Lin Zhichao brought Gao Qiqiang to Yamaguchi Steamship Co., Ltd., and under the leadership of its staff, they went to the office of its president, Tatsuro Yamashita.
The reason why it went so smoothly was that Lin Zhichao directly handed the information about one of his own Victory ships, two Liberty ships, and a brief introduction to Global Shipping to the Nippon Shipping Company, Yamaguchi Steamship Company, etc., and then waited for the news in the hotel.
After the war, Japan has always been in shortage of cargo ships. What's more, Japan's economy has begun to develop this year, so it will definitely not turn a blind eye; more importantly, the war in the north has begun, and the Yankees have also sent troops.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Gao, I am Tatsuro Yamashita. I am very glad that you can come to our company to seek cooperation." Tatsuro Yamashita bowed and saluted as soon as they met.
Lin Zhishenshan did not bow his waist, he just extended his right hand in response and nodded slightly.
"President Yamashita, I wonder if your company is interested in our ships?"
"Of course, please sit down here and let's talk slowly!"
After the three of them sat down, Yamashita Tatsuro's secretary made tea for the three of them, and then the two sides got to the point.
"Mr. Lin, your ships are very good, but do you have good seamen?"
Dogs look down upon people!
"Of course! The quality of our seafarers is very good. They were seafarers before and then studied systematically for three months at our Global Maritime Academy, so you can rest assured about this."
Yamashita Tatsuro nodded with satisfaction. In his opinion, Lin Zhichao was not a simple Chinese shipowner. Generally, Chinese shipowners rarely own such large-tonnage ships, and are more willing to buy small and medium-sized ships, which are easier to carry out.
business.
But now this Chinese ship owner comes to ask for long-term charter, which has never happened before. Because generally Hong Kong ship owners only accept one-way charter, and the price is higher.
"How did you come up with the idea of leasing the ship on a half-year lease? Wouldn't the price be cheaper this way? Could it be that the business can't keep up?" Yamashita Tatsuro said shrewdly.
Lin Zhichao quickly understood that Yamashita Tatsuro wanted to lower the price, but it was obviously not feasible in front of him.
"President Yamashita, we do not speak secretly. With the development of Japan's economy in the past six months, the demand for cargo transportation has become increasingly strong. I have already felt the arrival of shipping spring in Xiangjiang. Two of these three ships originally
I am running fixed routes, and my business has become saturated. Of course, these are very profitable, but I want to be more stable, hoping to get a letter of credit from the bank and get a loan to buy more boats. What's more, there are still
The war in the north?"
Yamashita Tatsuro suddenly became serious. He understood that Lin Zhichao was a shrewd businessman and controlled the situation very well.
Lin Zhichao's implication was that he had no business worrying about the ship, and if the price offered was too low, he would definitely not agree to lease it.
Later, Yamashita Tatsuro tentatively asked: "Assume that we rent all three boats, how much will it cost for half a year?"
He did not propose a longer charter because he did not realize that shipping prices would skyrocket in the second half of the year.
"The three boats are leased for a total of US$700,000 for a half-year lease!"
In the first half of this year, the shipping situation has slowly increased, and the lease term is half a year, so Lin Zhichao quoted a reasonable price.
Of course, although this kind of lease is signed for half a year, it is actually paid monthly.
The reason why the Japanese are willing to rent a ship is because they feel that foreign exchange controls are too strict. If they spend such money at once, they would definitely rather buy a ship.
Yamashita Tatsuro immediately started to counter-offer 650,000 US dollars, and said: "This kind of lease is no better than a one-way lease. We need to bear the risk of idleness. The six-month period is about 80-90% of the short-haul price."
Lin Zhichao retorted: "Our ship is not an ordinary second-hand ship. Its performance is definitely beyond the reach of other second-hand ships. I think it costs 680,000 US dollars."
In fact, he was not very satisfied with the price, but there was no other way. He needed to gain the trust of the Japanese company first.
With a half-year lease of US$680,000, Lin Zhichao still needs to deduct fuel costs, insurance premiums, labor costs, and maintenance costs, and it is estimated that he can earn US$400,000 to US$500,000.
The total price of his three ships is 1.55 million US dollars, but in fact, the total value of the ships should be around 1.7 million US dollars, because Lin Zhichao picked up the missing items.
After such settlement, it would take almost two years to earn back the money for three old ships from this rental fee. This was still an era when the shipping business was good.
Of course, if Yamaguchi Kisen wants to renew the contract six months later, it is basically impossible without twice the price, which is at least about 2.8 million US dollars a year.
And Lin Zhichao is just waiting for the ‘Far East Ship Shortage’ in half a year!
After some negotiation between Yamashita Tatsuro and Lin Zhichao, they finally reached a six-month lease for US$680,000.
