The British Empire was once the most powerful empire in human history. There was almost no other empire. The breadth of its colonies was unparalleled. It was a pity that when it monopolized too many benefits, in order to develop, the rising countries would It had to be challenged, so World War I and World War II appeared.
After the two European wars, the United States, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution over a century ago, was surpassed by the United States on the other side of the Atlantic and controlled a large part of Europe. The British Empire fell.
However, the afterglow of the British Empire still lingers in the hearts of many people for a long time. For example, even though many countries are no longer colonies, they are still in the Commonwealth headed by the Queen of England. This can be said to be the export of British culture and the influence of long-term education. Until 21 After the influence of the Internet in the century became large enough, it gradually disappeared.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the British national power was in the process of decline. Therefore, Argentina, the small overlord of South America, had a military conflict with the United Kingdom over the Falklands. The war ended with the British victory, which really surprised the world. , after all, Argentina's strength is not very weak, and it lost the battle on its homeland, which shows that Britain may still have some remaining strength.
Therefore, the entire British government is also very confident about the Hong Kong matter, believing that when the Iron Lady Thatcher goes to Yanjing in person, she will definitely get the outcome she wants.
Both are British colonies. Hong Kong and the Falklands are exactly the same in nature. The Falklands are actually just a group of islands with little economic benefit and little development value. The British government will go all the way to fight this war. , purely to maintain their dignity in the world.
But Hong Kong is different. Hong Kong's status is much higher than that of the Falklands. It is one of the world's financial cities and its status in Asia is second only to Tokyo. The British government naturally hopes to retain this Pearl of the Orient permanently.
However, Argentina and the mainland are two different things. Although Argentina's economy may be better, its military strength is another matter entirely. Before the era of electronic technology warfare has yet to come, the mainland's army can be said to be the best in the world. The whole world witnessed several wars in the 1950s and 1970s. The Falkland Islands are located overseas in Argentina, and they need to rely on the navy to fight. This is also Britain's strength. Hong Kong, however, is connected to the mainland by land.
In the face of the issue of national territorial sovereignty, the UK wants to delay through negotiations, without any chance.
During the negotiation meeting between the two parties in Yanjing, ordinary reporters did not have any opportunity to enter the venue, but this did not prevent the media from all Hong Kong from stationed in Yanjing and paying attention to the matter at all times. TVB also arranged for reporters to broadcast the entire process live.
We were originally waiting for a press conference after the diplomatic negotiations, but instead we saw another scene at the door of the General Assembly Hall:
After the British diplomatic team came out of the Great Hall of the People, all the members had solemn faces and no smiles at all. Thatcher, who was walking at the front, ignored the reporters around him who wanted to interview. Under the protection of bodyguards, Go down the stairs.
Suddenly, I don’t know why, Thatcher suddenly missed a staircase and fell down. Fortunately, the bodyguards around her caught her in time, but it was still a little late. Thatcher’s whole body was tilted, almost. land.
Although it only lasted a few seconds, the cameras of hundreds of reporters around could not miss this moment. The historical scene was recorded in this way.
After this incident, the mainland quickly held a press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, publicly announcing that the mainland government would take back the sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, and also proposed the policies of "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" and "one country, two systems".
The tough attitude of the mainland government has also been made known to the world. Before the British government visited the mainland, it had stated in public many times that it would not give up Hong Kong. Both sides are members of the Five Permanent Committees. At this point, no one will relent at will. No one knows what the future will bring.
For a time, the entire Hong Kong was shrouded in uncertainty.
The Hang Seng Index plummeted 150 points immediately after the outcome of the negotiations. The four major exchanges in Hong Kong were much busier than during the previous busiest bull market, with countless people holding stocks with the intention of converting them into cash. Many gold shops and banks in Hong Kong have also become key targets, with a large number of people running to exchange gold or US dollars.
It was not until two days later that Thatcher came to Hong Kong and made two remarks. First, Britain would not give up Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient. Second, no matter what the outcome, they would not start a war near Hong Kong.
