"Why can't I get in touch with Situ Jie? It's almost night, and the trial should be over even if it is delayed any longer!"
A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. After a busy afternoon, Huo Zhaotang obtained hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars in cash from old friends and other banks as quickly as possible by mortgaging his shares and some land.
Relying on this cash, Huo's Bank not only survived the day's run crisis safely, but also had enough cash left to cope with the situation for two or three days.
This made Huo Zhaotang breathe a sigh of relief.
The most dangerous part of a run is the first day.
If we can cope with it, we can restore the confidence of depositors, reduce the amount of subsequent runs, and allow banks to survive the crisis.
If it can't handle it and can't exchange it for citizens who come to withdraw money, then the news will spread from ten to ten, and more people will come to withdraw money. In that case, the bank will be finished.
It is different from other industries.
Banks rely on reputation. With good reputation, they can not only easily borrow billions or even tens of billions of funds from the market, but also allow countless citizens to deposit money.
If your credibility is ruined, even if you still have hundreds of millions or even billions in cash in your vault, it will be over immediately, and the swarm of depositors can tear the bank apart.
For Huo Zhaotang, the most important thing now is to find the lost 500 million.
otherwise!
If outsiders knew that Huo had lost 500 million Hong Kong dollars, the run would not only be more violent than it is now, but would also cause a chain reaction, affecting banks and stocks to the real estate of Huo Group.
For the Huo Group, which invests half of its funds in real estate, real estate is the real lifeblood.
Once the material suppliers collectively come to collect debts, Huo Group will be asked to pay for the materials.
Huo Zhaotang is really finished. Bankruptcy and reorganization are the lightest.
"Boss, it's not good. News came from the Western District Police Station that Director Situ Jie was taken away by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, saying that he violated police force regulations." Just when Huo Zhaotang was worried about not being able to contact Situ Jie.
The bank manager has bad news.
"Situ Jie was taken away by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. It violated the regulations. Which regulations?" Huo Zhaotang was shocked when he heard that Situ Jie was taken away by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. This was his biggest official supporter.
The Huo Group's ability to grow from the bottom up in recent years was, firstly, inseparable from its own efforts, and secondly, from Situ Jie's support.
Without Situ Jie, the harassment from the association alone would be enough to make Huo Group suffer.
"I heard that it was related to your kidnapping, boss. The Independent Commission Against Corruption suspects that there is a connection of interest between you."
"It's related to my kidnapping, damn it!" Huo Zhaotang jumped up when he thought of the account books for gifts to Situ Jie and some big shots stored in his safe. He had to go home as quickly as possible and destroy the evidence before the Independent Commission Against Corruption came to the door.
In the past, these things were my life-saving talismans, allowing Situ Jie and other big shots to protect the Huo Group.
Now, this is a reminder. If the Independent Commission Against Corruption finds out, those big shots will not only kill themselves in order to protect themselves, but may even destroy their entire family.
"fine!"
What Huo Zhaotang was worried about did not appear. Accompanied by his bodyguards, he returned home and found that the Independent Commission Against Corruption had not come to the door yet. He breathed a sigh of relief and immediately went upstairs. He was going to get something from the safe to clear the relationship.
It's okay for Situ Jie to be unlucky, but he must not be involved.
——
"boom!"
The newspaper deliveryman threw a bundle of packed newspapers into a newspaper box, then started the accelerator and left without looking back. He needed to rush to the next house.
Less leaning!
The head of the household opened the door and came out. He looked at the newspaper in the newspaper box. He picked it up and read it while walking back. After just a few steps, he became restless.
Because the front page headline of the newspaper was that Huo's Bank encountered a run on deposits.
The head of the household knew the news yesterday, but the Huo Group was very wealthy and a run on it would not make it bankrupt, so the head of the household didn't care.
But what happened next made the head of household uneasy.
According to internal information, Huo's Bank suffered a major robbery, and the 500 million Hong Kong dollars stored in the vault were stolen. As a result, Huo's Group's funds were cut off, and it is very likely that Huo's Group will be cut off to survive, causing Huo's Group to go bankrupt and reorganize.
"Oops, 500 million Hong Kong dollars have been robbed. If it is true, Huo's Group may really go bankrupt. No, my material payment has not been settled with Huo's Group. If he goes bankrupt, who should I go to?" .”
The panicked head of the household quickly looked through other newspapers and found that they were all about this. Huo's Bank and its parent company Huo's Group were about to go bankrupt.
