Chapter 812: Sacrificing the Pawn to Save the King!

Stock Exchange. VIP Room No. 9!

Dawson said gravely, “That bastard has set his sights on Hang Seng. Let’s discuss what we should do!”

Henry, the head of Huifeng, said with a grim expression, “Is that despicable guy going to do the same thing he did a few days ago—drive Hang Seng’s stock price up to a high and then cash out?”

Smith added, “It’s possible. That’s exactly what they did last year, driving Hang Seng’s stock price to a record high of 200 Hong Kong dollars. That single move cost us over a billion Hong Kong dollars!”

“So are we just going to sit here and do nothing, watching that guy go on a buying spree for Hang Seng shares?” asked Jason, Chairman of Hang Seng’s Board of Directors, with a touch of anxiety.

At that moment, the elderly man standing beside Dolsen suddenly spoke up: “Jason, you need to stay calm. Hang Seng is different from Huifeng—we have plenty of time to consider our options!”

Dawson nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Although Hang Seng’s shares are also widely dispersed, Huifeng still controls 39% of Hang Seng’s shares—making it the absolute majority shareholder.”

“As long as we acquire just a little more, we can easily reach a 51% controlling stake. I’m just hesitating right now about whether to compete with that guy for it!”

Jason immediately replied, “Why not? Setting aside whether Star Company can actually secure a controlling stake in Hengsheng, even if they become the second-largest shareholder, that wouldn’t be good for us either!”

Dawson stared at Jason for a moment before saying, “We need to look at the bigger picture. Remember, our funds are limited right now, while that guy has over 60 billion. In terms of capital, we’re definitely no match for him.”

“With our funds already tied up in the battle for control of Huifeng, if we continue to compete with him for Hang Seng, it won’t be long before our limited resources are completely drained.”

“If that guy keeps attacking us then, we’ll be completely helpless—unless we’re willing to open up the Hong Kong market to our members in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in exchange for their financial backing!”

Upon hearing this, everyone—including Henry, Smith, Jason, and the Duke—fell silent.

Although they were all members of the Alliance, each had their own turf. It wasn’t as if anyone could simply come to Hong Kong Island to develop their business; cooperation was the primary relationship between them.

Alliance members from Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea would love nothing more than to expand into Hong Kong—it’s just that no one here is exactly welcoming them with open arms.

After all, the Hong Kong market was only so big. If those people came, they would inevitably compete with them for market share, business, and profits. Only a fool would welcome them.

“Looking at your expressions, I can tell you won’t agree to let them come. Since that’s the case, we’ll just have to find another way!” said Dolsen.

“What other ways?”

Dawson paused briefly before saying, “Previously, we bought at the peak. This time, we can use Hang Seng as bait to get Li Yi to buy at the peak!”

“By then, Star Company will inevitably have spent a massive amount of capital, and we can use this opportunity to recoup some of our funds.”

Jason said despondently, “Mr. Dolsen, are you suggesting we abandon Hang Seng?”

“Jason, this is called sacrificing the rook to save the king!”

Dawson continued, “More importantly, Hang Seng’s shares were split last year, increasing the number of shares by five times. Although the share price has dropped significantly, the overall market capitalization has risen to nearly four billion.”

“If we can push the price up a bit, the market cap could even break through fifty billion. At that price, even if we sold Hang Seng, we wouldn’t lose out.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Henry stood up and said, “I agree with Dolsen’s strategy of sacrificing the pawn to save the king. Trading Hang Seng for a complete victory for us is a great deal!”

Smith added, “I think it’s a great idea too. Let’s give it a try!”

“I agree too…”

Seeing that most people agreed with his idea, Dolsen immediately said, “In that case, let’s first compete with Li Yi to drive the stock price up. Smith, I’m leaving this to you!”

“Alright, I’ll get started right away!”

Dawson nodded and said, “Good! But remember, the price can’t rise too quickly, and we must constantly watch out for those on the other side cashing out and exiting the market. The moment we see any signs of that, we must strike first!”

“Yes!”

As the British-funded group reached a decision, the situation where Starry Sky Company held a monopoly quickly began to shift.

With Smith and his team entering the fray, the price of Hang Seng shares began to rise.

When Star Investment entered the market, Hang Seng’s share price was HK$16.80 per share. After Smith and his group joined the fray, the price quickly reached HK$17 and soon climbed to HK$17.50.

But in less than ten minutes, Star Investment Company had placed a bid of 18 Hong Kong dollars per share, and the tension between the two sides was palpable.

However, unlike the previous days, there were very few speculative retail investors entering the market to disrupt the situation today, and certainly no brokerage firms taking advantage of the chaos.

For one thing, Li Yi’s “escape act” combined with his aggressive selling spree yesterday had been so ruthless that the brokerage firms and speculative retail investors who had tried to profit from the chaos had all been badly burned; many were now scrambling to figure out how to break even.

For those who entered at lower prices, it’s still possible to cut losses and exit the market—after all, it’s just a small loss or simply a smaller profit, which is acceptable.

But for those who entered late and bought at higher prices, exiting now wouldn’t be cutting losses—it would be cutting off their own livelihood.

After yesterday’s lesson, who would dare to snatch food from this big shot’s plate today? They must be out of their minds…

Without the hype from these speculators, although the Hang Seng Index rose significantly, it didn’t skyrocket as rapidly as Huifeng had done previously.

Plus, the battle had barely begun when the closing bell rang, and Hang Seng’s share price finally settled at HK$18 per share.

But everyone knew this was just the beginning—Hang Seng would now become the focal point of the battle between the two sides!

While Li Yi took the initiative to ignite the battle for Hang Seng’s shares, the futures war in London had also reached a fever pitch.

Due to the influx of massive capital from financial conglomerates, both the metal futures and spot markets in London entered a phase of frenzied surges.

At yesterday’s close, steel prices stood at 198 pounds per ton; by the opening bell today, they had already surpassed 200 pounds.

Compared to the prices when Li Yunbao and his group entered the market, prices have already risen by a quarter.

More importantly, this was not the final price; prices for various metals were still climbing.

For Li Yunbao and his team, this is a bittersweet experience—a true case of mixed emotions.

The good news is that with metal prices rising, the contracts they had previously purchased have generated significant profits, especially the initial batch of steel.

They had purchased 660,000 contracts at an average price of 169 pounds per ton, earning 1.98 billion pounds from this batch of futures contracts alone.

And that doesn’t even include the profits from copper, aluminum, and spot steel. All told, their returns on this deal have nearly doubled.

But the downside is that as prices rose, the cost of acquiring new contracts became increasingly high.

It was still manageable with steel, whose base price wasn’t high to begin with, but the normal prices for copper and aluminum were already over £1,000 per ton. Now, they were rising by several hundred pounds per ton at a time, which meant each contract was costing tens of thousands of pounds more.

In just a single day, a third of the over 7 billion pounds in capital held by Zhang Qiusheng and his team had been depleted.

At this rate, their funds would be completely depleted in three days at most. If that happened, the first phase of their “banbanhaobang” mission would be successfully completed.

Now, everyone—including Li Yunbao—is waiting for this moment…

……….

Tuesday, March 30!

Early in the morning, Li Yi was roused by an urgent phone call.

The call was from Lan Xinming, who told him that Lin Luo—the deputy head of the investment department whom he had just promoted yesterday—was dead, and the cause of death was homicide.

According to Lan Xinming, he had just received a call from the police, who reported that they had received a call from a woman in the early hours of the morning claiming to have heard sounds of a struggle and screams coming from her neighbor’s apartment.

The police immediately dispatched officers to the apartment building where the incident occurred.

After questioning the caller, the officers forced open the door to the apartment in question and discovered the body of a man who had recently died.

Upon investigation and verification, the deceased was confirmed to be Lin Luo, a senior employee of their company!

As for the cause of Lin Luo’s death, the police station declined to disclose further details, citing that the case was still under investigation, and simply stated that it appeared to be a murder motivated by personal vendetta!

Upon receiving the news, a cold smile crossed Li Yi’s face.

Those bastards at the British-owned conglomerate are truly ruthless—they’ve already made their move so quickly!

Moreover, Li Yi could see this incident as a show of force—even a threat—from Dolsen.

After all, he was merely a disposable pawn with no remaining value. The British Capital Group had countless ways to eliminate him, and they could have done it completely without a trace.

For instance, they could have taken him out to international waters, stuffed him in a sack, and tied a few rocks to it. That way, the world would have merely lost a missing person, not a corpse.

Now that Lin Luo had died so quickly and alerted the police, it wouldn’t be long before the whole city knew about it—this was clearly the foreigners’ doing.

On one hand, they intended to use this ruthless method to intimidate the British-owned conglomerate from within, showing those with wavering loyalties exactly what happens to traitors.

On the other hand, Li Yi was certain they were making a show of force—not just to him, but to the entire Star Investment Company and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce as a whole.

After all, Lin Luo was merely an employee of the company. If he died, the first people to be notified should be his parents and relatives, not the company.

Even if notification were necessary, it shouldn’t have come from the police, but from Lin Luo’s family.

However, the reality is that the police arrived at the scene immediately, identified Lin Luo in a matter of moments, and even called his supervisor at work.

If this wasn’t premeditated and deliberate, then Li Yi would have wasted his entire life across two lifetimes!

Once he realized this, the look on Li Yi’s face grew even colder.

Although Hong Kong is still essentially the domain of those Westerners, with most administrative control in their hands, that doesn’t mean they can do whatever they please here.

Because the Motherland stands behind him, and we’ve just knocked the monkeys—who claim to be the world’s third-strongest military power—to the ground in Southern Xinjiang, solidifying our international standing.

On top of that, the British had been soundly beaten in several consecutive provocations, to the point where even their regular troops had withdrawn from Hong Kong. If they really tried to play dirty, Li Yi wasn’t afraid of them at all!

Now that these bastards have drawn their weapons, he can’t very well not respond—otherwise, people might think he’s scared.