Whether it's because it's impossible to fight a war near the mainland, or because it's to win over the panic-stricken Hong Kong, after these two remarks were published in newspapers and on TV, the panic in Hong Kong has indeed reduced a lot, and most people have begun to Have a stable and normal work and life.
Later, Thatcher also held a party in Hong Kong and invited all Hong Kong's political and business celebrities, especially some wealthy Chinese. Over the years, Chinese financial groups have also begun to compete with British capital and have become a powerful force in Hong Kong society. .
However, Chen Zhiwen was not among them, because as early as a week ago, before Thatcher went to Yanjing, he left Hong Kong and went to the United States.
He didn't want to get involved in such a major event sandwiched between the two five permanent members. He might as well come to the United States to have fun.
New York, Douglas Hotel, in a spacious cafe:
"Recently, events in Hong Kong have become headlines in American news." Henry Morgan looked at the newspaper in his hand and said with a smile.
"Americans just like to watch the excitement. In fact, this matter has nothing to do with the United States." Chen Zhiwen shrugged.
"That's right. If you care about Hong Kong, you might as well care about Mexico. Now the smuggling problem is getting more and more serious." Henry Morgan said.
"For problems that developed countries can never solve, economics is the fundamental reason why people can be smuggled in like this. In fact, the U.S. government has always acquiesced." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
A big country like the United States has a very long border with Mexico. It is indeed impossible to fully monitor it. Even with the cheapest electronic cameras in the future, it will be impossible to achieve it. However, the fundamental reason for smuggling is that it is profitable. After all, except for a few colonists, who have nothing better to do than leave their homes and illegally go to other countries.
People who smuggle themselves into the United States can find many jobs in the United States, but the immigration authorities turn a blind eye. This is the fundamental problem. Just like in many illegal transactions, the existence of a large number of buyers is the fundamental reason.
In the United States today, labor costs are too high. Many capitalists have recruited these people in order to reduce costs. And a large number of capitalists have a large combined influence. Coupled with the cover-up, American society has finally acquiesced in this model.
"Eric, you can always see the problem at a glance." Henry Morgan said with a smile.
"I can still see very far. In a few decades, maybe the main group of people in the United States will no longer be white people, but Latinos." Chen Zhiwen added. In ancient China, there were five chaotic Chinese, and now, black people in France and Latinos in the United States are the precursors.
"That makes sense. It's really possible." Henry Morgan nodded and said, "But it's none of our business. By then, I may be gone and you will be old."
"Yes." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile: "How are you selling RCA's other businesses?"
"Basically, most of the assets have been sold. Only NBC, the core asset, is left. RCA is dead in name only, but there are more than a billion dollars in the account." Henry Morgan nodded and said.
"You can try to buy some newspapers and media. Anyway, your identity is not a problem. Just buy the influential ones you like." Chen Zhiwen said.
Many of RCA's TV, radio business and LCD patents were acquired by Chen Zhiwen, and there are many other non-TV business types. Although the scale is not as large as the first two, the sum cannot be underestimated, especially carpets. The scale of the business in the U.S. market is not small. Add these up, and the funds for the sale even far exceed the value of RCA's television business.
“I’ve been researching it recently, but I haven’t found a suitable target,” Henry Morgan said.
"I don't know much about the media, but there is one person who is very knowledgeable. Have you heard of Rupert Murdoch?" Chen Zhiwen asked.
"I've heard that someone from Australia has acquired many newspapers in the United States in recent years." Henry Morgan said: "You mean to acquire his media company? But as far as I know, his company has not been listed, and A person who has been in this industry for half his life will not be able to work for others even if he sells his assets."
"I haven't asked you to acquire his company, so just keep an eye on him. This man has a very strong vision. What he likes should be good things." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.
"That's okay, but you can't do this kind of thing all the time. I'll wait until he sees a big target before I take action." Henry smiled and said, "I heard that you have cleared out all the shares in Apple." Already?"