But the head of the household, who was desperate for the money, quickly changed his clothes and drove straight to Huo Zhaotang's home without even having time to eat. He wanted to get his money back as soon as possible.
When they arrived at Huo's house, they found that he was not the only one there. There were also other businessmen, large and small, some of whom were material dealers, and some of whom were engineering contractors. Without exception, they all had business debts with Huo Zhaotang.
These people come here, without exception, to ask for money.
As for Huo Zhaotang, he went out early in the morning, and everyone who rushed over was disappointed. In order to get the money, after confirming that Huo Zhaotang was not at home, everyone rushed to Huo's Bank in groups.
Compared to Huo Zhaotang's family, the situation at Huo's Bank is even worse.
Originally, because the run was normal on the first day, everyone who went to withdraw money got their deposits. In addition, Huo Zhaotang not only asked the bank to extend the working hours from five o'clock to seven o'clock, but also deliberately asked people to place a large amount of cash on the bank. Bank lobby.
It signaled that Huo's Bank had abundant funds and would not refuse anyone who came to withdraw money, which gave great confidence to the waiting citizens. On the first night, there were already far fewer people coming to withdraw money.
However, after the news of the robbery of 500 million in cash from Huo's Bank was exposed through newspapers.
In an instant, citizens and companies with deposits in Huo's Bank were detonated.
What is the concept of 500 million!
If we say that big banks like Hang Seng Bank and Citibank are fine, they are just a drop in the bucket and can survive with their strong strength.
But for a small and medium-sized private bank like Huo's Bank, 500 million can be said to be life-threatening. Not to mention Huo's Bank, even its parent company Huo's Group cannot escape the bad luck.
At this moment, everyone thought of HSBC.
This is the giant and uncrowned king of Hong Kong who became bankrupt because of the treasury robbery, and the hard work of countless citizens was wiped out.
Huo's Bank probably can't handle it either.
So, they came to the door of Huo's Bank one after another. At this moment, they were no longer queuing up, because Huo's Bank would collapse at any time. For their hard-earned money, they waved their deposit slips and squeezed into the bank as hard as they could, hoping to get as soon as possible. Get the money and let the scene get chaotic.
As for Huo Zhaotang himself.
After learning that the newspaper published the news that his own vault had been robbed, he immediately went to the bank to assign tasks to the employees, asking everyone to work hard and try their best to save the bank.
As a result, Huo Zhaotang became desperate when he saw more and more people coming to the bank for a run, which had formed a congestion outside, and when many material dealers came to the company to block him.
"Why did the Eastern Group mess with me? I didn't offend Lei Weidong." Looking at the bank manager standing in front of him, Huo Zhaotang roared.
Because the news that Huo's Bank was robbed of HK$500 million was first reported by a newspaper owned by the Eastern Group, Huo Zhaotang knew who was doing it to him.
"Maybe it's because we blocked the way of the Eastern Group." The bank manager lowered his head and guessed.
"I am not the leader of the Eastern Group. I am not Huo Daheng. How can I be the leader of the Eastern Group?" Huo Zhaotang said with a wry smile after hearing this.
There are two bosses Huo in Xiangjiang.
One is Huo Zhaotang. Although this guy is rich, he is unsentimental and stingier than Wang Yifei. He often colludes with associations to obtain land use rights from citizens at low prices, and then builds shabby buildings and sells them to citizens.
Earn huge profits in the middle.
Not to mention the public, the reputation among the upper class is not good.
Not to mention the other one, he is not an ordinary businessman billionaire, but a red-top businessman, the top figure in Hong Kong.
He is rich but does not love money. He is not only loyal but also righteous in doing things. He is the best friend of the mainland. His status in Xiangjiang is not to mention that of a small figure like Huo Zhaotang.
Even Lei Weidong fell short.
Although Lei Weidong's investment in the mainland over the years has been much higher than that of Huo Daheng, his relationship with the mainland is still not as good as that of Huo Daheng.
the reason is simple.
Lei Weidong started investing in the mainland again at the end of the 1980s. Although it is not the icing on the cake, it is not a timely help.
Huo Daheng is different.
People began to transport supplies to the mainland in the 1950s and 1960s, when the mainland was most difficult.
It is said that the earliest penicillin in the mainland was sent by Huo Daheng, which saved countless commanders and soldiers during the war.