Immediately, Li Yi called Pang Feiyan. While informing her of Lin Luo’s death, he ordered her to assemble the team members and meet at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in one hour…

……….

Hong Kong Stock Exchange!

When Li Yi and his group reappeared here, they immediately caused a sensation.

Yesterday’s combination of a “golden cicada escape” and a market-crashing battle had left brokerage firms, speculative hot money, and retail investors utterly devastated.

Of course, the British-owned group suffered the worst.

As Huifeng Bank’s stock plummeted by half, many lost everything they had.

By everyone’s estimates, Star Investment had made at least 5 billion Hong Kong dollars—perhaps even more.

Consequently, most investors believed that Li Yi, having scored such a major victory, should take a few days off.

It’s just like gambling: having already amassed a fortune worth billions, regardless of whether he plans to retire from the game, he should at least take a few days off—if nothing else, to spend some time splurging on his winnings.

But what no one could have imagined was that this man would be back again first thing in the morning.

Was he still not satisfied?

Was he planning to keep trading?

In an instant, investors throughout the exchange were abuzz with speculation.

Meanwhile, at the Castle Estate, Dolsen was planning to use the morning to gather the key members of the British Investment Group to discuss a countermeasure.

But before the key members could arrive, he received word that Li Yi had appeared at the exchange.

Instantly, a complex emotion—part anger, part fear—welled up inside him.

Dawson immediately called Henry, Richard, and the others, ordering them to rush to the exchange, while he himself hurriedly left Castle Manor!

Just before the opening bell rang, a large group of key members from the British-funded consortium finally arrived at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Everyone’s expression mirrored Dolsen’s—a mix of anger and unease, tinged with a hint of timidity and fear.

It was no wonder their emotions were so mixed; that man was simply too terrifying.

Every time they clashed with him, they were utterly overwhelmed.

In less than a year, he had ruthlessly stripped them of nearly 30 billion Hong Kong dollars.

That’s 30 billion!

Once everyone had gathered, the members of the British-owned group immediately huddled together to analyze Li Yi’s purpose for coming here today.

Actually, it wasn’t hard to guess. A man as busy as him wouldn’t come here just to watch the spectacle; he was undoubtedly preparing to strike again.

So, the focus of the discussion quickly shifted to which company would be Li Yi’s next target.

However, the British-owned conglomerate had over forty listed companies here—including seven or eight major banks alone, not to mention numerous industrial firms—making it genuinely impossible to pinpoint exactly which one Li Yi had in his sights.

Left with no other choice, Dolsons and his team could only remain on high alert, ordering their men to keep a close watch on Li Yi and the people from Star Investment, waiting to see how things would unfold.

But to everyone’s surprise, Li Yi remained in VIP Room No. 1 the entire morning, neither leaving nor taking any action; he seemed to be there purely to watch the spectacle.

When the bell signaling the midday market break rang, Li Yi didn’t even pause for a moment; he immediately led the entire Star Investment team out of the exchange.

Seeing this, Dolsen and his team breathed a slight sigh of relief.

At the same time, however, the British-funded group couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. Had this guy been sitting around here all morning just out of boredom?

Considering that they each had a mountain of work to handle at their respective companies, and since Li Yi hadn’t made a move and had now left, many of them—including Dolsen—left the exchange as well.

However, not long after they left, Li Yi and his group—having eaten and drunk their fill—returned to the exchange.

Upon receiving the news again, Dolsen and his group didn’t dare to delay; they immediately rushed back over. There was no other choice—this guy was too intimidating. As long as he and his men were present at the exchange, the British-funded group dared not let their guard down.

What left Dolsen and his team speechless, however, was that after the market opened in the afternoon, Li Yi and his group went into seclusion mode once again.

From 1:30 to 3:30—a full two hours—the doors to VIP Room No. 1 remained tightly shut, as if it were completely empty.

But just as everyone thought that was the end of the day, the people from Starry Sky Investment made their move.

With only half an hour left before the market closed, all of Star Investment’s traders descended into the trading floor.

Then, with lightning speed, they snapped up every single Hang Seng Bank share currently listed for sale on the market.

Immediately afterward, they placed buy orders to acquire Hang Seng shares!

When news of the trading floor’s activity reached VIP Room 9, Dolsons and the others were furious. After failing to seize control of Huifeng, that bastard had actually set his sights on Hang Seng.

However, instead of immediately dispatching people to compete for Hang Seng shares, Dolsons and his team first held an internal discussion—after all, they had to guard against Li Yi resorting to the same old tricks…

……….

London. Metal Futures Market!

Due to the time difference, it was already past 1:00 PM when Li Yunbao received the telegram sent from Hong Kong.

According to the trading rules of the local futures market, the afternoon session had already begun.

That morning, Li Yunbao and his team had gotten their first taste of the frenzy among investors in this venerable financial empire. Almost from the opening bell, prices for various metals here had surged significantly.

The price of steel had skyrocketed by 2% in less than an hour, while copper and aluminum saw even steeper increases, reaching 4% and 5% respectively.

Even so, those investors seemed completely unfazed; they continued to pour money in, frantically snapping up futures contracts for various metals, adopting a stance that clearly sought to overwhelm the market with capital.

Soon, news broke in the futures market that investment firms controlled by several major European conglomerates had all entered the fray.

Moreover, these major conglomerates shared a common objective: to go long on metals in the futures market.

Under these circumstances, the prices of short-term contracts for metals such as steel, copper, aluminum, tin, and silver soared.

By the time the market closed that morning, the price of steel had risen to 183 pounds per ton.

The price increases for copper and aluminum were even more dramatic, reaching 1,386 pounds and 1,258 pounds per ton, respectively.

Other metals also saw significant gains, particularly silver, which rose by 8% in just one morning and continued to climb.

In short, the entire London metal futures market seemed to have suddenly entered a frenzy, exploding without warning.

Given how utterly baffling today’s situation was, Li Yunbao and his team spent the entire morning filling only small batches of futures orders, rather than gobbling up massive volumes as they had done before.

However, upon receiving a message from Li Futiao just moments ago, Li Yunbao felt reassured. He immediately instructed the trading team to go all out and aggressively purchase futures contracts for steel, copper, and aluminum!

With Li Yunbao’s orders in hand, Zhang Qiusheng and the others no longer had any reservations and began trading with reckless abandon.

In order to snatch orders from the financial titans, they kept raising the purchase price of the futures contracts.

By the time the market closed that evening, the price of steel had reached 198 pounds per ton—a full 32-pound increase from the 166 pounds per ton at which Li Yunbao and his team had initially entered the market.

6:00 p.m.!

Upon returning to the suburban estate, the group skipped dinner and, following Li Yunbao’s orders, gathered in the conference room.

Seated at the head of the table, Li Yunbao looked at the exhausted group and immediately said, “Everyone, counting today, it has been eight days since our team arrived in London. Over the past week, we have quietly snapped up futures contracts for various metals, and everything has gone smoothly!”

“However, starting today, massive amounts of capital have entered the market. From now on, we’ll face far more competitors in our operations. Everyone needs to be mentally prepared for this!”

At that moment, Zhang Qiusheng spoke up: “The price increases for these metals and commodities today seem somewhat unusual. We must get to the bottom of this. If someone is setting a trap, the consequences of us charging in blindly could be disastrous!”

Li Yunbao glanced at him and said, “That’s not something we need to worry about. Our job is to strictly follow orders and convert all our available funds into futures contracts and spot positions.”

“Yes!”

“How many contracts have we purchased in total, and how much capital do we have left?” Li Yunbao asked again.

As the head of futures operations, Zhang Qiusheng replied immediately, “So far, we’ve purchased 780,000 steel contracts, 80,000 copper contracts, and 140,000 aluminum contracts!”

“We’ve spent 10.1 billion pounds so far, leaving us with 7.7 billion pounds remaining. However, this is based on a 10% margin requirement. If the situation in the futures market changes, we may need to increase our margin deposits…”

Before he could finish, Li Yunbao said calmly, “None of that is our concern. Starting tomorrow, continue buying futures contracts—especially steel contracts. As long as the price doesn’t double, don’t stop!”

“Yes…”

Li Yunbao then fixed his gaze on Zhou Xinghua and asked, “Brother Xinghua, how are things on your end?”

Zhou Xinghua replied immediately, “Things aren’t looking too optimistic on my end either. Several brokerage firms have reported today that massive amounts of capital have flooded the steel market, competing with them for orders. As a result, the brokers we’ve secured are all demanding price hikes!”

“No problem. We’ll raise our prices to match the market rate, but be careful—companies that have already signed contracts might try to renege!” Li Yunbao said.

Zhou Xinghua replied immediately, “That’s unlikely. When we signed the contracts with them, we specifically included clauses regarding liability for breach of contract.”

“If they breach the contract, the penalty will be much higher than the current increase in steel prices. They won’t—and won’t dare—do that!”

“That’s good to hear!” Li Yunbao said.

Zhou Xinghua continued, “While I’ve been buying up steel spot goods these past few days, I’ve spoken with quite a few local steel merchants and noticed something rather unusual!”

“What’s going on?”

“I suspect the recent rise in metal prices here might be related to war!” Zhou Xinghua said, making a startling claim.

“War? Are you saying there’s going to be a war here?” Li Yunbao asked, looking astonished.

“It’s a possibility. From what I’ve learned, there’s a territorial dispute between the UK and a country in South America. Tensions are running high, and an outbreak of war isn’t out of the question!”

Zhou Xinghua continued, “Furthermore, massive amounts of capital have flooded into the stock and futures markets today, and spot trading has been affected as well. I’ve noticed that this capital isn’t just snapping up steel—it’s also buying up copper, aluminum, cotton, pharmaceuticals, and oil, among other commodities. All these signs really do give the feeling that a major conflict is on the horizon!”

