Chapter 312: Acquisition Season Has Come
Huo Qingdong had previously deployed several hundred people in the Okinawa Islands to collect supplies, and now that they had been collected, he was heading there by ship to ship them.
When they were about to reach the small island of Okinawa, they happened to encounter a patrol ship.
“Beep~!”
The patrol ship sounded its whistle to greet the cargo ship flying the American flag.
“Beep, beep, beep~!”
The freighter blew its whistle a few times in response.
They thought they would just pass by each other, but unexpectedly the patrol ship turned around and followed the cargo ship, all the way to the island where Huo Qingdong and his men were collecting supplies.
"What is this for?" Huo Qingdong wondered.
As soon as the ship stopped, someone on the other side shouted, asking Huo Qingdong to go over to the other ship. Huo Qingdong boarded the warship with doubts.
It’s the same captain I met last time.
He saw Huo Qingdong and invited him to his captain's room with a smile. He poured Huo Qingdong a cup of coffee. The captain smiled and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Ivan."
"I wonder what Captain Ivan wants to talk to me about?" Huo Qingdong asked.
"Aren't you collecting supplies? We are planning to do business with you. I wonder if you are interested." Ivan said.
"Oh~ what business?" Huo Qingdong asked in surprise.
"We have a batch of cargo ships that we can sell to you at a low price. Are you interested?" Captain Ivan asked.
"What kind of cargo ship?"
"We captured all the Japanese cargo ships, both big and small. When we attacked Okinawa, those bastards used these cargo ships to transport supplies. After the war, we seized all of them. There were about 20 to 30 ships. Some were still usable, while others had been scrapped and were all piled up in the ship cemetery," said Ivan.
Huo Qingdong was shocked.
"There won't be any problem selling these supplies, right, from your boss?" Huo Qingdong asked.
Ivan laughed loudly, then lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, after I met you last time, I went back to the base and told my superior, the base commander, about this matter. After he found out, he said that the Japanese ships we seized would just rust away and it would be better to sell them as scrap metal."
"Later, we discussed it and decided that since those ships were not part of the military, they were confiscated items after the war and no one would care about them. We could just say they were parked in the bay. If a typhoon came, it would blow all the ships into the sea and no one would care about them."
Huo Qingdong was shocked. They were right. No one cared about those Japanese ships. They were blown into the sea by the typhoon. This reason was very reasonable.
Now the Americans are the boss, and the Japanese dare not ask them for anything. They only need to write a reason that can fool the idiots on the files of seized materials.
Why are you an idiot?
Because even a fool can't be fooled.
6 million US dollars for 9 goats, the reason being that it was an important action to boost Afghanistan's cashmere industry, but the end result may be that they were stewed.
What a perfect reason.
Look.
Still no one is holding anyone accountable.
"What models are those ships?" Huo Qingdong asked.
"I can't explain it clearly. I'll take you to see it." Captain Ivan said.
Huo Qingdong agreed and asked someone to send a message to his ship, asking them to do the work of loading the ship while he went out with the fleet to do something.
Two hours later, the patrol ship arrived at a relatively remote bay on Okinawa Island. There was no one around here. It was a ship cemetery used by the US military to store these cargo ships.
The whole bay was filled with ships.
Many of the ships' hulls were covered in rust, and it was obvious that they had not been moved for a long time.
These ships are of different types and sizes, and are quite diverse. The small ones are estimated to be around a thousand tons, while the large ones are about the same size as a liberty ship, estimated to be around seven or eight thousand tons.
There are cargo ships and troop transports,
"How much do you want to sell it for?" Huo Qingdong asked tentatively.
"By weight, $5 a ton," said Ivan.
Huo Qingdong's heart skipped a beat.
Scrap iron costs $30 a ton.
The main thing is that although these boats look broken, Huo Qingdong knows that some of them can still be used. If they are repaired, the rust is wiped off, and a layer of paint is applied, they may be able to run for another ten years.
Even if it is completely scrapped, at the price of US$5 per ton, you can still make money by taking it back and dismantling it into scrap metal.
"Colonel Ivan, you know, our Hardy Company works for the logistics department and has never conducted private transactions. I need to ask the boss about this matter?" Huo Qingdong said cleverly.
Ivan shrugged, "No problem, I'll wait for your news."
After that, he added: "Whether this matter succeeds or not, the news cannot be leaked to the outside world."
Huo Qingdong nodded, "I understand this rule."
The patrol ship sent Huo Qingdong back to the loading island. Captain Ivan waved goodbye. After the ship was loaded, Huo Qingdong returned to Hong Kong without stopping.
