Chapter 313 Window
"This is ABC Hong Kong Radio, reporting important news. The British frigate HMS Amethyst was bombarded in the Yangtze River. The bridge of the HMS Amethyst was hit and the hull was seriously damaged. It has run aground in the Yangtze River. The Amethyst has hoisted the white flag."
"According to the news, 17 soldiers on the Amethyst were killed and more than 20 were seriously injured. The captain and the deputy captain were both seriously injured."
Hardy's Global Times has reporters in the Mainland, and quite a few of them, as well as in the North. They report impartially and fairly.
Even those two reporters had met many high-level leaders in the North.
Just like the reporter Snow back then.
As soon as the news of the Amethyst incident came out.
There was no doubt that a magnitude 9 earthquake was triggered in Hong Kong.
Many people never imagined that the North would dare to fire at British battleships and kill and injure so many people.
Many people realize it for the first time.
People in the North are really fearless and have great determination.
Not afraid of the British at all.
But just a few hours after this news, ABC radio broadcast again that the "Companion" went to the scene of the incident to reinforce, and was again attacked fiercely by artillery on the shore. The Companion was damaged, with 10 people killed and 12 injured. It then abandoned the "Amethyst" and fled to Jiangyin.
It’s really hard.
Originally, some people thought that the shelling of the Amethyst frigate was a misunderstanding, or that the two sides were temporarily angry and caused a conflict. Now that the "Companion" was bombarded again, people finally realized that this was not a misunderstanding or anger, but that the other side had made up its mind to fight you head-on.
Not afraid of you at all.
Many people in Hong Kong heard the news. Some felt relieved, while others were extremely worried. Since the North dared to attack British warships, it showed that they were not afraid of the British.
Originally, many people thought that relying on the threat from the British, the North might not dare to touch Hong Kong. Now it is certain that they will definitely dare to touch you.
No scruples at all.
Those who were originally waiting and hesitating whether to sell their assets have now made up their minds to sell as soon as possible, otherwise they may end up with nothing.
The bombardment of British warships was also reported by the Global Times in the United Kingdom, the United States, and some European countries.
It also caused quite a stir.
Americans and Europeans used to look down on China. Their thinking was still stuck in the era of the Eight-Nation Alliance. But through this incident, they finally saw that China really dared to take action against the West.
Especially in the UK, the cabinet is now holding an emergency meeting because the Amethyst is still detained and there are more than a hundred British Empire soldiers on board.
And how to deal with the shelling incident.
The British felt very embarrassed and finally decided to send the heavy cruiser "London" and the frigate "Black Swan" to the place where the "Amethyst" ran aground for rescue.
then,
At it again.
Finally, the heavy cruiser "London" and the frigate "Black Swan" were damaged one after another, and escaped after more than 30 casualties. The "Amethyst" continued to run aground.
The news immediately spread across the country, including Europe and America.
Many people thought.
The north is really tough!
The Global Times and ABC Radio reported the incident in detail, further exacerbating the panic in Hong Kong.
The cruisers have all gone.
Still got beaten away.
What else can I do?
People on Hong Kong Island are becoming increasingly panic-stricken.
This is not the end.
The Global Times and ABC Radio report on the progress of the war every day. The Global Times has reporters in the North and South, and its news can be said to be the fastest and most accurate in the world.
After the army crossed the river.
First they conquered Nanjing,
Then it flew in several directions.
We made unstoppable progress all the way.
Newspapers and radio stations reported every day which cities had been captured and the progress of the army. The North was like mercury flowing through a field, quickly occupying most areas.
The timely news reports created a more tense atmosphere in Hong Kong. People opened their eyes and saw in the newspapers how many cities had been conquered today and how much closer they were to Hong Kong.
Before going to bed at night, the radio station will tell you that more places have been lost and that they may move south soon. They even have two commentators who will analyze and discuss whether Hong Kong will be attacked when they have nothing to do.
The commentators concluded that the North was not afraid of the British, or indeed anyone else, and that the possibility of taking back Hong Kong was very high.
How is the government in the North? It is public ownership. All property will be confiscated. This has long been verified. The poor in Hong Kong are not so bad because they don’t have much assets. But the big capitalists hold huge amounts of assets and they don’t want to lose them in vain.
But you can’t take the land and the house away.
The factory industry cannot be touched either.
What to do?
Naturally, I would try to sell it.
Nowadays, industries are being sold everywhere. There are large pages in daily newspapers saying that such and such industry and such and such building are for sale.
There are also more than a dozen villas on Taiping Mountain listed for sale.
And the price changes every day.
The same villa was sold for 300,000 Hong Kong dollars today, 250,000 on the second day, and dropped directly to 200,000 on the third day.
Even so, no one bought it.
Because everyone knows that danger is coming, no one dares to buy a property at this time.
The only company acquiring assets now is the Hardy Group. Many people have approached the Hardy Group, hoping that they will acquire the company. Victor took the opportunity to lower the price to a very low level, which is only one-fifth of the price two months ago.
Even so, many people still choose to sell.
Hardy is having a great time creating tension while absorbing industries at low prices.
......
