When Hardy's convoy arrived at the gates of Governnt House, the cars of the presidents of HSBC, Wells Fargo , Global Tis, and ABC Radio were already waiting there. They joined Hardy's convoy to enter Governnt House.
A group of people stood at the entrance to the main building of Governnt House.
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Governor Grantham, the Chief Secretary, the Financial Secretary, the Attorney General, Legislative Council mbers, several British company presidents.
The welcoming reception was on par with what one would expect for the arrival of the British Pri Minister.
But for Hardy, even though he was just a businessman, his status was now enough for Governor Grantham to treat him with such respect. When Grantham learned that Hardy was coming to Hong Kong, the British Pri Minister had even sent a secret telegram instructing him to maintain good relations with Hardy.
Of course, the reason for maintaining good relations was clear: Britain hoped to secure a dollar loan from Hardy to alleviate their current severe funding shortage.
Hardy's car stopped.
Soone opened the car door, and Hardy stepped out. Behind Hardy stood Victor, HSBC President Sanders, Wells Fargo President Sandwell, Global Tis President, and others.
In fact even if Hardy himself wasn't impressive, just the people standing behind him were now so of the most influential figures in Hong Kong.
"Clap clap clap~~!"
A round of enthusiastic applause filled the air.
Governor Grantham stepped forward to shake Hardy's hand and exchange pleasantries.
Grantham then introduced Hardy to the Hong Kong officials. One by one, they smiled and shook Hardy's hand before finally heading inside together.
Before the reception began, Governor Grantham invited Hardy to say a few words.
With a smile, Hardy stepped onto the stage and said loudly to the crowd:
"Twenty-five days ago, I arrived in the United Kingdom, where The Pri Minister hosted a banquet for us at 10 Downing Street. I had the opportunity to discuss with the Pri Minister and mbers of his Cabinet the future investnt and developnt prospects for Britain and its overseas territories..."
Clap, clap...
There was another round of warm applause from the audience.
After his boasting ended, the reception officially began. Many people approached Hardy for conversations, including representatives from the four major foreign trading companies. These companies had a deep rooted presence in Hong Kong, with businesses spanning power companies, water supply, construction, real estate, shipping, airports, retail, banking, hotels, insurance, and more.
In the past year, the Hardy Group had made large scale investnts in Hong Kong, causing concerns among them that their business might be threatened.
However, resorting to underhanded tactics to stop him? They didn't have the guts for that.
Now, it was even more out of the question, as the Hardy Group had acquired HSBC, Hong Kong's most important bank. The four major trading companies also held shares in HSBC, and now they could only seek cooperation.
Many people were also worried about Hong Kong's future. During a conversation with Hardy, the president of Jardine Matheson asked, "Mr. Hardy, the current situation is unstable. Aren't you worried about the possibility of a major upheaval with your large scale investnt in Hong Kong at this ti?"
He was clearly referring to the potential risk of the Communist Party coming to invade Hong Kong.
Hardy smiled lightly, "Investnt is never a guaranteed thing. I know that people are unsettled in Hong Kong right now, and many investors are pulling out."
"But this is exactly the right ti to invest, isn't it? You can acquire quality assets at a lower price. If I win the bet, my returns will multiply several tis over. If I lose, I'm prepared to accept the loss and withdraw from Hong Kong."
So people speculated that Hardy, as the head of a large Arican corporation, might have received support from the U.S. governnt for his investnts in Hong Kong. But now, Hardy told them that he was rely gambling.
This answer left many people disappointed.
Hardy had the wealth to afford a failed investnt, but other businessn weren't so fortunate, and they couldn't take such large risks.
Hardy chuckled to himself.
He wanted them to feel fear—this way, they would sell their assets, allowing him to acquire them at the lowest price.
While Hardy was chatting with others, a middle aged Chinese man stood nearby. After Hardy finished his conversation with the person in front of him, the man imdiately stepped forward, "Mr. Hardy, it's an honor to et you."
"Mr. Tung Haoyun, I presu?"
"Ah, Mr. Hardy, you know ?" Tung Haoyun was pleasantly surprised.
Hardy smiled, "I've read about you. We are business partners after all. Your company, Orient Overseas Shipping, is currently the largest shipping company in East Asia. I hope you continue to develop it."
When Hardy referred to them as partners, he was being polite. In reality, Hardy owned 70% of Orient Overseas Shipping, giving him absolute control.
"I will certainly work hard to grow Orient Overseas Shipping," Tung Haoyun quickly responded.
"Hardy Shipping already owns six shipping companies, with routes covering the globe. In the future, I hope we can cooperate further. I am confident that our shipping group will beco the largest global shipping alliance," Hardy said.
Tung Haoyun was deeply excited by this.
Midway through the reception,
Governor Grantham invited Hardy for a cigar. The two went out to the courtyard to chat while enjoying the night view. "Mr. Hardy, the governnt is very welcoming of your investnts in Hong Kong. If you see any industries of interest, feel free to let know if you need any help."
Hardy smiled.
"Governor, there is indeed sothing I could use your help with."
"Oh, what is it?"
"Land acquisition. My group plans to expand, and we need to purchase more land. I understand the governnt still holds a significant amount of land, and I hope to acquire so for developnt," Hardy said.
"I recall that Victor has already purchased a lot of land. Isn't that enough?" Grantham asked, surprised.
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