Chapter 126 [Go through the main entrance]

Author: Ren Zhufei

Chapter 126 [Go through the main entrance]

When Lin Zhichao came to the HSBC Bank headquarters in Queen's Road Central, he couldn't help but look envious. What he envied was that HSBC could own such a beautiful building, and when would he be able to build his own headquarters office building in Central.

Currently, HSBC's main branches in Hong Kong are only the head office at Queen's Road Central on Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon branch. In Hong Kong, only two or three banks have opened branches.

Unlike later generations, these banks had dozens of branches. It is estimated that it was not until the end of the Peninsula War that major banks gradually opened a large number of branches in order to grab deposits.

Approaching the HSBC Bank Building.

At this time, HSBC still retained such a practice: foreigners entered HSBC through the front door, while Chinese could only enter through the back door. Obviously, the British consortium looked down upon the Chinese at this time.

Not only that, HSBC does not bother to do business directly with the Chinese at this time. If the Chinese want to borrow money from HSBC, they must go through a foreign bank or an old family like the Lee Family and the He Family, and then the foreign bank will lend it to the Chinese businessmen or the old Chinese families.

Provide guarantee or introduction.

Of course, nothing is absolute!

Despite these implicit regulations, Lin Zhichao walked in from the main entrance and the HSBC staff did not stop him.

"Sir, what can I do?" A British employee came up and asked.

He was impressed by Lin Zhichao's calm and confident temperament. He thought that this person must be from an established family among the Chinese, that is, a "high-class Chinese", so he used a very polite tone.

Lin Zhichao said: "I have an appointment with Sandus, please take me to his office!"

The foreign staff member thought to himself, as expected, he immediately said: "Okay, please come with me!"

Lin Zhichao felt funny in his heart. These foreigners seemed to be superior to others, but in fact they were equally respectful to the strong.

Therefore, if Chinese people want to gain respect, they must have money.

Ho Tung once told Lin Zhichao such a story:

When he was young, he asked his foreign father: "Why do the British look down on the Chinese?"

He Shiwen said: "Because Chinese people are poor."

This sentence was unforgettable to Ho Tung and became the driving force for him to settle down and settle down.

Lin Zhichao thinks it makes sense. Even Hong Kong garment factories at this time looked down on orders from Africa. The reason is not the same. When you see a group of people who don't even have enough to eat and wear tattered clothes,

The first reaction is not pity, but rejection and contempt in my heart.

The whole world is like this, as long as you are rich enough, you will be someone else's guest wherever you go.

soon.

Lin Zhichao followed the British staff to the door of an office of HSBC Bank. There was "Import Department" written in English on the outside.

"Dong dong"

"Deputy Manager Sandus, this Mr. Lin said he has an appointment with you."

Lin Zhichao walked into the office and found two people inside. Based on the staff's words, he analyzed that one was the manager of the import department and the other was Sandus, the deputy manager of the import department.

This made his mood slightly change. It turned out that Sandus was only the deputy manager of the import department at this time. It seemed that all the talk on paper was wrong. At the same time, he was also worried about one thing. Suppose Sandus was willing to support him.

Global shipping, then it must be promoted!

In this way, wouldn't Lin Zhichao be unable to take advantage of the Peninsula Campaign to rapidly expand his fleet?

But now is not the time to hesitate. Lin Zhichao quickly took over the staff's words: "I am Lin Zhichao, the founder of Cheung Kong Holdings, Cheung Kong Properties, and Global Shipping. I have taken the liberty to contact HSBC. Please take care of me."

Sandus was about to lift his legs and put them on the desk to give this rash Chinese a showdown, but when he heard "Cheung Kong Holdings, Yangtze River Real Estate, founder of Global Shipping", he stopped this action.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow. As a new wealthy Chinese, Sandus will not be turned away. Because there is news that he has been appointed as the project manager to be responsible for the loan project in Hong Kong.

The other person is Guy Senna, the manager of the import department, who has also been tipped to be the future chairman of HSBC.

Although Sandus was impressed by Lin Zhichao's strength, he did not stand up to greet him. Instead, he said in a calm tone: "Did Mr. Lin come to HSBC through the front entrance or the back entrance?"

He is exerting pressure! HSBC is the economic lifeline of Hong Kong. How can it win over a Chinese businessman who has just emerged?

"Of course it's the front door. Sooner or later, HSBC will take the initiative to put down its posture and seek loans from Chinese factory owners. Will you continue to continue such old and evil customs?"

Lin Zhichao is not forced to the cliff, and there is no need to be humble to HSBC. If HSBC does not support him, Lin Zhichao will open his own bank. Although it may not become bigger and stronger, it can always attract a lot of deposits.

What's more, he entered the shipping industry five years earlier than the charter king, how could he lose!

Guy Senna watched the excitement from the sidelines and did not intervene in the confrontation between Sandus and Lin Zhichao.

Sandus laughed "haha", his affectionate expression still full of British arrogance and rudeness, but he did not chase away the guests; in this regard, he was much better than Old Madden.

"Don't worry about this!"

Then, Sandus added: "So, you are here to seek a loan. But you may have come to the wrong department. We are the import department."

These words alleviated the unpleasantness of the first meeting. Both parties must have been a little unhappy, but the conversation finally ended.

Lin Zhichao said calmly: "I don't know the heads of various departments of HSBC, but I think that since I came to the import department's office, I naturally don't want to return without success."