He handed the scrap iron to his men to deal with, and he found Victor and told him in detail about the encounter with the US patrol ship and the other party's desire to trade.
After hearing this, Victor didn't know whether this could be done, since it involved the American military and the Japanese, so he immediately called Hardy.
Hadi smiled softly after hearing this.
"What can't be done? Just buy all those ships at the price of $5 per ton. It can also be considered as building a relationship with the US troops stationed on the island."
"Pull it back and have a look. If it can be repaired, repair it. If it can't be repaired, dismantle it and sell it as scrap metal. It won't lose money."
"I understand Mr. Hardy," said Victor.
Huo Qingdong was standing right beside him and heard what Hadi said with his own ears. He was filled with admiration. There was no business that a big boss would not dare to do.
Huo Qingdong thought for a moment and said to Victor, "Mr. Victor, after buying these ships, I plan to leave a few for the trading company. Do you think it's appropriate?"
Victor smiled and said, "You can decide these by yourself. As long as the boss agrees to buy it, the rest doesn't matter."
Huo Qingdong rushed back to Okinawa without stopping. Coincidentally, he met the patrol boat again on the way, and it was Captain Ivan's boat again today. This made Huo Qingdong wonder if Captain Ivan had been waiting for him.
Huo Qingdong asked his ship to give a signal to the patrol ship, and the other party immediately understood and followed the freighter to the port.
Huo Qingdong boarded the patrol ship again.
"So, does your boss agree?" Captain Ivan asked as soon as he came up.
"Yes, our boss agreed, but our boss hopes the price can be cheaper." Huo Qingdong showed his businessman nature.
Ivan shrugged. "Four dollars a ton, then."
"Ok, just 4 dollars a ton." Huo Qingdong was delighted. He originally just wanted to try bargaining, but he didn't expect the other party to agree so readily.
Ivan was even happier, because by selling the scrap iron, each of the officers in his base could get tens of thousands of dollars.
This is not small money.
He took Huo Qingdong to the ship cemetery and counted them personally. These ships all had specifications and weights that were clear at a glance, and the tonnage could be calculated with a pen. There were a total of 31 ships, most of which were small-tonnage ships, with a total of 106,000 tons.
A total of US$424,000.
The deal was done, and Captain Ivan said, "I'll have someone come over to try and see how many can start. If they can, you can just tow them back and I'll fill them up with gas."
These GIs are very particular.
"That's great. I was just wondering how to get back." Huo Qingdong said.
After inspection, we found that most of the boats were still able to sail, so we have to say we were very lucky.
In the following days.
There are still frequent fleets of one-to-two or even one-to-three ships, which run to Hong Kong one after another and then all stop at the Hardy Group's dock waters.
Universal Shipping had a ship repair company, so Huo Qingdong found one and had the ships thoroughly inspected. The usable ships were kept, while the unusable ones were towed directly to the shore. A group of demolition workers began to dismantle them, and they were soon turned into iron plates.
Then it was sold to a steel mill.
In the end, a total of 23 boats were repaired. The original names and numbers on these boats were all painted over, repainted, and numbered, completely changing their appearance.
Huo Qingdong took a fancy to four ships, two of 1,600 tons and two of 3,900 tons. These two ships were relatively new and had suitable tonnage, so he kept them. As for what to do with the remaining ships, he had no idea.
You have to know that these ships are not scrap iron now, and their prices have increased by more than ten times.
The U.S. military sold him a 1,000-ton troop transport ship for only $4,000, the lowest price of scrap iron among all the scrap iron prices. However, a working ship, even if it was second-hand, could be sold for more than $100,000.
What to do with the remaining dozen or so ships?
Huo Qingdong asked Victor for instructions, and Victor said, "See if there are any buyers in Hong Kong who want to buy it. If there are, sell it. If no one wants it, ask the North if they want it. The price can be lower."
Huo Qingdong spread the news privately to see if anyone wanted to buy the boat, and within a few days someone really came to him.
The visitor called himself Bao Yugang. He used to work in the mainland and just came to Hong Kong this year. His family had some savings, but he didn't know what business to start. When he heard that Huo Qingdong was selling ships, he had an idea and planned to buy a ship to transport goods.
Bao Yugang only had 700,000 US dollars, and could only buy two ships at most. After talking with Huo Qingdong, Huo Qingdong gave him an idea.
"You can buy a ship yourself, then set up a shipping company, and then rent a few ships from Hardy Shipping. The shipping business is good now, and you can buy new ships when you make money slowly."
