The Tyrant Billionaire

When Huo Qingtong discreetly approached the CCP to gauge their interest, they immediately expressed their desire to purchase the ships. However, dealing with the CCP carried certain risks. Any large transactions involving recognizable items like ships could easily land Huo in trouble, potentially leading to fines or even imprisonment.

To mitigate these risks, Huo insisted on adding penalties to the sale, which significantly increased the price.

The CCP, as usual, tried to haggle the price down, arguing they were a fledgling government with limited funds. But Huo Qingtong refused to budge. He insisted on cash, knowing full well the risks involved in dealing with them. After some back-and-forth, the CCP agreed to Huo's terms, paying most of the sum in cash, with a small portion of the payment being made in medicinal herbs.

Once the deal was concluded, Huo Qingtong gathered a crew and sailed the four ships north, eventually delivering them to Lianyungang.

The CCP officials who received the ships were ecstatic. "To be honest, the total cargo capacity of our current fleet is only around 100,000 tons. You've just delivered a real treasure to us."

Recently, peace talks between the CCP and the Nationalist had stalled, and the CCP forces were amassing along the Yangtze River, searching for ships in preparation for a river-crossing campaign. These ships were a godsend.

Finally, they calculated the total cost: 2.6 million dollars.

The CCP had managed to provide the majority of the payment in cash as demanded, with the rest being compensated in medicinal herbs. However, they were not pleased with the additional costs Huo Qingtong had imposed.

After completing the transaction, Huo Qingtong returned to Hong Kong with the herbs.

By this time, it was already April.

The peace talks between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist regime had completely stalled. Despite agreeing on terms, the Nationalist leader continued to delay, refusing to sign the accord.

The CCP leadership, growing impatient, decided to take matters into their own hands.

On April 20, the river-crossing campaign commenced.

In the stormy winds of Zhongshan, a million CCP troops began their assault, crossing the Yangtze River.

Around 800 to 1,000 vessels, including the new ships they bought, fishing boats and civilian crafts, were used to launch a full-scale offensive along multiple fronts: Anqing, Wuhu, Nanjing, and Jiangyin. By April 23, Nanjing had fallen.

The south was thrown into chaos.

Even Hong Kong trembled.

"Extra! Extra! The Nationalist Party has lost Nanjing. Hundreds of thousands of CCP troops are now marching toward Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang."

Many foreign bankers, seeing the news in the paper, were alarmed. The outcome seemed inevitable. What would happen to Hong Kong?

That very afternoon,

The head of the Yang family, owners of Wing Cheong Trading Company, called Victor. "Mr. Victor, we've decided to accept your previous offer and sell the Yongsheng Building."

Victor replied calmly, "Mr. Yang, the previous offer was for 6 million Hong Kong dollars. Given the increased risks now, we can only offer 4 million."

Mr. Yang felt his chest tighten.

"Mr. Victor, how can you change the terms like this?"
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Victor chuckled. "I'm not changing the terms; I'm simply reacting to the market. Do you know how many people are trying to unload their assets in Hong Kong right now? You're not the only one. I can tell you, our venture capital fund has a limit. If you don't sell now, you might not be able to sell later at all."

"If there's nothing else, I have other matters to attend to. Plenty of people are waiting to discuss selling their properties." Victor said.

"Wait, Mr. Victor," Mr. Yang called out, panicked.

He knew the situation was dire. Major trading companies were offloading assets, creating a massive impact on the market. Sellers were plentiful; buyers were nearly nonexistent.

After reaching out to numerous contacts, Mr. Yang realized that Hardy Group was the only company still buying. There was no other option.

"I'll sell. I'll accept the 4 million Hong Kong dollars."

Victor smiled lightly as he held the phone. "Come over and sign the contract. I'll write you a check from Wells Fargo Bank. You can cash it at any Wells Fargo branch worldwide."

"Alright, I'll be right there."

4 million Hong Kong dollars, about 700,525 USD, for an 18 story building on Queen's Road, one of Hong Kong's busiest districts.

And behind it, a 20 acre plot of land. This property would be worth billions in the future, but now it was sold for a fraction of its value due to fear of impending chaos.

When Hardy saw the news about the river crossing campaign,

He immediately gathered his staff from Global Times and ABC Radio, instructing them to report on the battle every day. Any territory lost by the Nationalists was to be highlighted as urgent news.

His aim was to keep the people of Hong Kong in a state of constant anxiety.

Next, he called Victor, along with representatives from Wells Fargo Bank and HSBC. "With this war, Hong Kong is bound to face panic. A large number of properties will likely go on the market. When people start abandoning their assets, we'll move in and acquire them. But make sure to drive the prices as low as possible."

Once his subordinates left,

Hardy smiled to himself. He had been waiting for this opportunity. The uncertainty of war and the fear of CCP control made Hong Kong ripe for acquisition.

And so, the scramble for Hong Kong's assets began.

This marked the foundation of what would become the Hardy Group's most powerful branch outside the United States

...

In Hong Kong, the atmosphere grew even more restless.

More and more people began selling off assets, and prices dropped again and again. The Hardy Group seized the opportunity to acquire a large number of industries.

At the same time,

many entrepreneurs fleeing the turmoil in China sought refuge in Hong Kong, bringing with them a significant amount of funds, particularly gold and silver.