Seeing this, Sandus remembered that he had already appointed a project manager, so he said, "It's okay, you can talk about your demands. If possible, I wouldn't mind introducing you to someone from the project department."

Lin Zhichao said: "I want to make a loan for Global Shipping! Currently, our Global Shipping has a total of four cargo ships, including one Victory Ship and two Liberty Ships. We have found an excellent customer - Japan's Yamaguchi Shipping Lines, and

A half-year lease agreement was reached, so I wanted to use the contract as collateral to secure a loan for Global Shipping.”

After a detailed introduction, Lin Zhichao looked at Sandus and Guy Senna. This loan was like a 'letter of investment'; if it could be achieved, Lin Zhichao would have gained the trust of HSBC Bank and laid the foundation for next year's contract loan.

Base.

After listening to this, Sandus said: "It is impossible for HSBC to provide shipping loans, including the Bank of East Asia or other banks that you have been cooperating with, and they will not provide shipping loans. Presumably, you should be aware of this."

HSBC has an unwritten rule, which peers and its employees call it the "black book". The content is: Please do not invest in the shipping industry, aviation industry and film industry. This "rule" is not only followed by HSBC, but also by other banks.

, the reason is probably that the risk is too great.

Of course, Lin Zhichao would not give up: "The reason for refusing to lend is because the risk is too great. I have three reasons that I can tell you: First, after World War II, the world economy recovered, trade between various places increased, and shipping

It is the cheapest mode of transportation and will surely make a big difference. Some American economists predict that there will be a decline in shipping conditions in 20 years."

"Second, our Global Shipping adopts a long-term lease contract. Japanese customers send money regularly every month and we repay the money regularly. This is a pioneering work. Although the profit is only about 80% of the one-way, the risk is also low. At the same time, we also gain access to Japanese

Customer trust.”

"Third, when the Peninsula War begins, Japan has become a logistics base for the United States. A large number of orders will rapidly boom Japan's economy. There will be a ship shortage in the Far East, and demand and freight rates will rise."

He knew Sandus's future, so he was naturally willing to tell his reasons and convince Sandus that if he didn't get a loan immediately, then he would get a loan later.

Sure enough, the expressions on the faces of Sandus and Guy Senna changed, and they thought seriously about Lin Zhichao's words. As bankers, they naturally need to have their own analytical skills.

After a long time, Sandus still said: "Mr. Lin, your analysis is very convincing, but I can say with certainty that the HSBC Project Department will still not choose to lend you a loan." Then he added: "Of course, I

I’m very interested in global shipping. Do you mind if I take the time to investigate it?”

The so-called inspection is nothing more than looking at how the company's financial statements are doing and how its operations and management are, so as to determine whether the company has development prospects.

At this time, Lin Zhichao also understood one thing. Although Sandus is currently the deputy manager of the import department, he is likely to be transferred to the project department as manager in the next few years. And his boss Guy Senna will also be promoted.

Maybe he is the chairman or deputy chairman of HSBC.

"Of course! Although I have not received a loan from HSBC now, I insist that HSBC will see the stability and good operation of Global Shipping." After saying that, he handed his name card to Sundashi and Saipan Senna.

.

After Lin Zhichao left, Saipan asked: "What do you think of this Chinese businessman?"

Sandus nodded and said: "I have heard about Yangtze Real Estate and Yangtze River Industries. This young man is very capable and is a Chinese businessman worth attracting for our HSBC. So, no matter how good the shipping is, I will go visit the natural

No problem."

Saipan said: "It does make sense! He can start from scratch and create what he is today. This young man deserves our support from HSBC anyway! Of course, if he buys property and starts a business, there will be no problem; but looking at him, he just wants to

Seeking loans for shipping. So, you can keep an eye on it, maybe like what he just said."

Sandus added: "Indeed! What I admire about him very much is that Japan's economy will develop rapidly and there will be a ship shortage in the Far East. These analyzes can be concluded, which shows that this person has a very vicious vision. Of course, there is no trouble in the Far East.

Ship shortage, this is unknown, we can continue to observe."

The other side.

When Lin Zhichao walked out of HSBC, he did not feel depressed, because he knew from the beginning that this year was just a time for both parties to observe. When he signs a "three to five-year long-term contract" with Yamaguchi Steamboat next year, it will be the real test for both parties.

.

Yes, because he sensed HSBC's vigilance about shipping, Lin Zhichao planned to try to sign long-term contracts with Japanese customers for three to five years. He was not worried that Japanese merchants would not sign contracts. He must know that if there is a shipping shortage or freight rates rise, some customers will be willing to sign contracts for three to three years.

Long-term contracts of more than one year because this can avoid higher costs.

For example, for a contract of more than three years, the freight price is only 75% of the previous year, which obviously saves a lot. Everyone knows that the shipping cycle does not end in one or two years, but is very long.

How did the charter king prosper in his previous life? He bought an 8,200-ton cargo ship and leased it to Japan for only a few months. Then Egypt closed the Suez Canal and his ship contract expired.

If you renew the contract for three years, the price will be at least three times the price.

Based on this, Lin Zhichao can be said to be full of confidence. The starting point of his shipping business is five times higher than that of the charter king. There is another opportunity - there is a ship shortage in the Far East. If he gets support from HSBC first, then he is already in an undefeated position.

place.

Even if Bao Yugang is supported by HSBC in the future (Shen Bi supported many shipowners during the era, but on the contrary reduced support for Bao Yugang), then Bao Yugang will not be able to achieve half of the achievements of his previous life.
To be continued...