Chapter 415 Buying Half of Johor
This time the attack killed the Sultan of Johor.
Hadi tested the bottom line of Britain and the United States. Their attitude towards Malaya was basically to leave it alone.
Actually, it’s normal if you think about it.
A colony, one that was clamoring for independence, had been removed from their patronage list.
As for countries like France and the Soviet Union, they simply ignored this matter as they all had their own things to do.
As for other countries, there is not even any comment. Many people don’t know who the Sultan is and who would care about him.
If it were in the future, perhaps someone would try contacting the United Nations.
now,
The United Nations had only been established for a few years, and its basic framework and operating model were still being explored, so it had basically no power.
But Hardy gained a lot from this incident.
One is to publicize its military power to the world. HD Defense Company and HD hired mercenaries will move to a bigger stage from now on. Although HD Security is just a company, no one will dare to underestimate it in the future.
Hardy's status will naturally be improved.
The second is to gather a large amount of assets. The assets of the Malayan Chinese are far more than those of the indigenous people, and their future development will be better. It also took the opportunity to win the feelings of the Chinese. I believe that more people will settle in Penang and Malacca.
People are the primary productive force.
The population is now only a few hundred thousand, which is far from meeting Hadi's needs for development.
From then on,
I am afraid that Penang and Malacca will become another important immigration destination besides Hong Kong and Singapore for Chinese immigrants.
The third benefit is
It is now underway, and if this is accomplished, Hadi's fiefdom will be expanded fourfold.
......
Singapore.
The very next day after the Sultan of Johor was killed, someone approached Maha. As the fourth in line to the throne of Johor, Maha automatically became eligible to inherit the Sultanate throne as his eldest brother and two nephews had all died.
When Maha saw the newspaper that day, he was suddenly excited and then filled with ecstasy.
For Ismay,
He has no feelings at all. How could Maha have any feelings for an elder brother whom he has to kneel down to meet?
In fact, Ismail has no feelings for him. In Ismail's eyes, he is just a family parasite.
Those who come to Maha,
It was the middle-aged man who had approached him at the beginning.
Smith.
"Maha, we have fulfilled our original promise, and now it is your turn to fulfill your promise," said Smith.
Maha now knows the power of these people. The Sultan can kill them at will, and he dare not disobey the other party's opinion.
"No problem, I am willing to fulfill my promise, but I don't know if others are willing. You know, I didn't have any power of my own before. Even if I become the Sultan, if I want to do something, there will be people who hinder me. I am afraid it will be difficult to control the people below." Maha said.
Although he is a lazy prince who has never been involved in political struggles, he is not stupid. Johor is not dominated by the Sultan alone. There are many powerful ministers and families outside. Maha had no foundation before, and what these people probably want to do most is to sideline him.
Smith smiled.
"Of course I took these circumstances into consideration, so I came to you. Don't worry, we will help you get the Sultanate throne. As for those who obstruct your orders, we will help you deal with them."
Maha's heart sank.
Is this about completely controlling your own pace?
Perhaps when I become Sultan in the future, I will also be a puppet of these people.
But he has no other choice now and can only rely on the people in front of him.
"Okay, I'll follow your instructions."
......
One week later.
The Johor Sultan held a funeral, and the Sultan's family was also buried at the same time. The person in charge of presiding over the ceremony was Maha, the nominal first heir.
At the funeral,
Many people wore white robes and had curved swords on their waists.
The long procession carried more than a dozen coffins, which was quite spectacular. All those who came to see him off were Malays. As for the Chinese and Indians, no one was willing to participate in this funeral.
Behind Maha,
There are also a dozen male members of the family.
Including Maha's four younger brothers and seven nephews, these people also have the right to inherit the throne, but they are ranked behind Maha.
At the funeral,
Maha always felt that his brothers and nephews looked at him differently.
He knows,
If I die,
Then they would also have the opportunity to become kings. How many people would be attracted by that throne. If it were before, Maha might have been killed by someone. Before, Maha was depressed and did not build up any power of his own.
All of his younger brothers have some industries or are on good terms with certain ministers' families, but he, Maha, is the biggest loner.
The funeral is over.
On the way back, many cars directly passed Maha's car. It was obvious that these people had no respect for him at all.
Even overtaking his car was intentional.
It's just a signal to him that we don't submit to you and you are not qualified to sit on the throne.
Maha clenched his fists.
Although Johor belongs to Malaya, each state is relatively independent and it is also a British colony. Its political system is very unique. It has its own king and government system, but at the same time it is under the control of the British.
The Sultan is the head of Johor.
Below them are ministers in charge of finance, law, culture, and education, as well as their own judges, police, and prison system.
As for the army, there are officers in charge of the army.