For this result, Yamashita Tatsuro was very happy and invited Lin Zhichao and Gao Qiqiang to a business dinner.
Japanese people like to hold business events in geisha houses. This habit makes many foreign businessmen find it novel, interesting and unique.
Lin Zhichao readily agreed. He was not an old-fashioned businessman, and of course he would abide by the bottom line. If he had not been strict with himself on such things, I am afraid that he would have fallen just in Hong Kong.
As expected.
In the evening, Lin Zhichao and Gao Qiqiang arrived at a geisha house as agreed. After entering a wooden room, Yamashita Tatsuro and senior executives greeted them.
After greetings, Tatsuro Yamashita clapped his hands, and a large number of women in kimonos rushed out, twice as many as the guests.
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Gao, this is a characteristic of our country. In order to show respect to the guests, we ask them to serve you food and drink. You can choose the girl you like and sit with you." Yamashita Tatsuro said politely.
He was very optimistic about Lin Zhichao, a shipowner. He bought three giant ships of 10,000 tons at the time of purchase, while Yamaguchi Steamship was short of shipping capacity. Moreover, Lin Zhichao was also the first Chinese shipowner willing to charter a long-term lease, which was a good sign.
Lin Zhichao said politely: "I can do whatever I want!"
Yamashita Tatsuro saw that although Lin Zhichao did not refuse this kind of banquet, he was a very gentleman, and his favorable impression immediately increased. Because such a geisha house is more about appreciating Japanese culture rather than providing some kind of pornographic services.
Of course, if guests want it, the geisha house can also provide it.
Then, ten women in kimono sat on both sides of the five men, and the room suddenly became full.
After a while, another group of women in kimono came out. It turned out that they were from the performance group. Five women in black kimono sang harmony, and one woman in colorful kimono performed a fan dance.
The style of music is hard to describe in just one word!
"Mr. Lin, how many ships do you have in Global Shipping?" Yamashita Tatsuro asked curiously.
"There is only one 8,600-ton cargo ship left, which is used to run fixed routes. Could it be that, President Yamashita, you still lack ships?" Lin Zhichao asked immediately.
Yamashita Tatsuro said shrewdly: "If you still have it, we can certainly rent it."
Lin Zhichao cannot be directly informed of the shortage of ships, as this may easily affect the market. Of course, he may not know that there will soon be a ship shortage in the Far East. Once a mighty army appears, the war will not end immediately.
Later, Yamashita Tatsuro asked again: "I heard from Mr. Lin that in order to get a letter of credit from the bank, will he need to buy another ship soon?"
Lin Zhichao had an idea and thought of something in the future, so he said: "Yes! Our Global Shipping Group requires to more than double our transportation capacity next year, and I would like to ask President Yamashita to take care of it then."
Yamashita Tatsuro was immediately very surprised. Based on the current global shipping capacity of 43,600 tons, if the cargo capacity is more than doubled, it may have a carrying capacity of 100,000 tons.
Such a ship owner is already considered powerful!
Thinking of this, he immediately became more enthusiastic.
"Of course, as long as Mr. Lin's ship owner can complete the task perfectly and we have a happy cooperation, then Yamaguchi Kisen will definitely consider you."
Lin Zhichao raised his glass, and everyone cooperated happily.
Lin Zhichao also attaches great importance to the recruitment of Yamashita Tatsuro. The price is determined by the market. The negotiations between the two parties are only on a small scale and cannot be divorced from the general market conditions. Lin Zhichao also hopes to obtain Japanese maintenance through Yamashita Tatsuro in the future.
Factory and bank support.
Of course, the basis for these is that his fleet is an excellent fleet.
Next, everyone enjoyed themselves. The kimonoed women on both sides poured wine and served food, and the men hardly even had to eat. In the end, Yamashita Tatsuro took the initiative to let the flower girl follow Lin Zhichao and others back to the hotel.
Of course, Lin Zhichao refused to be a paid escort because it was 'illegal'!
Naturally, Gao Qiqiang would not accept it either.
When Old Madden of Wheelock Shipping learned that Global Shipping Lines had added two more 10,000-ton cargo ships, he finally faced up to the small shipowner who had made such bold claims in front of him.
After all, in less than a year after entering shipping, Global Shipping already has a load capacity of 43,600 tons. Global Shipping cannot get support from banks, so the funds are Lin Zhichao’s own funds, or borrowed from fellow townsmen, relatives and friends.
.
But no matter what, such a big gesture really shocked old Madden.
"A layman, just an amateur! He bought all the large cargo ships of 10,000 tons. Does he think he can still have such good luck and that his business can grow quickly?"
"Moreover, even if his fleet doubles in two years, it will only be 89,000 tons. At this rate, there is no way he can catch up with Wheelock's fleet."