Zhang Qiusheng agreed, saying, “I have that same feeling too, though I’ve been focused on the futures market these past few days and haven’t been following current events here, so it doesn’t seem as obvious to me as it does to Manager Zhou.”

Li Yunbao, however, had a different reaction—one of both surprise and delight.

He was surprised because, if Zhou Xinghua and Zhang Qiusheng’s speculation was true, their boss and good friend Li Yi had clearly anticipated this long ago. How did he know that a war was coming?

The delight came from the fact that if war did break out, the prices of these metals and commodities would inevitably rise. Since they had positioned themselves so many days in advance, making a profit was a sure thing.

With that in mind, Li Yunbao said in a low voice, “Let’s not talk about that. Whether there’s a war or not has nothing to do with us. Let’s focus on the investment first!”

“In the coming days, we’ll continue to increase our positions in steel, copper, and aluminum. Do you have anything else to add?”

Zhang Qiusheng immediately replied, “Young Master, there’s something I’d like to consult you about, but…”

“You’re in charge of futures investments. Speak your mind—no need to beat around the bush!” Li Yunbao said.

Zhang Qiusheng nodded and said, “Young Master, this investment is being funded in two batches: one from Hong Kong and the other from our local branch.”

“Given that futures contract volume isn’t very ample right now, should we prioritize securing funds for that side?”

With his sharp mind as a top-tier trader, Zhang Qiusheng had already figured out the source of this massive investment of over 3 billion pounds, and he also knew that this investment operation was being orchestrated behind the scenes by Li Yi, the investment guru.

Furthermore, he knew the company was also preparing to get a piece of the pie, having set aside 200 million pounds.

If there were enough contracts, that wouldn’t be a problem.

But with the influx of massive capital, the futures market was clearly facing a situation where there were too many buyers and not enough contracts, so they had to make some tough choices.

Li Yunbao clearly understood what he meant, but without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Prioritize the funds for Hong Kong Island. I don’t want to have to say this twice!”

“Yes…”

……….

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…

………

Downtown. Li Family Estate!

By the time Li Yi arrived, it was already past six in the afternoon, and the Li Family Estate was ablaze with lights.

Led by the butler, Li Yi made his way to the study, where he met Li Futiao.

Seeing Li Yi enter, Li Futao, who had been deep in thought, immediately said, “You’re here! Come, sit down!”

Li Yi didn’t hesitate to sit down and asked, “What’s going on in London?”

“I just received an urgent message from Yunbao. As soon as the market opened today, it went wild. Prices for various metals, including steel, copper, and aluminum, have all seen significant increases—and the margins are substantial!” Li Futiao said.

Li Yi, however, did not panic; this was exactly what he had expected.

After all, it was almost April, and there were only about twenty days left before the full-scale outbreak of the Falklands War. Although the war had been launched rather hastily—neither the British nor their opponents had prepared thoroughly—they hadn’t even decided before the war began when it would start or how far it would go.

In short, although both sides had clear objectives, the conflict was chaotic.

Precisely because of this, even the bigwigs of the financial conglomerates back in Britain hadn’t made preparations in advance; otherwise, Li Yi wouldn’t have had the chance to snap up metal contracts at rock-bottom prices.

But with the outbreak of war now so imminent, it’s likely that a decision has already been reached at 10 Downing Street.

At this point, major capitalists would certainly anticipate price hikes for strategic materials, so it makes perfect sense for them to move now to snap up bulk supplies.

With that in mind, Li Yi immediately asked, “What’s the current price of steel?”

“It’s already reached 179 pounds per ton—a 10% increase since we entered the market last week!” Li Fu reported.

“How much steel has Yunbao’s team acquired so far?”

“According to Yunbao, over the past week, they’ve acquired 660,000 steel futures contracts, totaling 16.5 million tons. Additionally, they’ve purchased 8.7 million tons of high-quality spot steel at an average purchase price of 171 pounds per ton.”

Li Futiao continued, “Furthermore, they’ve also acquired 70,000 lots of copper and 130,000 lots of aluminum, totaling 9.8 billion pounds in capital expenditure!”

Li Yi nodded and asked, “What do you mean by ‘Yunbao’?”

“Almost all metal prices are rising now, and at a very rapid pace. Since we’ve already secured so many orders, he’s a bit undecided about whether to continue increasing our positions!” Li Futao said.

“Tell him not to hesitate. As long as the price increase doesn’t exceed double the current level, he should go all out and increase his positions!” Li Yi said firmly.

“Alright, I’ll let him know right away!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “If my estimate is correct, Yunbao and his team should still have 300 million pounds in cash on hand, plus about 8.5 billion in financial capital!”

“Tell them they can spend half of that 300 million in cash, and invest all 8.5 billion in financial capital—until there are no more steel futures contracts left on that market!”

“Got it!”

Li Futao then asked, “I heard you just slapped those Westerners in the face again on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, wiping out 5 to 6 billion from Dolsons in one go. Is that true?”

“It’s true. I made 5.6 billion off them this time!” Li Yi replied honestly.

“Hahaha, that’s just like you, Brother Li Yi! Now those foreigners are going to be kicking up a fuss again!”

Li Futao continued, “From what I understand, the British-owned group isn’t in great shape right now. Their internal situation had just stabilized, and before they could catch their breath, they’ve lost this much money all at once. They might just collapse because of this!”

“They might be kicking up a fuss, but it’s unlikely they’ll collapse over this!” Li Yi replied.

Then Li Yi spoke again: “On the surface, it looks like I really screwed those foreigners over this time, but in the long run, it’s actually a good thing for them!”

“A good thing?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “Right. Before, Huifeng Bank’s shares were relatively scattered, making it very vulnerable to risks—a huge loophole they’d never even noticed!”

“If I’d really had 60 billion in my hands this time… no, even if I’d only had 15 billion, I would’ve taken controlling interest in Huifeng, rather than just cashing in on their misfortune like I did now!”

“But after this battle, while we’ve taken a big chunk from them, we’ve also alerted them to the existence of this fatal flaw. Now those foreigners have successfully secured controlling interest in Huifeng, and it’ll be incredibly difficult for us to reclaim financial control and take action against Huifeng in the future.”

At this point, Li Yi couldn’t help but sigh, his voice tinged with regret. “If it weren’t for the fact that things in London simply couldn’t tolerate the slightest disturbance, I truly wouldn’t have wanted to tip our hand!”

Li Fu Tiao paused briefly before saying, “Brother Li Yi, it seems you’re truly determined to seize control of Huifeng!”

“Yeah, but unfortunately, the opportunity is gone!” Li Yi sighed.

“Not necessarily!”

“???”

At that moment, Li Futiao spoke again: “I’ve heard those foreigners are playing dirty—they’ve reneged on a lot of contracts to acquire Huifeng shares. Just now, several brokerage firm bosses contacted me privately, asking if I still wanted the shares they’re holding!”

Li Yi’s eyes lit up instantly, and he asked immediately, “Is that information reliable?”

“Absolutely reliable. It’s causing quite a stir in the industry—you’ve just been too busy with meetings to notice!” Li Futiao said.

“Hahaha, if that’s the case, then there really is a chance!” Li Yi said happily.

As long as the British-funded group hadn’t secured a 51% stake in Huifeng Bank, he still had a chance.

“Should I reach out to those interested in selling their shares and buy them out?” Li Futao asked.

“Not for now. Although Huifeng’s stock price has plummeted, it’s still overvalued. If we drive the price down too aggressively, it might look like we’re kicking them while they’re down. Let’s hold off on contacting them for now,” Li Yi said.

Aside from it being inappropriate, the most important reason was that Li Yi also wanted to use this opportunity to teach those brokers a lesson.

The main reason these people had been toyed with by the British-funded group of foreigners was that they had previously sided with those foreigners rather than the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Star Investment.

Since that was the case, they would have to pay the price for their choice!

He intended to acquire Huifeng’s shares and gain controlling interest in the company, but he had no intention of bailing out those two-faced scoundrels at this juncture.

Li Futiao immediately asked, “So, Brother Li Yi, when do you think would be the right time to contact those people?”

“Wait until Huifeng’s stock price drops below 20 Hong Kong dollars before contacting them!”

“HK$20? How long will that take?”

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, “I estimate a week or two at most. If I fan the flames a bit, it’ll happen even faster!”

“How do you plan to fan the flames?” Li Futiao asked.

“I plan to launch a takeover bid for Hang Seng starting tomorrow!” Li Yi said, making a startling announcement.

“Tomorrow? Hang Seng?”

Hearing this, Li Futao was completely dumbfounded…

…………

17 Racecourse Drive, Starry Sky Tower!

In the lavishly decorated conference room, dozens of executives from Star Investment gathered.

Among them, a few young people stood out, as they were not part of the company’s management but had been granted special permission to attend the meeting.

In stark contrast to the somber, mournful atmosphere at the British-owned conglomerate, the mood at Star Investment was entirely the opposite.

Since the meeting had not yet begun, the attendees were chatting and whispering to one another, creating a lively atmosphere.

By now, the company’s management was well aware that the boss had emerged victorious from this battle, raking in tens of billions in profits on the stock exchange.

I suppose this management meeting is being held to report on our performance and hand out rewards!

Given the boss’s habit of being generous, those who participated in the operation are sure to get a big slice of the pie, and the rest of us will at least get a taste of the action.

All in all, today is a good day!

Seated at the head of the table, Li Yi glanced through the documents Lan Xinming had handed him while observing everyone’s reactions.

Just as he’d expected, aside from a few who looked grim, most of the attendees wore expressions of delight.

After glancing at the documents for a moment, Lan Xinming approached him and said cautiously, “Boss, everyone’s here!”

Li Yi nodded, then looked around the room and said, “Since everyone is here, let’s get started!”

Hearing this, everyone in the conference room instinctively sat up straight, their expressions turning serious.

“Over the past week, we’ve carried out a probing offensive against those foreigners. Now that the matter has temporarily come to a close, I’d like to ask Manager Pang Feiyan to brief everyone on the results of this operation. Please give her a warm round of applause!”