These people,
In the past, they were all Ismail's confidants. This was normal. Whoever came to power would use his confidants. These ministers and military officers held considerable power and could even influence the transfer of the throne.
This incident happened suddenly. The Sultan was killed and even his heirs died. Now Maha is the first in line.
Maha has no roots or connections in Johor.
It is really a joke to let these ministers obey him. The ruler is strong and the ministers are weak, and the ruler is weak and the ministers are strong. This is not only common here, but also in the great China. To put it bluntly, who has the final say still depends on strength.
Maha also has his own house in Johor Bahru, and he returned home.
No one came to visit.
No one came to inform him when the succession ceremony would be held to become Sultan, as if people had forgotten him.
Maybe,
At this time, those people were frantically conspiring to figure out how to kill him and then negotiate for a new Sultan.
Maha was right.
There are indeed people who think this way and do this, especially his younger brothers.
However,
Someone won't let them have their way.
The Chief of Staff of the Johor Police, who is now the highest military officer in Johor, had just returned home from the funeral when he received a call from someone who wanted to talk to him.
He immediately thought of those who attacked the Sudan.
After the meeting, the other party very straightforwardly put forward conditions: if he supported Maha to come to power, he and his family could obtain certain benefits, otherwise the other party would take action.
As for the action the other party was talking about, he could naturally guess what it was. He now had only more than 2,000 soldiers. Although he could dominate Johor, compared with the other party, he was not even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.
"Maha is the first in line to the throne, and I am willing to support him." The military leader immediately expressed his position.
At the same time,
The Finance Minister, the judges, the Inspector General of Police were all interviewed. They are considered important figures in Johor, but in the eyes of some people, they are just prominent figures among a group of small fry.
......
A few days later,
People came to Maha's house one after another to greet him and express their loyalty.
Maha knows.
It definitely wasn't his own charm that attracted these people to come here on their own initiative. As for who did it, he knew it very well in his heart.
A week later,
Johor state elected a new Sultan, and Maha became the Sultan smoothly. A relatively grand ceremony was held. The new Sultan sat in an open jeep and accepted the blessings of the people of Johor Bahru who threw flowers.
As for the original Sultan Ismail.
People have forgotten him.
Human memory,
Sometimes it's three days.
After Maha came to power,
Soon after, a series of new appointments were made, including a new finance minister, education minister, and chief of staff.
These people are not Maha's people. It goes without saying whose people they are. Hadi had already made preparations. He suppressed one group and activated another group, and naturally completed the change of dynasty. These people were brought to power by Hadi, and they will definitely listen to Hadi.
Don't listen,
The outcome is definitely more than just losing your job.
Maha knows.
I was completely sidelined.
But he also gained a lot. He originally had no hope of becoming a sultan in this life, but now he can sit on the throne. He has already made a fortune.
Another month passed.
Johor made a deal with the Dominion of Penang and Malacca to sell half of Johor's land to Hadi.
The external rumor is that Johor has a lot of things to do which require a lot of money. The previous Sultan had exhausted the country's strength and the only way to do it was to sell land.
Nine thousand square kilometers.
Sold for $30 million.
The site is connected to Malacca, which was originally just an area on the waterway, but now has expanded directly to the South China Sea coast, cutting across the entire peninsula.
Johor state is now surrounded by Malacca and Singapore.
The royal capital, Johor Bahru, still belongs to the Sultan of Johor. Even if Maha only owns this city, he will be very satisfied.
As for the $30 million,
It is not a direct cash payment, but payment in various forms, including materials, infrastructure construction, roads, port terminal construction, etc.
As for the rest, it will be paid in installments over 20 years.
As soon as this news was disclosed in the newspaper, it shocked countless people.
The Sultan of Johor sold half of his territory.
Anyone would think a lot about this kind of operation. Why was the previous Sultan killed? Why did the current Sultan sell the land to the Penang and Malacca Dominion? Is there no shady deal involved?
Many people immediately imagined a scene of plundering.
HD hired mercenaries to save their employer, so why did they kill the original Sultan at the same time? It must have been premeditated, and it must have been for the land of Johor.
How is this different from the Europeans seizing colonies back then?
Same as before.
The Sultans of Malaya,
In his heart, Hadi had the same opinion as Mingjing. He estimated that he was targeting Johor's land from the very beginning. This was a conspiracy.
In fact, the whole world knows that this is a conspiracy.
But now no one cares about what Hardy has done. No one cares at all.
The United States is happy to see this happen.
Britain played dumb.
The Governor of Singapore said that this was a free transaction and the land transaction was completely legal and in compliance with all procedures.
......
Andy came to Penang from the United States.
One is to take a vacation and come to Penang to relax, and the other is to be invited by Hadi to come and see his achievements in Southeast Asia.