"To catch up with Wheelock within ten years, I think he is really dreaming!"
"Forget it, such a little person is not worthy of my attention. He is too arrogant and doesn't know how to bow his head."
In the end, Madden no longer took Lin Zhichao seriously.
He originally wanted to bring Lin Zhichao's ship under the management of his own company and negotiate a cooperation for one or two years. After Lin Zhichao learned his experience, it was okay for everyone to break up.
As a result, Lin Zhichao didn't know what was right and refused, which naturally made him angry for a while and almost made him angry.
When Lin Zhichao returned to Hong Kong, one Victory ship and two Liberty ships had already rushed to their destination in accordance with Yamaguchi Steamship's instructions, and the charter had officially come into effect.
The rent of US$680,000 will be paid in six months, and the profit is expected to be US$450,000. Another 8,600-ton cargo ship should have a similar profit of US$150,000 in the second half of the year (the market is picking up).
In this way, the profit in the second half of the year will be almost 600,000 US dollars.
It is necessary to repay the final payment of US$200,000 for the boat purchase, so there will be a cash flow of about US$400,000 at the end of the year.
Lin Zhichao invested a total of about 1.75 million US dollars to enter the shipping industry; he should have made a profit of 650,000 US dollars in the first year (the total price of the ship was 2 million US dollars); the annual profit rate is still very high, almost more than 30%.
Why is such a hugely profitable industry not so popular?
Because once shipping encounters a cold winter, it not only cannot make money, but also loses money.
And once an accident occurs, it is possible to lose everything.
The first generation of Chinese 'shipping king' Guo Song owned 13 steamships in 1877. He was an early independent Chinese shipowner in Hong Kong and could compete with the general foreign fleet. But he disappeared later. Some people said that he was no match for the foreign fleet.
, was annexed by foreigners, and some people said that the entire army was wiped out in a storm at sea.
In the hurricane disaster of 1874 alone, 35 ocean ships sank. In the era before radio transmission of marine weather forecasts, sea transportation relied on the weather.
In the 1930s, there was a severe winter in world shipping, and ports were full of large cargo ships and oil tankers. A US$2 million oil tanker could be purchased for only US$20,000, and Onassis relied on US$120,000 to buy it.
After purchasing six large oil tankers and surviving the cold winter, he became the world's largest shipowner and even the 'shipping king'.
Wheelock's old Madden also relied on the two large ocean ships he purchased at that time to become one of the large foreign companies in Hong Kong. You must know that before the 1930s, there was no Wheelock in either Hong Kong or Shanghai.
The records of foreign companies must be unknown to small foreign companies.
Early July.
The sense of crisis lingering over Hong Kong citizens disappeared with the emergence of the 'Seventh Fleet'. Instead, the Hong Kong government promulgated the "1950 Export Control Order", which stipulated that coconut oil, copper, diamonds, aluminum, and gasoline products,
Eleven commodities, including plastic, tin, silver, and copper oil, are prohibited from being exported to the mainland, Taiwan, and Austria.
Lin Zhichao knows that more severe bans are coming, probably in August. Of course, these bans are mainly targeted at mainland China, Taiwan, and Austria.
At the same time, Lin Zhichao finally understood that the ban on Hong Kong may not officially begin until December.
Obviously, this is very beneficial to him, such as the zipper industry.
He can take advantage of this period to continue to use the funds on his account to import aluminum alloys and copper raw materials from the United States in the hope of becoming more stable. As of the end of June, Cheung Kong Holdings' cash flow on its account has reached 1.8 million Hong Kong dollars, and its current monthly profit
Up to 450,000 to 500,000 Hong Kong dollars (including subsidiaries).
On weekend morning, the door of Lin's house rang.
Lin Xiner opened the door and then shouted sweetly: "Hello, sister-in-law!"
With a suppressed smile on her face, it looks like she is being naughty at first glance. Although Caiying and Lin Zhichao have completed their life exchanges, they have not officially gotten married after all.
Caiying immediately wanted to grab Lin Xiner's face, but Lin Xiner quickly dodged. The two classmates, friends, and relatives immediately started fighting.
Seeing Lin Zhichao reading the newspaper on the sofa, Caiying immediately sat next to him unconvinced and said, "You don't care about Lin Xiner anyway!"
Lin Xiner immediately stuck out her tongue, and then sat down on the sofa opposite.
Lin Zhichao put down the newspaper and said, "Didn't she learn from you? Am I saying this is not good?"
Caiying suddenly felt embarrassed, and then she remembered how quiet Lin Xiner used to be, but how could she admit it? Instead, she held Lin Zhichao's arm and whispered, "Are you going to stop pampering me after taking advantage of me?"
Don’t help me!” After saying that, his eyes demonstrated.