“Clap, clap, clap…”

After a round of enthusiastic applause, Pang Feiyan cleared her throat, sat up straight, and said, “Under the boss’s personal direction, our company deployed a total of 12 billion yuan in this investment operation. Over the course of eight days, we generated a profit of 5.6 billion Hong Kong dollars…”

Whoa!

Amidst gasps of astonishment, everyone in the conference room couldn’t help but break into applause.

They had never doubted the Big Boss’s investment prowess.

Last year, the Big Boss made four consecutive moves, catching his opponents off guard each time and raking in billions in profits.

But this time, even though the other side was fully prepared, they were still beaten into such a sorry state in just over a week—which left everyone quite stunned.

It was brutal… and they loved it…

After the applause, which lasted nearly half a minute, Li Yi took the floor again and said, “The tremendous success of this investment is not only due to the cooperation of those Brits at the British Capital Group, but also to the entire operations team…”

Here it comes… here it comes…

Hearing this, everyone in the conference room wore expressions of excitement, each filled with anticipation!

Sure enough, Li Yi’s next words turned everyone’s anticipation into sheer ecstasy!

“Therefore, I have decided to reward all personnel involved in this operation. Each trader will receive a cash bonus of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars, plus a 500-square-foot apartment. As the team leader, Manager Pang will receive double the reward!”

Li Yi continued, “Additionally, all company employees will receive an extra 500 yuan bonus this month, and management will receive double that amount…”

Before he had even finished speaking, the conference room erupted once again in thunderous, sustained applause.

Amid the applause, shouts of “Long live the boss!” and “The boss is awesome!” could be heard—clearly, everyone was overcome with excitement…

Although not everyone received a 100,000-yuan bonus and an apartment, 500 Hong Kong dollars was still a substantial amount. After all, the average monthly salary for the vast majority of people on Hong Kong Island was only around 1,200 Hong Kong dollars, and even white-collar workers earned only about 2,000 Hong Kong dollars.

As the applause subsided slightly, Li Yi raised both hands in a gesture of silence.

Then he continued, “Several team members performed exceptionally well in this investment initiative, particularly Lin Luo and Liang He, whose contributions were especially outstanding!”

“I now officially appoint Lin Luo as Deputy Head of the Investment Department to assist Head Pang Feiyan in jointly managing the Investment Manager Division. I also appoint Liang He as the company’s Chief Investment Manager; he will henceforth lead the company’s top-tier investment team!”

Upon hearing Li Yi’s appointments, Lin Luo and Liang He reacted very differently.

The former turned pale, showing no excitement, with a hint of fear in his eyes.

The latter, however, was beaming with joy; he even stood up of his own accord to thank Li Yi for his trust and guidance, his excitement evident.

Li Yi cast a casual glance at Lin Luo. Seeing his demeanor, a hint of disdain flashed across his face.

With such a weak constitution, he actually tried to play the role of an undercover traitor—what a reckless fool.

At this rate, it won’t be long before the streets of Hong Kong have another victim lying dead and wronged.

However, Li Yi felt no pity for him. What goes around comes around; adults must take responsibility for their own actions.

After announcing the personnel appointments, Li Yi spoke again: “This investment operation was a resounding success, and we’ve successfully gauged the depth of those Westerners’ capabilities. Though their strength was disappointing—one might even say they were completely不堪一击—let’s now discuss the investment plan for the next phase!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Pang Feiyan interjected, “Boss, our company currently has 66 billion in capital, while the British-owned conglomerate has a massive amount of funds tied up. I suggest we launch a takeover bid directly against their core listed companies.”

“Moreover, brokerage firms and speculative capital have suffered heavy losses this time, with a large portion of their funds trapped. Without their interference, we might be able to take over all of the British Capital Group’s core companies in one fell swoop!”

Li Yi shook his head and said, “While your idea isn’t bad, it’s too energy-intensive and unnecessary. The true core of the British Capital Group has never been Jardine Matheson, Swire, or Jardine Matheson Group!”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s the banking sector, led by Huifeng!” Li Yi said with a serious expression.

“Boss, do you mean we should continue targeting their banks?” Pang Feiyan asked.

“Yes. I’ve decided to launch a takeover bid for Hang Seng Bank starting tomorrow!” Li Yi declared.

Hearing Li Yi’s words, everyone in the conference room was stunned. They had just closed the deal today, and he was already eager to strike again tomorrow—was there really any need to be in such a hurry?

Immediately, Lan Xinming spoke up: “Boss, the team members have been pretty exhausted lately, and it’ll take some time for the funds to settle at the exchange. Shouldn’t we take a breather first?”

“We can’t wait. You don’t understand Dolsan and the family behind him. If we give them even a moment to catch their breath, they’ll quickly recover. By then, it won’t be easy to defeat them!”

Li Yi continued, “Besides, our company has plenty of cash on hand right now. It doesn’t matter whether we wait for the exchange to settle or not!”

Hearing Li Yi speak with such financial confidence, everyone immediately felt reassured.

That’s right—even without counting the profits from this deal, the company has over 60 billion in reserves. We’re well-funded and don’t need to wait at all.

“Boss, are you planning to bring the same team as before this time?” asked Pang Feiyan.

“Yes, I’m well-accustomed to working with your team—you’re the ones I’ll take!” Li Yi replied.

Upon receiving his confirmation, Pang Feiyan, Liang He, and the others were all visibly thrilled. Setting aside just how exhilarating and rewarding it was to invest alongside the boss, the bonuses after each operation alone were enough to get anyone excited.

After all, property prices in Hong Kong had plummeted—properties that used to go for 500 HKD per square foot now fetched no more than 200 HKD, and a 1,000-square-foot luxury home cost only around 200,000 HKD.

With a 100,000 HKD bonus per operation, just two operations would be enough to pay off a 1,000-square-foot luxury home in full—who wouldn’t be thrilled and a little giddy about that…

After discussing the investment details with the company’s management, Li Yi finally called the meeting to a close!

But no sooner had he returned to his office than he received a call from Li Futao.

On the call, Li Futiao informed him that there was an emergency in London and that he needed to go there immediately.

Upon receiving the news, Li Yi wasted no time. Escorted by Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and others, he immediately set off for the Li family estate…

……….

Hong Kong Stock Exchange!

Just as all the brokerage firms and speculative investors holding long positions in Huifeng Stock realized something was wrong and were preparing to cut their losses and exit the market, Star Investment struck again.

Pang Feiyan personally led her team into the trading floor and placed an order once more.

Only this time, she wasn’t placing a buy order—she was selling Huifeng shares.

120,000 shares, priced at—30 Hong Kong dollars per share!

Whoosh!

Upon seeing this quote, everyone in the trading floor was stunned. That bastard was dumping shares again.

In an instant, everyone realized the truth: it was clearly Starry Sky’s people who had been pulling a fast one all along. Those orders that had just hit the market were theirs—they’d all been played for fools.

But that bastard Li Yi—he’d already covered his own position and was done playing the game, yet he still jumped in to dump shares!

120,000 shares might seem like a lot, but it’s only 1,200 lots. Compared to Huifeng’s massive market cap of over 4 billion shares, it’s practically negligible.

But with this order dumped at a low price, who in the market would dare to buy Huifeng stock? Huifeng’s share price was about to crash.

Sure enough, shortly after Star Investment placed that order, Huifeng’s share price—which had been surging rapidly for over a week—collapsed instantly.

It first slid from HK$65 per share all the way down to 52, then dropped to 45… 39…

By the time Dolsen received the news and returned to the exchange from downtown, Huifeng’s share price had already plummeted to HK$35 per share.

But even so, there were many sellers and few buyers…

No, it would be more accurate to say there were absolutely no buyers.

After all, before Star Investment got involved, Huifeng’s total market capitalization was only 18 billion, which worked out to about 17 Hong Kong dollars per share. Anything above that meant you were buying at a loss.

Anyone with half a brain knew that entering the market at this point meant being a sucker, a fall guy!

In VIP Room 9, after listening to Henry’s report with a pale face, Dolsen seemed to have been struck by a heavy blow; he slumped lifelessly onto the sofa, his eyes vacant.

While he was away, that idiot Henry had actually gobbled up over a million lots of floating shares in one go, burning through a whopping 6.8 billion Hong Kong dollars.

If it weren’t for brokerage firms and speculative retail investors competing with them, that fool might have snapped up all 15% of the shares that yellow-skinned monkey had dumped in one go.

More importantly, unaware of the situation, he had just reached an agreement with three major brokerage firms to purchase the 8% of shares they held at a high price of 70 Hong Kong dollars per share.

At present, they hold 23% of Huifeng’s tradable shares and 31% of its non-tradable shares, already exceeding the 51% required for a controlling stake.

But equally, they had shelled out a staggering 11.7 billion Hong Kong dollars to achieve this.

Of the 20 billion Hong Kong dollars secretly raised earlier, only a little over 8 billion remained at this point.

More importantly, after this battle, that bastard at Starry Sky had made at least 5 to 6 billion Hong Kong dollars.

The other side already held a financial advantage, and now that a large portion of their funds were tied up, the gap in capital between the two sides had widened even further.

If that despicable bastard were to turn his sights on other companies, they would be in serious trouble.

Moreover, based on Dolsons’ understanding of Li Yi, that man was ruthless and unscrupulous; once he made his move, he would never back down.

Last year, he used exactly this tactic: while trapping the British-owned group’s funds, he launched a direct, heavy-handed attack on Jardine Matheson’s New Territories warehouse and seized it in the blink of an eye.

This time, he certainly wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip by!

Right then, Dolsen shared his analysis with everyone in the VIP lounge.

