Let’s put it this way, any one of the core assets of Jardine Matheson and Swire is enough to make someone a tycoon in Hong Kong Island.

This is not an exaggeration at all. Take, for example, the dairy company, one of the core assets that Jardine Matheson still holds.

This company can be called the land king of Hong Kong, holding large tracts of land, and its retail department store business is also one of the best in Hong Kong Island.

In addition to this, there is also the powerful Jardine Matheson Motors Group, which is capable of independently producing cars and motorcycles; the Jardine Matheson Engineering Group, which has operations throughout Asia and has complete technologies in electrical, mechanical, energy, construction, etc.; and the leaders in the shipping business, Jardine Shipping and Jardine Air Cargo Terminals.

Jardine Matheson owns the Hong Kong United Dockyard, which has a huge fleet and cargo terminals; Cathay Pacific, the number one airline on Hong Kong Island; Swire Properties, which is one of the top real estate companies on Hong Kong Island and has buildings located at transportation hubs; and Swire Beverages, which has the exclusive right to bottling Coca-Cola in Hong Kong.

Li Xu was envious of the automobile group, machinery group, dairy company under Jardine Matheson and Swire Beverages under Jardine Matheson.

The remaining companies are what the charter king wants.

If these companies can get it, the strength of Li Xu and the others will be greatly enhanced.

Not only are these companies big spenders, but the two foreign firms also owe HSBC a large sum of money. They had wanted to wait until the financial crisis was over to sell some shares to repay their debts, but now they are being held tightly by Li Xu and the other man and cannot move.

Li Xu and the other two can afford to waste time, but the other two cannot.

There was no other way, they could only ask for help.

The first person they approached was the British government, and their message was very clear: this financial crisis was caused by you, so you should give me some support, right?

The British government refused outright, refusing to give either money or lives.