"Yes, Apple has announced that I don't have any Apple stock in my hands now." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said.
Just like in history, Apple's development encountered difficulties. Its strong rival IBM launched a stronger personal computer. Although Midea's personal computer business was not large enough to affect Apple, the emergence of split ideas solved the problem. Problems that were difficult to solve before, such as heat dissipation, weight, etc. This makes it easier for many small companies to launch their own personal computers.
Apple's success in this era does not rely on high technology. No matter how powerful Woz's technology is, it cannot be compared to a team of hundreds and thousands of engineers. Apple can succeed because Jobs was the first to propose The idea of a personal computer, and the fact that it was the first personal computer, and the huge fame and aura and so on.
Just like Tesla in the 2010s, when other brands enter the market, although Tesla will still have very high results, compared with the previous era when almost one company was the dominant one, it is far behind. However, Apple, which later launched Apple mobile phones, was an exception because they had strong technical reserves before.
And now Apple, since its launch, has not launched any new models or technologies that are eye-catching. It’s not that Apple doesn’t do research and development, but that when too many products from its peers appear, the highlight of Apple’s new computers , almost gone, but the Apple brand is destined to launch products that will "change the world." This is what Jobs talks about every day, but he doesn't have the technical ability to realize it, so he can only introduce new products The press conference has been postponed again and again.
Tesla will be the same a few decades later, but fortunately it has another trick: reducing costs. Therefore, at various shareholder meetings (without press conferences), Musk does not talk about innovation or technology, but only talks about how to Cost reduction. Of course, cost reduction is also a technique, but for a great company, you can't always just think about cost reduction, right? Similar to Apple in the 2000s, if it only wanted to reduce the cost of the iPod, how could the iPhone be born?
In this case, Chen Zhiwen took advantage of the high price and sold off all Apple's shares, making a profit of more than 800 million US dollars. As Apple's major shareholder, every time he sells, he must announce it, which is completely legal and even requires taxation. Pay, this time I come to the United States, how to avoid taxes on this money will also be one of the main tasks.
"Your investment is really great. Apple's stock has started to fall in the past two months. This is not the most important thing. What is important is that Apple's market share has begun to decline seriously. In addition, it cannot come up with new products. Wall Street has no Too bullish on Apple,” said Henry Morgan.
"Without this ability, how do you think I have everything I have now?" Chen Zhiwen picked up the cappuccino and took a sip.
"Yes." Henry Morgan nodded and said: "A powerful figure in our family wants to meet with you. The time is as close as you like, and the location is the same. It can be in New York. What do you think?"
"What kind of powerful person?" Chen Zhiwen asked curiously.
"One word that could decide my fate," said Henry Morgan.
"Then why did he see me?" Chen Zhiwen asked again.
Several major monopoly consortiums a century ago controlled oil, finance, steel, transportation, minerals, etc. in the United States. Although antitrust laws subsequently separated them, this did not affect the existing interests of these consortiums. In addition, The United States is good at inviting professional managers, but the wealth of ancestors is not as good as that in Hong Kong, and it is easy for future generations to lose it.
Let's talk about oil. Even if many of Rockefeller's subsidiaries went bankrupt, those who survived were all giants. Among the top 20 oil giants in the world, 4 have Rockefeller's shadow behind them.
The Morgan consortium may be a little worse, but even the large banks recognized directly under them have two giants, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley, who are also powerful in the US market.
Of course, some former large consortiums have declined, but most of them have been attacked or besieged by other giants, or the industry chain is no longer suitable for American production, or the industry has been replaced by new industries. For example, the former railway king had an almost monopoly There are railroads in the United States, but in the era of ocean containers, railroads have completely declined. Even in the United States, ocean transportation costs on the east and west coasts are still lower than railroads. The railroad families are still wealthy, but not as good as the previous Eleven.
"I don't know what the idea is, but the first meeting must be a casual chat. You are a smart person. Maybe after this chat, you will understand his intentions." Henry said.
(End of chapter)