After hearing his analysis, Henry roared in fury: “Shit… shit… that yellow-skinned monkey is just too cunning. We’ve been tricked—we’ve been fucking tricked…”

“Henry, calm down…”

Before Dolsen could finish, Henry glared at him with eyes ablaze and said, “Dolsen, you were the one who just said that yellow-skinned monkey had already secured 35% of Huifeng’s shares, and that they’d see it through to the end. You owe us an explanation!”

Dawson said in a low voice, “I admit there was a flaw in my intelligence. I’ll get to the bottom of this and give you all a full account.”

“But now is not the time to discuss that. Our biggest threat right now is still Starry Sky Corporation and Li Yi. You all know what that guy is capable of. If we don’t prepare for this, the consequences will be unimaginable!”

The Duke chimed in, “Dawson is right; we must prepare early. And although we’ve tied up some capital this time, we’ve at least managed to save Huifeng Bank, so we haven’t exactly lost!”

Hearing this, everyone in the VIP lounge couldn’t help but frown.

Having over 10 billion tied up and losing another few billion to the other side—if that isn’t a loss, then what is?

“Mr. Dolsen, we’re down to just a few billion Hong Kong dollars now. How do we counter that man’s counterattack?”

“Exactly. With 8 billion against 60 billion, do we stand any chance at all?”

“On top of that, we finalized shareholding cooperation agreements with quite a few brokerages and shareholders today. All that’s left is the transaction, and so many people are urging us to close the deal immediately. What should we do…”

……..

Hearing this, Dolsen clenched his teeth and said, “As things stand, we must raise capital. Otherwise, when we face Starry Sky’s counterattack, we’ll be completely defenseless!”

“How do we raise funds?”

“All the share purchase contracts signed today—any that haven’t been paid for are null and void…”

Before he could finish, someone objected, “How can that be? Not to mention the severe damage this would cause to our Yingzi Group’s business reputation, but the penalty alone would cost us a fortune…”

“Hmph. Huifeng’s stock price has already plummeted by half. Do you think the penalty fees are higher, or the loss in stock value after completing the transaction?” Dalson retorted.

At this, the room fell silent.

While the penalty was substantial, compared to Huifeng’s stock price—which had plummeted by half from its peak—it amounted to less than a fraction of the loss.

Everyone present could clearly see which was the greater loss.

However, if they actually went through with this, they would undoubtedly alienate a great many people.

Furthermore, the damage to their business reputation would be long-lasting; while the effects might not be immediately apparent, the consequences would be equally severe.

For a moment, the British business tycoons in the VIP lounge all fell silent…

After a long pause, Dolsons spoke again: “In addition to terminating the contract, we must sell off a portion of our publicly traded shares before the stock price completely collapses, thereby recouping some of our capital.”

“But to prevent that guy from making a comeback, we must maintain at least a 40% stake. No matter what, Huifeng is our foundation!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than one of Dolsons supporters spoke up: “I support Mr. Dolsons proposal. As things stand, this is the only prudent course of action!”

“I agree as well. We have no other choice!”

“I agree as well…”

Seeing that the majority supported him, Dolsen nodded with satisfaction, then declared confidently, “There are no lasting friendships in this world, only lasting interests. As long as we win this time, those people will remain our friends, even if they’re seething inside right now.”

“Conversely, if we lose, the British Investment Group will cease to exist. Even friends will turn into enemies. Time will prove just how wise and correct your choices today are…”

Although a small number of people opposed Dolsen’s approach, their voices were drowned out by the overwhelming majority of supporters. They could only watch helplessly as this plan—one that would destroy the British-owned Group’s future—was pushed through…

………..

VIP Room No. 1!

Li Yi sat with his eyes closed, deep in thought. The bait had been cast; now he was just waiting for the fish to take the hook.

Just then, Pang Feiyan hurried in and approached Li Yi, saying, “Boss, there’s movement over there!”

“Oh? What kind of movement?”

“Just as you predicted, not only have they raised the offer price to 67 Hong Kong dollars per share, but Dolsen has personally gone to meet with the people from Taisheng Securities. He clearly intends to secure the shares they hold!” Pang Feiyan said.

The corners of Li Yi’s mouth turned up slightly as he remarked casually, “They’re still too young—they can’t keep their cool!”

Hearing this, Pang Feiyan couldn’t help but twitch her lips.

She really wanted to ask: “Boss, are you feeling a little guilty saying that? Dolsen is already 28 this year, while you’re only 23. Acting so old and world-weary really doesn’t suit you!”

But then again, considering how Li Yi and Dolsen had performed in this battle for shares, the guy on the other side really was a bit green—just like a greenhorn.

On the other hand, their own boss had held the upper hand from the very beginning, using his seasoned experience to lead Dolsen by the nose—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a master strategist.

“Boss, what should we do now? Should we sell off all our shares right away?” Pang Feiyan asked cautiously.

“No. Go out there right now and raise the price to 70 Hong Kong dollars per share!”

“But…”

“Don’t question my decision!” Li Yi said sternly.

“Yes!”

“Also, starting now, for every 1 million shares we acquire, we’ll sell 10 million shares through a secret account. Make sure all shares are sold off by 2:00 p.m.!” Li Yi ordered.

Buying a small portion publicly while secretly selling the majority—a classic case of ‘repairing the trail openly while crossing the pass secretly’!

Pang Feiyan’s eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, “I’ll get right on it!”

“Good!”

But just as Pang Feiyan took a few steps forward, she suddenly stopped and turned to Li Yi, asking, “Boss, who among Wang Wenlong, Lin Luo, and Zhang Wenbin is the traitor?”

Recalling what the boss had told her earlier, and considering the unusual behavior of those foreigners from the British-funded group, it was clear that there was indeed a traitor in their team, just as the boss had suspected.

Among the ten of them, the three who had been sent out to contact brokerage firms and speculative capital were the most suspicious, as only they had the opportunity to leak the information.

Considering the plan the boss had devised yesterday, it was clear he already knew who the traitor was. Today, he had deliberately allowed them to spread false information, intending to use their own actions to deliver a fatal blow to the British Capital Group.

Li Yi stared at Pang Feiyan for a moment, then said calmly, “It’s Lin Luo!”

“Him?”

Pang Feiyan’s heart skipped a beat. After all, Lin Luo was her junior at university, and she had personally recommended him to the company.

She never would have imagined that he could be the traitor in the team!

“Boss, I really didn’t know about this. I…”

“Don’t bother explaining. I know you’re not involved—otherwise, I wouldn’t have put you in charge of the team or asked you to play along with me!” Li Yi said sternly.

In a place like Hong Kong, where the political landscape shifts constantly, Li Yi had to conduct thorough background checks on every single employee. While he couldn’t guarantee that everyone was clean, at the very least, the company’s management absolutely had to remain untainted.

To ensure these individuals hadn’t been bribed, Li Yi had even enlisted the help of National Security agents to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Lan Xinyi, Lan Xinming, Cai Bingyan, Pang Feiyan, and others.

After confirming that the management team was clean, Li Yi turned his attention to key candidates for promotion. It was at this point that Lin Luo was found to have issues.

The investigation revealed that this individual had some connection to the now-bankrupt Lin family and had been financially supported by Lin Zhengrong since childhood.

His joining Starry Sky Investment was also at Lin Zhengrong’s behest; however, since Lin Luo didn’t maintain close ties with the Lin family in his daily life, very few people were aware of his connection to Lin Zhengrong.

Unfortunately for him, they were up against the full might of the mainland’s state apparatus. With only two or three hundred employees at Star Investment, a few rounds of screening made it crystal clear who was in the wrong—there was simply no way to hide.

“Thank you for your trust, Boss!”

Pang Feiyan then asked again, “How will you handle Lin Luo?”

“Deal with him?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “If this goes through, he’ll be our hero. Why on earth would I deal with him?”

“You…”

“Not only will I not discipline him, but I’ll promote him to deputy head of the Investment Department!” Li Yi said calmly.

Hearing this, Pang Feiyan felt a chill run down her spine. What a clever move—using someone else’s hand to do the dirty work.

If they managed to liquidate their positions at a high price this time, they could conservatively expect to make billions, while the losses for the British-owned group would be far greater than that.

Someone has to take responsibility for such a massive loss. Once the investigation begins, the mole will mysteriously get promoted.

By then, Lin Luo would be as stuck as mud in his pants—no amount of jumping into the Yellow River could wash away the stain. Those foreigners wouldn’t let him off the hook.

The boss had taken care of this traitor without spilling a drop of blood—his tactics were simply breathtaking!

Pang Feiyan felt that the gap between herself and the boss was like that between a simpleton and an expert—they simply weren’t on the same level.

With that in mind, she immediately said, “Boss, I understand, but I won’t tell him!”

“Hmm, I trust you’re a smart person!”

……….

At 10 a.m., Starry Sky Company made another move, raising the acquisition price directly to 70 Hong Kong dollars per share.

Seeing this, Henry, stationed in VIP Room 9, raised the offer price to HK$72 without hesitation.

Lured by the high price, people quickly began selling their shares, and in less than half an hour, trading volume exceeded 100,000 lots.

Unfortunately, Star Company managed to secure only 10,000 lots; the British-funded group, leveraging its price advantage, snapped up 60,000 lots, while speculative capital and brokerages secured 30,000 lots.

Immediately afterward, another 200,000 lots were dumped onto the market!

With the price now so high, and amid the frenzy of chasing rallies and cutting losses, there were plenty of buyers willing to step in.

Not to mention that with two major players—Star Corporation and the British-owned group—competing for them, they were snapped up almost instantly.

In the time that followed, every ten to fifteen minutes, 100,000 to 200,000 shares were dumped onto the market, and this continued right up until the market closed!

Although these large blocks were snapped up immediately after each sale, Huifeng’s stock price was still severely impacted by the continuous heavy selling.

It plummeted from its previous peak of HK$72 per share all the way down to HK$66.

However, with so many investors scrambling to buy, no one realized that Star Investment had already cashed out and exited the market.

At 1:30 p.m., the stock market resumed trading as the bell rang.

