their attention, thereby preventing a counterattack from the British-funded group.
Realizing this, Li Futao exclaimed in awe, “Brother Li Yi, those foreigners are in for a world of trouble when they run into you!”
“You can’t quite put it that way. After all, they rely on tactics and techniques, while we rely on strategy!” Li Yi replied.
“Hahaha, whether it’s tactics or strategy, all I know is those foreigners are in for another beating!” Li Futiao said with a laugh.
Li Yi shook his head and said, “Old Li, you might be wrong this time. I reckon we’re going to take a bit of a beating in this clash!”
“What do you mean?”
“If we target Hang Seng, given those foreigners’ current situation, they’ll likely just give up on Hang Seng!” Li Yi said.
“Cutting off the arm to save the body?”
“Exactly. Having lost massive amounts of capital, they’ll most likely dump all their shares onto us, forcing us to take the hit while they quickly recoup their funds!” Li Yi explained.
“That’s certainly a possibility, but we could pull out early too. How would we end up at a disadvantage?” Li Futao said.
“We can’t walk away!”
“Uh… why can’t we?” Li Futiao asked, puzzled.
“Because we’re now the ‘barbarians’ holding 60 billion. If we run away first, we’ll likely expose our true strength!” Li Yi said.
A 60-billion-yuan tycoon—this was the persona Li Yi had crafted for himself, and he was now using it to intimidate those British-owned conglomerates.
The Hang Seng Index’s market cap was only 3 billion Hong Kong dollars; even if they speculated on it, it wouldn’t exceed 5 or 6 billion—a mere drop in the bucket compared to 60 billion.
If they ran away right at the start of the battle, wouldn’t his “60-billion-dollar tycoon” persona collapse?
Once that persona crumbles, his true capabilities would be exposed, leading to even more trouble down the line. So this time, he had no choice but to endure it!
“So does that mean we’re just going to be the suckers here?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it being taken for a ride. If the battle for Hang Seng can buy us another half a month or so, it’ll be worth it!” Li Yi said.
After all, in a fortnight or so, the Falklands War would have already begun.
By then, the arrangements in London would be largely complete, and he wouldn’t have to worry about those guys striking back like he does now.
“What do you need me to do?” Li Fu asked.
“Help me contact some Hang Seng Bank shareholders. I want to buy out their shares. If possible, it’d be best to have the contracts signed by tomorrow afternoon!” Li Yi said.
“No problem!”
Then Li Futiao added, “By the way, Green Reggie contacted me this morning!”
“What’s up?”
“Your brother-in-law’s surgery was a success, and he’s recovering well. He’s expected to be discharged in about a week!” Li Futiao said.
Hearing this news, Li Yi’s face immediately lit up with joy, and he said with a smile, “That’s truly great news. My older sister has been extremely worried these past few days!”
“No need to worry anymore!”
“Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now!”
Li Yi then added, “I need to tell my older sister this good news as soon as possible so she won’t worry anymore!”
“Alright, I’ll walk you out…”
“No need to trouble yourself!”
“Alright, then I won’t see you off…”
After watching Li Yi leave, Li Fu immediately got up and walked down to the estate’s basement.
Surprisingly, the basement of the Li family estate was very spacious and exquisitely decorated.
More importantly, the basement resembled a secret base, housing not only telephone and radio equipment.
At that moment, more than a dozen staff members were working feverishly; the entire underground space was filled with the beeping sounds of the radios and the sounds of telegrams being sent and received.
Upon seeing Li Futiao enter, a middle-aged man immediately approached him: “Boss!”
“Contact Yunbao immediately and tell them to continue increasing their positions as originally planned. Set aside 150 million pounds as emergency funds, and pour the rest into the market as quickly as possible!” Li Futiao said decisively.
“Yes, sir!”
“Send another telegram to Old Wu, telling him to hand over all our funds in London to Yunbao to manage!” Li Futiao ordered.
“Yes…”
As Li Futao’s telegram was sent, the already volatile situation in the London metal futures market quickly descended into complete chaos…
………