End of June, Japan.
Lin Zhichao took Gao Qiqiang to Yamaguchi Steamship Co., Ltd., and under the leadership of its staff, they came 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 Zhishan 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?"
Snob!
"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 speaking, Chinese shipowners rarely own such large-tonnage ships, and prefer to buy small and medium-sized ships, which makes it easier to start business.
But now this Chinese ship owner has come to ask for long-term lease, which has never happened before. Because generally Hong Kong shipowners only accept one-way charters, and the prices are 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 people do not speak secretly. In the past six months, with the development of Japan's economy, 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'm 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. If the price offered was too low, he would definitely not agree to lease it.
Later, Yamashita Tatsuro asked tentatively: "Assuming 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 were going to skyrocket and 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 improved, and the lease is for 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 ships is because they feel that foreign exchange controls are too strict. If they spend such money at once, they would definitely rather buy ships.
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 being idle. The half-year term is about 80-90% of the short-haul price."
Lin Zhichao retorted: "Our ship is not an ordinary second-hand ship, and 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 was 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 rent. This was still an era when the shipping business was good.
Of course, if Yamaguchi Kisen wants to renew the contract half a year 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 have business dinners 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 adhere to the final bottom line. If he hadn't been strict with himself on that kind of thing, I'm afraid 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, Yamashita Tatsuro clapped his hands, and a large number of kimono-clad women 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 with 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, the ship owner. He bought three 10,000-ton giant ships at the first sale, but Yamaguchi Steamship was short of transportation capacity. Moreover, Lin Zhichao is also the first Chinese shipowner to agree to a long-term lease, which is 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 erotic 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 kimonos came out. It turned out that they were from the performance group. Five women in black kimonos sang harmony, and a woman in colorful kimonos performed a fan dance.
The style of music is hard to describe!
"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 the 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 Company requires to more than double its transportation capacity next year, and I would like to ask President Yamashita to take care of it then."
Yamashita Tatsuro was immediately very surprised. According to the current cargo capacity of Global Shipping, which is 43,600 tons, if it is more than doubled, it may have a load 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 get support from Japanese repair shops and banks through Tatsuro Yamashita in the future.
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.
When Old Madden of Wheelock Shipping learned that Global Shipping had added two 10,000-ton cargo ships, he finally looked squarely at 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.
"Amateur, just an amateur! He bought all the large freighters 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. If this continues, 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 lease 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.
We need to repay the final payment of US$200,000 for the boat purchase, so we will have 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 in entering 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 will not only fail to make money, but will also lose money.
And in the event of an accident, it is possible to lose everything.
Guo Song, the first generation Chinese 'shipping king', owned 13 steamships in 1877. He was an early independent Chinese shipowner in Hong Kong and could compete with the general foreign fleet. But later he disappeared. Some said that he was no match for the foreign fleet and was annexed by the foreigners. Others said that he encountered a storm at sea and was wiped out.
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 filled with large cargo ships and oil tankers. A 2 million US dollar oil tanker can be purchased for only 20,000 US dollars. It was with 120,000 US dollars that Onassis purchased six large oil tankers. After surviving the cold winter, he became the world's largest ship owner in one fell swoop. 'Ship King'.
Wheelock's old Madden became one of the large foreign companies in Hong Kong by virtue of the two large-scale ships he purchased at that time. You must know that before the 1930s, there was no record of Wheelock and Company in either Hong Kong or the Shanghai stock market. It must have been an unknown small foreign company.
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 Export Control Order of 1950, which stipulated that 11 commodities, including coconut oil, copper, diamonds, aluminum, gasoline products, plastics, tin, silver, and copper oil, were prohibited from being exported to the mainland, Taiwan, and Taiwan. Omen.
Lin Zhichao knows that more severe bans are yet to come, probably in August. Of course, these bans will mainly target 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 alloy and copper raw materials from the United States in the hope of becoming more stable. As of the end of June, Cheung Kong's cash flow on its books has reached HK$1.8 million, and its current monthly profit can reach HK$450,000 to HK$500,000 (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!"
Paired with a suppressed smile, it looked like she was being naughty. Although Caiying and Lin Zhichao had completed their life exchanges, they were not officially married after all.
Caiying immediately wanted to grab Lin Xiner's face, but Lin Xiner quickly dodged, and 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, 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!"
After a quarrel, 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!"
The women in the family will inevitably 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, this is 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 bit of the market.
"yeah"
After a while, Lin Zhichao took the three girls out, leaving Wu Wenying and Axia with Lin Ruihuan at home. One-year-old Lin Ruihuan already knew about the protest, but Lin Zhichao was worried about a large number of people going out.
Generally speaking, the whole family only goes out to have dinner together. At other times, Lin Zhichao took 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 seat. There was also a car following behind. It was the driver and bodyguard, totaling three people.
While driving, Lin Zhichao said: "Hong Kong has become more and more chaotic recently. Hundreds of local citizens were beaten by the defeated troops. This also reminds me. Therefore, I will soon set up a company with the nature of a security company. Under the Yangtze River Industrial Group, externally we train security guards in the factory, but in fact we provide security forces for our family, and you will all be equipped with bodyguards from now on."
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 we will 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?" Caiying 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 a "primary model" as soon as possible, and then let Tang Caiyun enter 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 preparatory program in two years. She will study for two years in preparatory studies and three years in college, and she will be 24 years old when she graduates. By then, Lin's family business had begun to take shape, and there was plenty of room for her to play.
At this time, Hong Kong had six years of primary school and 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.
(End of chapter)