Shortly after, another massive order of 200,000 lots appeared on the market.

Once again, it was snapped up in a frenzy!

What no one expected, however, was that as soon as this order was filled, another 200,000-lot order was placed.

Although there were still buyers this time, the demand was noticeably weaker. Even with Pang Feiyan’s people constantly stoking the fire from behind the scenes, it still took a full twenty minutes to sell off the entire lot.

At this point, many market participants began to sense that something was amiss.

It’s important to note that Huifeng Bank’s free-floating shares on the stock market amount to only about 30%, or roughly 400 million shares, which translates to just 4 million lots.

Excluding the shares acquired by Starry Sky Company and the British Investment Group, the remaining supply on the entire market was definitely no more than 1 million lots—perhaps even fewer.

Yet now, in just a few short hours, nearly two million lots—nearly 200 million shares—had been dumped.

Where did the market get so many shares?

Clearly, a major player was cashing out and exiting the market!

Once they realized this, the brokerage firms and speculative capital were stunned. Sensing the danger, they rushed to sell off their holdings at lower prices.

And just then, Li Yi ordered another shocking move…

……….

Monday, March 29!

After a two-day market closure, the Hong Kong stock market welcomed a new trading day.

After a week of speculation, the entire Hong Kong stock market was now aware of the battle for Huifeng’s shares between Star Investment and the British Capital Group. In recent days, economic experts, top traders, and analysts from all corners had been weighing in on the matter, dissecting the causes and predicting the ultimate outcome of this shareholder battle.

According to the analyses of these “experts and professors,” Star Investment’s frenzied battle with the British Capital Group over Huifeng’s shares was by no means solely the decision of Li Yi or Star Investment; rather, it reflected the collective will of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Their pursuit of Huifeng’s shares isn’t driven by the bank’s own assets, valued at tens of billions, but rather by its status and influence within Hong Kong Island’s financial sector—and, more importantly, by its currency issuance rights.

By taking control of Huifeng, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce would effectively break the white community’s stranglehold on Hong Kong Island’s financial sector, completely overturn the British-owned firms’ monopoly, and bring an end to their era of easy profits.

Therefore, this battle for control can be viewed as a full-scale counterattack by Chinese capital against British capital…

As for the outcome of this battle, these experts and professors have roughly three predictions. The first is that Starry Sky will secure a narrow victory: after investing 25 billion Hong Kong dollars, they will gain controlling interest in Huifeng Bank. However, the struggle between the two sides will not end there; it will shift to internal strife within Huifeng.

The second scenario is that the British-funded group wins the battle for Huifeng Bank but suffers crushing defeats on other fronts. Although they retain control of Huifeng Bank, Star Company will take the opportunity to sell its shares at a high price, cash out, and walk away with a huge profit—yet they will have failed to achieve their strategic objectives.

The third outcome is a lose-lose situation for both sides, with speculative capital reaping the benefits!

Similar commentary and reports have dominated the headlines in major Hong Kong newspapers over the past few days, and most people agree with these analyses.

Consequently, the vast majority of investors are watching Star Company’s moves today. If Star Company opens at a high price to acquire Huifeng shares, it clearly indicates that neither side intends to back down.

Conversely, if their buying shows signs of fatigue, this game will soon come to an end.

While brokerage firms, speculative capital, and retail investors all wait for Star Investment’s next move, the company’s traders are also awaiting instructions from Li Yi.

Hong Kong Stock Exchange, VIP Room No. 1!

The trading team affiliated with Star Investment Corporation has gathered here, and all eyes are fixed on Li Yi.

Despite being watched by so many, Li Yi remained composed.

After a long pause, he said calmly, “So far, we’ve acquired 15% of Huifeng’s publicly traded shares. Combined with the shares purchased from other shareholders, we now control 34% of Huifeng’s stock—slightly more than those foreigners. Therefore, today’s mission remains the same: snap up Huifeng shares, expand our lead, and secure controlling interest in Huifeng within this week!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Pang Feiyan stood up and asked, “Boss, Huifeng’s stock price has already reached 62 Hong Kong dollars per share. Should we keep buying?”

“Yes. Once the market opens, drive the price up to HK$63. Don’t worry about the cost—HK$5 billion will be injected into the company’s account shortly for your operations!” Li Yi declared with unyielding authority.

“Yes, sir!”

Pang Feiyan then spoke again: “Boss, institutional investors and hot money have been aggressively buying up shares recently. Retail investors don’t have many shares left. I don’t think a small price increase will allow us to acquire many more floating shares!”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Li Yi asked.

“We can continue buying shares at high prices on the open market while simultaneously reaching out to those institutions and speculative funds to directly acquire all the shares they hold. That would be faster, more convenient, and more efficient!” Pang Feiyan said.

“Good. Let’s proceed with your plan!”

Li Yi then added, “Wang Wenlong, Lin Luo, and Zhang Wenbin, the three of you will form a separate team. Immediately contact those brokerage firms and speculative capital groups and find a way to buy the Huifeng shares they hold. As long as the price doesn’t exceed 65 Hong Kong dollars per share, you may sign the contracts directly after reporting to Manager Pang!”

“Yes, boss!”

“Liang He, Huang Zhonglie, and Liu Yu, the three of you are in charge of continuing to buy shares on the stock market. The rest of you stand by!”

“Yes…”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the opening bell rang out from outside: “Ding,” “ding,” “ding.”

Li Yi immediately said, “The bell has rung. Let’s get moving!”

“Yes…”

At Li Yi’s command, all the traders in the VIP room stood up and headed toward the exit.

However, after the VIP room door closed, a faint, enigmatic smile appeared on Li Yi’s lips.

Seeing this expression on Li Yi’s face, Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the others standing beside him couldn’t help but shudder.

Based on the patterns they’d observed from their long association with Li Yi, someone was about to be in for a world of trouble.

In the trading floor outside the VIP room, when Pang Feiyan and the others emerged, they instantly drew everyone’s attention.

With a trading team managing 60 billion Hong Kong dollars, their every move influenced the direction of the stock market.

The moment Pang Feiyan and her group placed a buy order for Huifeng shares at 63 HKD per share, the trading floor erupted.

Soon, after two orders of 5,000 lots each were snapped up by Star Company, buy orders at HK$64 appeared on the exchange, and prices quickly surged to HK$65 per share.

Huifeng’s stock once again entered a frenzied rally…

In VIP Room 9, after hearing his subordinate’s report, Dolsen immediately issued instructions to continue buying Huifeng shares at a high price.

Shortly after the order was issued, Dolsen received a mysterious phone call.

After hanging up, Dolsen was visibly shaken.

Witnessing this, Henry, Chairman of Huifeng’s Board of Directors and General Manager of the bank, immediately asked, “Dawson, what’s wrong? What happened? Why do you look so pale?”

“Henry, I just received word that Li Yi has already acquired 34% of Huifeng’s shares. He only needs another 17% to reach a controlling stake!” Dolsen said in a grim tone.

“What… that’s impossible. How could that yellow-skinned monkey have acquired so many Huifeng shares? I’ve already spoken to nearly all the shareholders—if they’re willing to sell, they’ll give us first dibs. He…”

“Henry, don’t forget—it was Li Fuzhao and He Dongying who were buying up those shares on his behalf. They carry a lot of clout around here, and plenty of people are willing to give them face. So it’s entirely possible those shareholders have already sold their stakes to Starry Sky Corporation without telling us!”

“Shit… those bastards are completely unreliable… What are we going to do?” Henry said, sounding somewhat agitated.

Dorson understood Henry’s frustration. Over the past week, in their battle with Li Yi for control of Huifeng Bank, they had poured over 5 billion Hong Kong dollars into the stock market alone, yet had managed to secure less than 10% of the shares.

At the same time, they had to scramble to buy up or court the shares held by small shareholders. They’d spent a fortune, yet their total stake was only around 33%.

They had thought the results were already quite good, but they hadn’t expected to still fall slightly short of that bastard from Starry Company.

If things continue this way, we’re in for a real headache.

“Henry, don’t panic…”

“Dawson, how can I not be anxious? Once that bastard secures controlling interest, he’ll kick me out of Huifeng the very first chance he gets. Those old fossils in the family will devour me!”

Then, as if a thought had just occurred to him, Henry said urgently, “Dawson, didn’t you say you had a last resort? What are we waiting for? Use it!”

“Henry, now is not the time. From what I understand, that guy at Starry Sky has already set his sights on brokerage firms and speculative capital. We must ensure those shares end up in Li Yi’s hands—otherwise, we’re completely finished!” Dolsen said gravely.

“What do you plan to do?”

Dawson replied immediately, “You stay here and keep an eye on things. Keep buying up the scattered shares on the market—you can raise the offer price a bit. I’ll personally contact those brokerage firms and speculative investors and secure the shares they hold at any cost.”

“Alright…”

However, what Dolsen and the others didn’t know was that Li Yi had been waiting for this very moment…

………

10 Liverpool Street, London Futures Exchange!

A light drizzle fell over London today, and the weather felt a bit chilly and gloomy, but inside the futures exchange, the place was buzzing with activity.

As the world’s largest non-ferrous metals exchange, it currently trades metals such as copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, and nickel. The exchange’s prices and inventory levels have a significant impact on global non-ferrous metals production and sales, which is why it attracts the attention of investors from around the world.

Here, in addition to the common sight of tall, burly Caucasians, one can also spot Asian faces, and occasionally even dark-skinned African men, though they are relatively few in number.

Just as investors in the exchange were busy watching the market, a group of more than ten Chinese people, flanked by several white men, walked into the exchange and quickly secured access to a VIP lounge.

Their arrival went largely unnoticed, but in less than ten minutes, trading volume for steel, copper, and aluminum surged.

In less than an hour, over 8,000 contracts of steel—each contract representing 25 tons—were traded.

However, with current steel inventories in the market exceeding 30 million tons, a mere 200,000-ton trading volume did not attract much attention given such a massive stockpile.