Lin Zhichao put his arm around her waist and said generously: "You will be Xin'er's sister-in-law sooner or later, why don't you just take care of her!"
Lin Xiner immediately cooperated with her brother, stood up in front of Caiying, and said, "Sister-in-law, I was wrong!"
Caiying whispered: "You are still shouting! This matter has not been settled yet!"
As soon as there was a fight, everyone walked out of the room one after another.
When Wu Wenying saw Caiying coming, she immediately said happily: "Caiying, I have prepared your favorite snacks for breakfast today." There was joy in his eyes, which was the joy for his wife.
Caiying couldn't stand it under this look, so she could only pretend to be calm and smile: "Thank you, Auntie Ying!"
Tang Caiyun held her one-year-old son in her arms and said deliberately: "My wife is going to fall out of favor!"
Wu Wenying said quickly: "Caiyun, how could you fall out of favor?"
Tang Caiyun immediately smiled and said, "Mom, I'm just kidding you!"
It is inevitable for women in a family to chatter.
Caiying could only lower her head. She also realized that she no longer had as much freedom as she did in the past.
Of course, with her character she wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
Sure enough, when everyone was having breakfast, Caiying said: "Brother-in-law, it's quite boring. Can you take us out to play?"
There is really nothing fun in this era. Of course, it is easier for people to be satisfied, such as going shopping in Central, going to department stores, going to Repulse Bay Bathing Beach, or going to the movies.
"Then let's go out for a walk!"
Lin Zhichao doesn't like to stay at home all the time. He likes to know every little thing about the market.
"yeah"
After a while, Lin Zhichao went out with his three daughters, leaving Wu Wenying and Axia with Lin Ruihuan at home. One-year-old Lin Ruihuan already knew about the protest, but Lin Zhichao was not worried about the large number of people going out.
Generally speaking, the whole family only goes out when everyone goes out for dinner. At other times, Lin Zhichao takes them out separately.
Lin Zhichao takes the Tang sisters out, why must he take Lin Xiner with him?
Because they are both young girls, Lin Zhichao does not want to treat this sister badly, so as not to leave any unfair impression in his heart.
In the car, Lin Zhichao drove the car himself, Tang Caiyun sat in the passenger seat, and Caiying and Lin Xiner sat in the back. There was also a car following behind, with the driver and bodyguards, totaling three people.
While driving, Lin Zhichao said: "Hong Kong has become more and more chaotic recently. Hundreds of local citizens were beaten by defeated troops. This also reminds me. Therefore, I will set up a security company in the near future.
Under the Yangtze River Industrial Group, externally we train security personnel in the factory, but in fact we provide security forces for our family. From now on, you will all be equipped with bodyguards."
Lin Zhichao has always recruited many bodyguards. In addition to the bodyguard leader Xue Junshan, there are also three drivers and three bodyguards. That is, one car is equipped with one driver and one bodyguard, and the driver is also a bodyguard.
In fact, Lin Zhichao is not worried about his own safety, because he has a secret weapon, not to mention that the targets of general kidnappings are basically rich and powerless people; and Lin Zhichao has a certain influence in chambers of commerce, connections, charities, etc.
power, so the possibility of being listed as an object is very small.
But what he fears most is that someone is still targeting his family, and Lin Zhichao will be very angry. It is best to be prepared.
Caiying said: "I'm not used to male bodyguards, but the driver is better!"
Lin Zhichao immediately said: "Then train female bodyguards, and each of them will be assigned a driver and male bodyguard. In the future, when you work in the company, you will be assigned female assistants."
"Do we also have to work?" Chaiying replied as the heroine again.
"It's not a full-time job! You are not required to work every day, but you have to understand how the company operates, so you have to attend some meetings and occasionally go to the company to sit. If you are interested, you can serve as the company's logistics department manager in the future.
." Lin Zhichao said.
"I understand!" Caiying didn't take it seriously.
Lin Zhichao could only shake his head helplessly. This girl was like an elf and didn't like to be trapped in company affairs. On the contrary, Tang Caiyun was very happy to go to the company and share Lin Zhichao's worries.
Therefore, Lin Zhichao must put the organizational structure of the "Yangtze River Group" into an "elementary model" as soon as possible, and then let Tang Caiyun join the company.
As for Lin Xiner, Lin Zhichao has high hopes. Her grades have improved a lot and she is expected to be admitted to the college preparatory course in two years. She will study for two years in the preparatory course and three years in college. She will be 24 when she graduates. By then, the Lin family business will have already
It has just begun to take shape, and there are plenty of places for her to show her full potential.
At this time, Hong Kong had six years of primary school, 3 plus 2 plus 2 years of secondary school, that is, seven years of secondary school. Of course, the last two years were also called university preparatory courses. However, there is currently only one university in Hong Kong, and that is the University of Hong Kong.