To Hardy,
Andy admired him from the bottom of his heart.
If the operation of the American industry was still a normal business plan, after obtaining the Cayman Islands, Andy's thinking could no longer keep up with Hardy's series of operations.
Cayman,
Make it an offshore financial center.
An ordinary Caribbean island has shown a value far beyond itself, and Hardy has given it a completely new positioning.
Now it has become a paradise for the rich in the United States.
Andy could foresee that Cayman would create countless wealth, and it would be a continuous creation.
Through the Cayman Islands, good cooperative relationships have been formed with countless financial conglomerates, which is definitely a huge political wealth.
American politics is controlled by corporations, and corporations are controlled by banks.
Even if all of Hardy's businesses in the United States fail now, he will still be one of the richest people in the world just by relying on the Cayman Islands.
Later, Hardy developed business in the Far East. Andy didn't care much at first, especially in Hong Kong. In fact, he was also very cautious about Hardy's investment in Hong Kong at the beginning, because when Hardy entered the market, it was definitely the most dangerous time for Hong Kong.
But it was by taking advantage of the danger that Hardy bought in big when others gave up. In the end, he succeeded and received a return tenfold or a hundredfold.
Then there is Japan.
In operating in Japan, Hadi pulled in American conglomerates to control most of Japan's economy. Now Japan has become an economic puppet of the United States, and the United States can suck blood from the Japanese with impunity.
Keep sucking blood.
In the meantime,
Hardy is the leader. In addition to making money, he has established closer relationships with several other American financial groups. With this relationship, anything Hardy does in the United States will be countless times easier.
Even if you open a public toilet, you can make a lot of money.
Let's take the lottery industry as an example. The first place in the United States to unblock the lottery was Nevada, which was operated by the Hardy Group.
If you want to operate in other states, you need to conquer each state one by one. When opening a business in Cayman some time ago, Hardy found the consortiums in those states, sat down with them to have a meal and chat, and talked about starting the lottery industry together.
These bigwigs agreed immediately.
During this time,
In the United States, there are already more than 30 states where legislators have proposed to lift the lottery ban. With these families behind the scenes, it is only a matter of time before the ban is lifted.
Once the ban is lifted, the Hardy Group will definitely become one of the partners, because the Hardy Group has extensive experience in lottery ticket sales and the probability of becoming a business enterprise will be very high. The Hardy Group will be able to make a lot of money from this business.
And Hardy,
It's just a matter of words.
Use some connections.
This is the power of Hardy's network.
now,
Hadi also got Penang and Malacca. Maybe these places were barren lands before, but with Hadi's participation, they will surely rise in the future.
Becoming a second Hong Kong is definitely not a problem.
Andy came for two days, and Hardy told him about his plans. In fact, Hardy asked Andy to come not only for a relaxing trip, but also to let him make some plans for himself.
In the future, Malacca and Penang,
We will focus on several directions.
This place will become one of the financial transit points in the East, with multiple banks established and financial taxes reduced, so that it can be on par with the Cayman Islands and developed into one of the financial centers in Asia.
As for enterprises, there are port transshipment, precision machinery processing, electronic product processing, gemstone processing, tobacco enterprises, rubber industry, etc.
These can all work together with the Hardy Group.
Especially the recent incident in Johor State caused by Hadi, which has caused a huge sensation. Andy has also been paying close attention to it. At first, Andy thought that Hadi was only doing it for his own business, then he thought whether it was involved in politics, and finally he found out that it was all for the development of Penang and Malacca.
Killed a sultan,
Recruiting Chinese people to join Hardy Investment Company,
Hardy made hundreds of millions of dollars directly.
Such a business would probably make countless capitalists jealous. Killing a sultan is nothing, but it is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Andy already thought that Hardy was very, very powerful, but yesterday he found out that he still underestimated Hardy's calculations.
He actually bought 9,000 square kilometers of land in half of Johor, including all the town assets and population on the ground.
This completely shocked Andy.
This transaction is equivalent to expanding the site in Penang and Malacca by four times.
Andy cheered for Hardy in his heart.
Andy was lying on a beach chair, in front of him was the blue Penang Beach, in the distance he could see some sailing boats, and a group of young Chinese girls wrapped in gauze skirts were walking across the beach. One of the girls seemed to have heard something and was laughing happily.
The laughter attracted Andy.
He looked at the girl, and at that moment the girl looked over at him, and their eyes met.
At the same time, I was stunned for a few seconds.
The girl turned her head and continued chatting with her friends, walking past Andy.
I don't know why.
At the moment when the two looked at each other, Andy felt that the smile on the girl's face was so beautiful. At this moment, his heart, which had been severely hurt by love, felt throbbing again.
Andy's eyes unconsciously followed the girl's back as she walked away.
......