This relationship can be said to be built up little by little through sharing weal and woe. Even if Huo Daheng has retired from the second line, the accumulated contacts can last his family for decades, which is not something Lei Weidong can surpass in a short time.
"I don't know. It may have something to do with Qiu Gangao and the policemen. I heard that Lin Qiaochu, the barrister who overturned the case for Qiu Gangao and others, has a close relationship with the Eastern Group.
Do you want to find someone to make peace with us and ask the Eastern Group to let us go? "
"It's too late to say anything now." Huo Zhaotang looked at the TV in the office. It was a financial TV station that was broadcasting a live broadcast of the run on Huo's Bank.
Looking at the picture, Huo's Bank's stock price has plummeted, falling 70% from yesterday's level. It is still hitting the bottom, with no sign of stopping.
Huo Zhaotang knew that Huo's Bank's stock had collapsed and could not be recovered no matter what.
The Eastern Bloc gave itself no way to survive.
If you want to deal with the run crisis, you must obtain a large amount of cash.
But now Huo's Bank's stock has fallen into decline, and no one wants it even if it is used as a mortgage.
Unless he can get back the lost 500 million.
But Huo Zhaotang knew his reputation in the police force.
After he added insult to injury to Qiu Gangao and others, his reputation in the police force was already bad.
If it were before, Huo Zhaotang wouldn't care.
He is a billionaire, and he is not on the same level as the front-line police. Even if he deals with them, he has to contact their leaders. With Situ Jie here, he can mobilize the police force at any time.
Now!
Not to mention the shadow of Lei Weidong behind this matter, even if there was no Lei Weidong, the frontline police would delay him as long as they could, just to see their own misfortune. As for Situ Jie, his life is now in danger.
"This is the general manager's office. You can't come in. You can't come in." Just when Huo Zhaotang was feeling sorry for himself and didn't know what to do, noisy footsteps came from outside the office.
A large group of businessmen who supplied Huo Group broke through the barriers of security guards and secretaries and entered Huo Zhaotang's office to ask for money.
"Mr. Huo, it's time to settle our accounts. Our company is waiting for the money to be paid." This was pleading.
"Boss Huo, we have been friends for more than ten years. Considering that we have cooperated for many years, I accepted the money. In the future, our old love will still be friends." This is playing the emotional card.
"Huo, give me your money immediately, otherwise I will not only find someone to hack you to death, but also harm your family." This was a threat.
"Quiet, everyone, please be quiet. The boss is thinking of a way. Give us some time and we won't miss your payment." Seeing the debt collectors swarming towards them, the bank manager quickly stopped them and advised them earnestly.
"There is no way, there is no way now!" Looking at the crowd rushing over and the crowded crowd downstairs, Huo Zhaotang shook his head and smiled bitterly.
In a place like Xiangjiang, there is always only icing on the cake and no help in times of need. When a wealthy businessman of his stature encounters difficulties, not only will no one save him, but they will also think of kicking him to death so that he can divide his wealth. .
Huo Zhaotang has seen this too many times in his more than 20 years of shopping career.
So when he felt something was wrong, Huo Zhaotang sent his wife and children away. Counting the time, they had already boarded the plane to Canada.
Fortunately, this is Xiangjiang, and your passport allows visa-free travel to most countries in the world. You can go directly to European and American countries by buying air tickets.
Unlike the mainland, you still need to apply for a visa from the embassy when going to Europe and the United States.
When they left, I felt relieved.
Even if the company goes bankrupt, it won't affect them. Although they can't live the same life as before, relying on the tens of millions he left to them will be enough to live comfortably for a lifetime if they don't ruin the family.
What you have to do is to end everything.
"Boss Huo, what are you going to do?" Just when the office was in chaos, someone suddenly saw Huo Zhaotang climbing onto the window sill and immediately shouted:
"Come down quickly. The money you owe me can give you some time off."
"Excuse me, what's the use of your time just by yourself." Huo Zhaotang shook his head and said with a wry smile: "I invested the bank in the stock market and real estate, and lost another 500 million in the remaining money.
Now unless the police can get the 500 million back, nothing they say will work. "
Huo Zhaotang pointed at the crowded crowd downstairs and continued: "You don't need to force me. It's just the depositors below who can run the bank. So they owe a lot of debt and go to jail and bring trouble to their families. It's better to settle it all. Anyway, you should enjoy it." I have enjoyed it all, and I will not lose anything in this life.”