Even the price showed little fluctuation, rising only from 166 pounds per ton to 166.8 pounds.

In contrast, the price fluctuations for copper and aluminum were somewhat more pronounced.

After Zhang Jinqiu and his team purchased 800 lots of copper and 1,100 lots of aluminum, the price of copper rose from 1,228 pounds per ton to 1,236 pounds, an increase of 8 pounds per ton.

The price of aluminum rose from 1,027 pounds per ton to 1,032 pounds, an increase of 5 pounds per ton.

In light of this, Zhang Jinqiu immediately ordered his team to suspend the purchase of copper and aluminum contracts and instead focus all efforts on acquiring steel contracts, particularly high-grade rebar and channel steel.

With Zhang Jinqiu and his team stepping up their efforts, trading volume in steel contracts on the London Metal Exchange surged.

Especially as the market neared closing, more than 3,000 contracts were traded in less than half an hour.

Throughout the afternoon, the trading volume of steel contracts increased 120-fold compared to the previous day, reaching over 28,000 contracts.

As a result, by the close of trading on the 23rd, the price of London steel futures had risen slightly to 169 pounds, an increase of 3 pounds from the previous day.

The price increases for copper and aluminum were even more pronounced, rising by 18 pounds and 12 pounds, respectively.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xinghua also made significant progress.

Over the course of the entire afternoon, he signed cooperation agreements with three brokerage firms, arranging for them to procure steel from the market for Zhou Xinghua in exchange for a commission of £2 per ton.

That afternoon, steel companies and building material suppliers across London received a flood of orders, and this trend was rapidly spreading throughout the British Isles.

For these brokerage firms, simply signing a contract guaranteed a commission of two pounds per ton—they didn’t have to worry about anything else. It was a windfall, a stroke of luck that had literally fallen from the sky.

Driven by the prospect of huge profits, they sent all their salespeople out to scour the market for orders.

The steel and building material suppliers who secured these orders then passed them on to various steel mills, which in turn placed orders with iron ore and coal mines.

In this virtuous cycle, in less than half a day, every industry linked to steel had secured orders to some extent and made a profit; the entire sector seemed to have suddenly returned to springtime…

Yet they failed to see the hidden danger lurking beneath this windfall—an invisible hand was manipulating the metal markets across the British Isles!

……..

Hong Kong Island!

It was already 7:00 a.m. when Li Yi received a call from Li Futiao.

Upon learning the situation, Li Yi was in high spirits!

Although Li Yunbao and his team had only purchased a little over a million tons of steel yesterday—which was practically nothing compared to a country like Britain that had already undergone two industrial revolutions—

But one million tons today could mean ten million tons tomorrow.

By his estimate, the total steel inventory across the British Isles wouldn’t exceed 90 million tons at the moment—after all, their national steel output was currently less than 30 million tons.

Given the prevailing economic conditions, having steel inventories at three times the annual output was already the absolute limit—it couldn’t possibly be any higher.

As long as they could secure 50% of the spot market and two-thirds of the futures contracts, they could dominate the entire British steel market.

Once hostilities break out between Britain and Argentina, prices for all kinds of metals are bound to skyrocket—at that point, it would be hard not to make a profit.

However, before that happens, they must play their part convincingly; they absolutely cannot let those British-funded conglomerates sense anything amiss.

If those guys ever realize that his so-called 60 billion in capital is nothing but a sham, they’ll surely strike back.

If they were to dump tens of billions of dollars into the market, the consequences would be dire.

To put it mildly, the New Territories warehouse he’d just acquired might change hands.

Furthermore, the other members of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce have entrusted me with the majority of their working capital; if their companies come under attack, they might not be able to survive.

What’s even more troublesome is that those British bastards and the European conglomerates are intricately connected. If they found out that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce’s main funds were all tied up in long positions on steel and other metals across the British Isles, they might well band together to take him down.

Don’t underestimate those conglomerates—their influence is far greater than you might imagine.

If those major conglomerates catch on too early, there’s a real chance they could launch a takeover bid against them.

Therefore, we absolutely cannot let those British-backed bastards catch their breath.

With this in mind, after breakfast, Li Yi, under the protection of Zhang Ziqiang and the others, set off once again, full of fighting spirit, for the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Just like yesterday, Li Yi and his group’s arrival once again drew everyone’s attention; everyone was still waiting to see what he would do.

And Li Yi did not disappoint them. As soon as the opening bell rang, he immediately ordered his men to continue buying shares of Huifeng Bank.

Seeing Li Yi take the lead, the others immediately set aside their reservations and followed suit.

Soon, a new round of bidding began.

Driven by a massive influx of investors, Huifeng’s stock price soared once more, reaching a high of HK$40 per share by the close of trading on the 24th—nearly three times its previous value.

By this point, some of the weaker speculative funds were already feeling the strain; after all, the current stock price had far exceeded its actual value.

If either the British-funded group or Star Investment were to pull out, these investors risked being trapped with their positions.

Consequently, Huifeng’s stock price rose much more slowly after the 24th.

Some investors, believing the stock price had peaked, began gradually offloading their previously acquired shares to cash out and exit the market.

And just at this moment, Star Investment made a new move: over the two days from the 25th to the 26th, they once again—unexpectedly yet predictably—added to their positions at high prices.

In just two days, they added another 80 million shares, raising their stake in Huifeng to 14%.

By this point, they had driven Huifeng’s share price up to HK$62 per share—nearly five times its original value.

Such reckless behavior not only startled Dolsons and his associates, but also stunned other investors across the entire Hong Kong stock market with Li Yi’s reckless, gambler-like investment style.

Having witnessed Li Yi’s “determination,” a furious Dolsen could only repeatedly curse Li Yi as a madman while continuing to raise funds to battle him for control of Huifeng.

What they didn’t know was that this was the only time Li Yi could afford to go all out—the 3 billion in funds was nearly depleted, and it was time to close the net…

……….

London, England!

At a country estate on the outskirts of the city, upon receiving a telegram from his father, Li Futao, Li Yunbao wasted no time and immediately summoned all the key members of his team.

Soon, several top-tier traders from the Far East Stock Exchange arrived at the estate’s conference room, including Zhou Xinghua, Zhang Qiusheng, and others.

Li Yunbao cast a stern glance at the people before him. Since all the traders at Star Investment were under the surveillance of the British-owned conglomerate, the slightest disturbance would inevitably alert those foreigners.

To avoid drawing attention and ensure covert operations, Li Yunbao had brought only members of the Far East Society with him on this visit.

Apart from himself, not a single person from Star Investment was present!

Coupled with the massive commotion Li Yi had stirred up on Hong Kong Island, their operation had managed to go unnoticed by others.

Just as Li Yunbao was deep in thought, Zhou Xinghua whispered in his ear, “Young Master, everyone is here. We can begin!”

Li Yunbao nodded and said, “Everyone, before we begin the meeting, I’d like to reiterate the disciplinary requirements for this investment operation. You are all top-tier traders of the Far East Club, talents carefully cultivated by the company, and you’ve signed non-disclosure agreements—you should know exactly what you should and shouldn’t do!”

“This mission in London is a matter of life and death for the Far East Club. I won’t say much else. If the operation succeeds, each of you will receive a property on Hong Kong Island plus a substantial bonus. But if the mission fails because of someone’s mistake, don’t even think about coming back!”

Everyone present was stunned by Li Yunbao’s words; it was the first time they had ever heard the young master speak like this.

Though his tone was calm—neither the icy, low-pitched gravitas of an elder nor the reckless arrogance of a youth—it still sent a shiver down their spines.

“I’ve just received instructions from my father. Our investment strategy will focus primarily on heavy metals, including steel, copper, and aluminum. The total investment capital for this operation is 3.56 billion pounds…”

Whoa!

Before he had even finished speaking, a collective gasp filled the conference room.

After all, with the current exchange rate of 1 British pound to 16 Hong Kong dollars, 356 million pounds equaled a staggering 57 billion Hong Kong dollars.

Although they had known before arriving that this trip to London was no ordinary affair—firstly, because they were among the company’s most skilled traders, every one of them fluent in English.

Second, they had been informed before departure that their wives, children, and families had been brought to the Li family estate to reside there.

To put it bluntly, their families were being held hostage!

This was something that had never happened before, and it was clearly directly related to this investment venture.

But even so, they never imagined that the transaction they were handling would involve such a colossal sum.

We’re talking over 57 billion Hong Kong dollars here—no wonder the boss is being so cautious!

At that moment, Zhang Jinqiu, the company’s most skilled trader, immediately asked, “Young Master, I have conducted some research on the London Metal Exchange. Currently, prices for all types of base metals are stabilizing, and there is no clear trend of significant increases in the short term!”

“Especially steel—globally, the steel industry is currently in a phase of overcapacity. Steel mills in many countries are cutting production and even shutting down blast furnaces. Going long on steel on such a massive scale is nothing short of a gamble!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Yunbao replied in a deep voice, “From your perspective, your reasoning certainly makes sense, but…”

At this point, Li Yunbao’s voice rose noticeably, and he said sternly, “But what I’m saying is this: on this trip to London, your job is to follow instructions and carry out orders without hesitation. If you can’t do that, raise your hand now!”

The group immediately exchanged glances—he was essentially asking them to be mere tools for carrying out orders!

Seeing that no one raised a hand, Li Yunbao continued, “Since everyone is up to the task, very well. I will now outline the complete investment plan!”

“The 3.56 billion in funds for this operation will be split into two parts. Of that, 1.78 billion pounds will be used to purchase futures contracts on the futures market. About 1 billion of that will be used to go long on steel, and the remainder will be used to go long on copper and aluminum!”

“The remaining 1.78 billion will be used to purchase steel on the open market across the British Isles. Buy as much as you can. You may coordinate with multiple companies to act together, but discretion is essential! Do any of you have questions about the operation?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged man in his forties spoke up: “Young Master, how much financial leverage should we employ when purchasing futures contracts? Are there any requirements regarding the delivery dates for these contracts?”