That day, Han Ye-jin came back and walked over to Hardy after seeing him, squatting beside the man's legs, "I went to see my grandpa today, and he said he wanted to see you."
Hardy was slightly stunned.
Mr. Situ?
He always knew that Mr. Situ was in Hong Kong, and Mr. Situ also knew that Hardy was in Hong Kong, but the two sides had never met.
The old man did not get involved in the relationship between Han Ye-jin and Hardy. It was a matter for young people. Since the granddaughter thought that this man was reliable, the form was not the key.
Of course,
This is inseparable from Hardy's status and position.
The old man has always supported the North. After Hardy came over, he did quite a lot of business with the North. Although his starting point was to make money, his support for the North was huge.
The two sides have always maintained a tacit understanding.
I don't know why he suddenly wants to see me.
"Did your grandpa say anything?" Hardy asked.
"No, I just want to talk to you." Han Yejin said.
Hardy thought about it.
"Okay, actually I've always wanted to meet the old man. After all, he is your grandfather, but I haven't had the right opportunity. This is a good opportunity to visit him." Hardy said.
Han Ye-jin smiled.
At Mr. Situ's residence, Han Ye-jin got out of the car holding Hardy's hand. The bodyguards stood outside, and the two walked into the courtyard together.
The yard is very spacious.
There is a table and some chairs under the eaves.
An old man wearing glasses and looking energetic was sitting there making tea. Han Ye-jin pulled Hardy over and said, "Grandpa, we are here."
"Meet Mr. Situ." Hardy greeted in Chinese.
Master Situ looked at Hadi, smiled and nodded, "Sit down, I just brewed Biluochun, this year's new tea before the Qingming Festival, let's taste it. By the way, do you like tea?"
Master Situ looked at Hardy and asked.
"like."
The old man smiled.
Hardy and Han Ye-jin sat down, and Han Ye-jin took over the tea-making work. The old man looked at Hardy and said, "Recently, your company has acquired a lot of Hong Kong industries. Others want to leave Hong Kong for Britain and the United States because they are afraid of selling their industries. Why do you dare to continue investing? Why, do you believe that the British can keep Hong Kong?"
Hardy shook his head.
"If we rely solely on the British, Hong Kong will not be able to be saved."
"Then rely on the Americans?"
“Americans should not be involved.”
"Where does your confidence come from? I know you have business with the North. Do you think they will keep your industry because of your business?"
"Probably not. I understand their political stance, and they won't make an exception for me. This is a matter of principle."
Master Situ became even more curious.
"What makes you dare to continue investing in Hong Kong? I'm curious, can you tell me?" Mr. Situ asked the question in his mind.
Han Ye-jin, who was helping to make tea, also looked at Hardy.
In fact, she was also very curious.
But as a woman, her career was decided by men, so she never asked.
Hadi paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts: "It is foreseeable that the North will win because that is what the people want."
"In the face of millions of troops, the British are not capable of defending Hong Kong, even though they have increased their troops to 10,000 and used international public opinion to intimidate. However, the bombardment of the Amethyst battleship has taught Britain that the North is not afraid of going to war with them at all."
"It would be easy to take back Hong Kong. Not to mention that the British army could not stop them, in fact, they would not even have to use guns. All they had to do was cut off water, electricity and food supply for a few weeks and Hong Kong would be finished. But I think that as a great politician, the leader there should have considered more."
"Hong Kong is a tiny place. Taking it back is actually not very useful. At most, we can have another port city. There are many such places in the mainland. However, keeping Hong Kong will be of great benefit to the future government of the mainland."
"If they think of this, it means they are smart. If not, then the worst that can happen to me is that my investment fails and I lose some money."
Master Situ looked at Hardy.
I thought this young man was really generous. He must have investments of no less than hundreds of millions of dollars in Hong Kong, yet he was so calm about possible failure.
What does this mean?
This shows that he is in control of wealth rather than being controlled by wealth.
This is extremely valuable for a capitalist and also indicates that he will achieve greater success in the future.
"I would like to know what benefits will it bring to the mainland government in the future if Hong Kong is not taken back?" asked Mr. Situ.
"window."
"If the North successfully establishes a government, it is most likely to lean towards the Russian bear due to its system. European and American countries are now very wary of the Russian bear, so they will inevitably take containment measures against the mainland."
"Economic blockades, technological blockades, and trade blockades will follow one after another. By then, the mainland will be closed off and can only live on its own. In fact, such a life is very painful. The world needs communication to be active."
“And there are more choices.”
"How can the mainland communicate with the outside world? If Hong Kong is left, it is equivalent to leaving behind a window, a channel and bridge for communication with the outside world, and it may even be the only bridge."
"Also, keeping Hong Kong would ease the relationship with Britain. I think we have to talk about the general trend among Western countries. After World War II, the United States rose and wanted to become a world leader, while the original world leader was the British Empire."
"Britain is actually very unwilling to see the rise of the United States. Leaving Hong Kong behind can help Britain gain political benefits, such as having Britain recognize the new government. As an old empire, although they are old, their reputation is still there, and even a statement is very important."
"So I think staying in Hong Kong will far outweigh the disadvantages."
......