Bao Yugang thought Huo Qingdong's idea was very good, so he spent 400,000 US dollars to buy a 5,600-ton cargo ship. After establishing his own shipping company, he rented four ships from Hardy Shipping and started his own shipping journey.
Bao Yugang and Huo Qingdong also became friends.
Huo Qingdong finally sold 8 ships and still had 11 ships on hand. He asked the North through secret channels whether it wanted them, and the North immediately expressed its willingness to purchase them.
Huo Qingdong assembled a large number of crew members, drove more than a dozen ships all the way north, and finally delivered the ships to Lianyungang.
The people who received the ship were delighted when they saw the cargo ships and troop transports. "To be honest, the total cargo capacity of the cargo ships we have now is only a few hundred thousand tons. You have brought us treasures."
The North-South peace talks have recently reached a stalemate. The North has deployed troops along the Yangtze River and is looking for boats everywhere to prepare for a river crossing operation. These dozen or so boats are definitely a timely help.
Finally calculate the price.
3.6 million U.S. dollars.
The rabbit means no money.
He was very happy to ask for it, but when it came to paying, he just shouted that he had no money, "You are so shameless, Rabbit." However, Victor knew about this business. Mr. Victor was responsible for the payment, and Huo Qingdong was only responsible for the delivery.
With half a cargo ship full of Chinese medicinal herbs, Huo Qingdong returned to Hong Kong.
It is already April.
The peace talks between the North and the South reached a deadlock. The bald man was dragging his feet on signing the agreed agreement, showing no sincerity at all.
Great men are not used to it.
On April 20, the battle of crossing the Yangtze River began.
The wind and rain rise at Zhongshan Mountain, and millions of troops cross the river.
More than 9,000 ships of all sizes launched a full-scale attack from Anqing, Wuhu, Nanjing, and Jiangyin, and occupied Nanjing on April 23.
South Shock.
Hong Kong is shaken.
"Extraordinary news! The Kuomintang has lost Nanjing. Millions of troops are heading towards Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang."
Many bosses of foreign companies were panicked when they saw the news in the newspapers, knowing that defeat was inevitable. What would happen to Hong Kong?
That afternoon.
The head of the Yongchang Company, Yang, called Victor and said, "Mr. Victor, we agree with your previous offer and plan to sell the Yongsheng Building."
Victor said calmly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yang, 6 million Hong Kong dollars was the previous offer. Now the risk has increased, so we will only offer 4 million."
The head of the Yang family just felt pain in his heart.
"Mr. Victor, how can you go back on your word?"
"Haha, I'm not going back on my word. Do you know how many people in Hong Kong are eager to sell their assets? You're not the only one who called me. I can tell you clearly that our risk investment funds have reached their limit. If you don't sell now, I'm afraid that no one will buy your assets when the risk funds are used up."
"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up first. There are a lot of people outside waiting for me to discuss acquisition matters." Victor said.
"Wait, wait, Mr. Victor." The head of the Yang family shouted anxiously.
Patriarch Yang naturally knew that many people were selling their properties now, including the big foreign companies, which were also selling like crazy. The assets of those big foreign companies were much more than his, which had a huge impact on the market. At this time, there were quite a few people who dared to make acquisitions.
Almost nothing.
Anyway, he asked countless people, and now only Hardy Company is acquiring industries, there is no second company.
"I'll sell it to you for 4 million Hong Kong dollars."
Victor held the microphone and smiled softly, "Then come over and sign the contract. I'll write you a Wells Fargo check. You can use the check to withdraw cash at any Wells Fargo branch around the world."
"Okay, I'll be there right away."
4 million Hong Kong dollars, 500,000 US dollars, for an 18-story building located on Queen's Road, the most prosperous area in Hong Kong.
There is also a 20-acre vacant land at the back. This industry would probably be worth billions in the future, but now it only costs 4 million.
When Hadi saw the news that the crossing of the river campaign had begun.
First, people from the Global Times and ABC Radio were called in and told to report news of the war every day and to report urgently if anything was lost anywhere.
What he wants is to keep Hong Kong people shocked all the time.
Then he called over Victor, Wells Fargo and HSBC and said, "Once this war starts, people in Hong Kong will be in a panic. I believe there will be a large number of properties being sold. People will abandon them and we will take them. You guys should start buying them, but you must push the price down as much as possible."
Wait for your men to leave.
Hardy smiled. He came to Hong Kong just waiting for this day. This was the perfect opportunity to acquire Hong Kong's industries.
It's acquisition season.
The future Eastern Empire began from this time.