Li Yunbao replied immediately, “My father’s instructions are that we may use 5 to 10 times financial leverage; the exact multiple is up to us to decide. Personally, I lean toward 10 times. What do you all think?”

“I support the young master’s decision!”

“I support it too!”

“I support it…”

Li Yunbao was very pleased with everyone’s response and said immediately, “Since no one objects, we’ll proceed with this investment using 10x financial leverage.”

“As for the futures contracts we’re acquiring, we’ll focus primarily on those with delivery within three months. Any contracts with delivery beyond three months—regardless of price—are off the table!”

“Yes!”

Li Yunbao continued, “Now I’ll assign the tasks. Team Leader Zhang Jinqiu will be in charge of the futures market. You’ll negotiate which brokerages to partner with and the commission rates—I just want the results!”

“Yes, sir!”

“The task of purchasing steel from the open market is entrusted to Brother Xinghua. Again, I won’t ask about the process—I only care about the results!” Li Yunbao said once more.

“Yes!”

“Alright, there’s still over an hour until noon. Take some time to figure out your plans, and get ready to take action this afternoon!”

“Yes!”

“Dismissed!”

Watching Li Yunbao turn and walk away, everyone in the conference room felt both surprised and intimidated.

They hadn’t had much contact with the young master before, but they’d heard that his relationship with the boss wasn’t great and that he didn’t like to get involved in company affairs.

But they never imagined that when the young master lost his temper, he could be so terrifying.

Compared to the others’ worry and fear, Zhou Xinghua, standing among the crowd, felt more relief than anything else.

He had practically watched Li Yunbao grow up and knew just how high the expectations were for this son from the big boss and benefactor, Li Futao—after all, he was his only son.

Unfortunately, after witnessing his mother’s brutal murder, Li Yunbao’s personality underwent a drastic change.

Moreover, he blamed his father, Li Futiao, for his mother’s death, creating a massive rift between them. As a result, over the past seven or eight years, the two had barely communicated at all.

It wasn’t until Li Yi’s arrival that the father and son were finally able to reconcile!

Still, Zhou Xinghua couldn’t quite wrap his head around Li Yunbao working for Li Yi. After all, the young master wasn’t a child anymore; if the boss were to take the time to mentor him properly, he might even be able to groom him into a business elite.

But what could he possibly learn by working under Li Yi? Wasn’t this just a waste of time?

Yet, in less than a year, Young Master Li Yunbao seemed like a completely different person.

When he was with Li Yi before, the change wasn’t very noticeable.

But this time, leading them to London on his own and taking full charge, the transformation was staggering—it was as if he’d been reborn.

It seems that when it comes to judging character, the boss is truly the boss—something a mere employee like him could never hope to match!

At the same time, Zhou Xinghua couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation—wondering what kind of miracle the young master might create this time, under that person’s guidance…

……….

Li Family Manor. Study!

Li Futiao and Li Yi sat across from each other at a small round table, on which sat a white porcelain teapot and two exquisite cups.

After briefly rinsing the cups, Li Futiao poured tea for Li Yi as he said, “The personnel and funds are all in place. Now, can you tell me your plan?”

Li Yi nodded and replied, “I intend to go long on heavy metals like steel, aluminum, and copper!”

At those words, Li Futiao was completely taken aback.

It took him a long moment to recover before he said, “Are you sure you want to go long on these heavy metals? You know the global steel industry is currently suffering from severe overcapacity. Can you really make money by going long on these metals?”

“Yes, and I’ll make a fortune!” Li Yi said with certainty.

“Brother Li Yi, do you think international steel prices will rise significantly in the future?” Li Futao asked again.

“They will go up—at least double!” Li Yi replied.

“Will the increase be that big?”

“Based on my assessment, it should be about that much!” Li Yi said with certainty.

Keep in mind that starting next month, the famous Falklands War is about to break out. Once the war begins, the prices of strategic materials like steel, aluminum, and copper—as well as precious metals, and even bulk agricultural products like grain and cotton—will skyrocket in a short period of time.

Among these rising commodities, steel saw the sharpest increase, soaring from 160 pounds per ton before the war to 330 pounds—more than doubling in price.

“If steel prices really can double in such a short time, then this is definitely worth planning for!” Li Futao remarked.

“Old Li, contact Yunbao and the others immediately. Tell them to split all their available funds in half. Use one half to acquire steel, copper, and aluminum futures contracts on the market with 5 to 10 times leverage, and allocate no less than half of that amount to purchasing steel contracts being sold off by the Sheffield Steel Consortium!”

Li Yi continued, “The remaining 1.8 billion pounds should be used entirely to acquire steel on the market across the British Isles. They can entrust a professional firm to handle this!”

Hearing Li Yi’s instructions, Li Futao was momentarily baffled.

“Shorting or going long can be done directly in the futures market—why would we need to buy up steel on the open market? What kind of strategy is this?”

After all, buying steel on the open market not only requires massive capital but also storage and warehousing space—which is a huge expense in itself.

Most importantly, the returns on this venture are nowhere near comparable to those from futures trading!

“Brother Li Yi, why buy up steel on the open market? Wouldn’t it be better to invest all the money in the futures market?”

Li Yi paused for a moment, then said something that took Li Futiao completely by surprise: “Old Li, the major shareholder behind Sheffield Steel Group is the Sassoon family!”

“You want to strike at the Sassoon family by targeting Sheffield Steel?” Li Futiao asked, somewhat surprised.

“Exactly. As far as I know, Sheffield Steel is one of the Sassoon family’s most important industrial holdings. Since the company believes steel prices have peaked in recent years, they’ve been shorting the steel market to lock in profits—dumping massive amounts of steel futures contracts annually. This presents a rare opportunity for us!”

Li Yi continued, “As long as we buy up large quantities of their steel futures and then acquire massive amounts of steel from the market, there’s a high probability the company won’t have enough steel to fulfill its contracts. At that point, we can completely drive this steel company into bankruptcy!”

Li Futao thought for a moment and said, “I understand your plan, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s too risky!”

Li Futao then said in a grave tone, “You’re planning to force Sheffield into default—or even bankruptcy—by making it impossible for them to fulfill their delivery obligations.”

“But have you considered that London and Europe are separated by nothing more than the English Channel? If necessary, they could easily mobilize steel from across Europe to fulfill their obligations. What would we do then?”

Li Yi replied calmly, “If they really have the capacity to deliver, then we’ll accept it. As long as the price of steel doubles, we’re sure to come out ahead!”

“But what if they can’t deliver? That would be a catastrophic disaster for Sheffield Steel. The losses wouldn’t be limited to just their commercial reputation—they’d face immeasurable financial losses, and bankruptcy would be almost inevitable!”

Upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Li Futao fell silent immediately, then began to carefully consider Li Yi’s plan.

It is very common in the industry for large steel companies to short steel in order to lock in profits in advance.

In fact, this practice isn’t limited to steel; it applies to all eight major metals traded on the London Metal Exchange.

The principle behind this is actually quite simple: if a company believes that current product prices are already at a high level and that prices are unlikely to exceed the current level within the next production cycle, it will sell products that have not yet been produced at the current price in advance, with delivery to be made upon maturity.

This effectively locks in the product’s profit margin, so even if the product’s price drops in the future, it won’t affect the company’s profitability.

Clearly, Li Yi believes that steel prices will rise significantly in the future, and by purchasing these contracts now, he stands to make a substantial profit later on.

Li Futao understood this strategy and was generally in favor of it.

However, from the sound of it, the purpose of going long on steel this time is not merely to make money, but also to teach the Sassoon family a lesson.

This makes the situation a bit tricky to manage. Unless Sheffield really fails to fulfill the contract, the aftermath could be quite messy.

More importantly, this is the foreigners’ home turf, and Sheffield United Steel is a well-known local enterprise. The local government would certainly not stand idly by and watch them go bankrupt.

So, no matter how you look at it, Li Yi’s plan is unlikely to succeed!

“Brother Li Yi, how confident are you in this?”

Li Yi replied confidently, “At least eighty percent!”

Li Fu’s expression froze slightly. He knew Li Yi was a modest man who tended to be understated in his speech.

If he said he was 80% confident, that meant at least 80%, or even 100%!

Li Fuzhao had actually guessed correctly on this point; Li Yi truly had absolute confidence in this plan.

He was very familiar with the situation at Sheffield Steel. In his previous life, Li Yi had almost acquired the company, though that was back in the 1990s.

Prior to this, Li Yi had conducted a thorough analysis of the company’s situation.

According to his findings, the company’s production capacity ranked among the top three in all of Europe, but due to persistently low steel prices in recent years, its profitability had suffered.

More importantly, steel prices were set to rebound significantly this year, and most struggling steel companies were seizing this opportunity to emerge from their crises.

Sheffield Steel, however, was an exception. Because they had been cutting steelworkers’ wages, an unprecedented large-scale strike broke out at the very moment steel prices were rebounding, leaving the company shut down for a full month and a half.

This directly resulted in the reissuance of expired contracts, causing substantial financial losses and sowing the seeds for the company’s subsequent operational difficulties.

In his previous life, the company ultimately weathered this crisis, though it was left barely clinging to life.

What Li Yi is doing now is to exacerbate the crisis and completely destroy the company, thereby sending a message to the foreign capitalists behind it.

“Since you’re so confident in your plan, go ahead and do it. I’ll pass your plan on to Yunbao and the others!” Li Fu said.

“Alright, Old Li, tell Yunbao to keep things as discreet as possible when they act. Don’t alert Sheffield Company just yet!”

After all, the Falklands War wouldn’t break out for some time yet. During this period, they absolutely couldn’t expose their target; otherwise, if they drew the attention of other companies, it would be much harder to take advantage of the chaos.

“Alright…”

……….