Chapter 927: New Governor Arrives in Hong Kong (Two in One)
Monday, May 17, 1982.
Queen's Pier in the evening.
At the moment, there are many big figures from Hong Kong on the Queen's Pier, and the place has been placed under martial law.
People from all walks of life in Hong Kong gather here, of course, because Governor Youde is coming to Hong Kong soon and will disembark at Queen's Pier. Everyone is here to welcome the new Governor.
"Lin Sheng, you should be attending the welcome dinner tonight, right?"
Lin Baicheng and several close Chinese tycoons stood together, and it was Bao Yugang who asked.
"As long as Sir Yod welcomes me, then I will participate."
Lin Baicheng's words were tantamount to saying that he would attend the dinner. It was impossible to directly say that Lin Baicheng was not welcome to attend the dinner. That would be tantamount to directly breaking up and saying in front of people from all walks of life in Hong Kong that he would suppress Lin Baicheng at all costs.
As a newly appointed governor, Youde is unlikely to do this even if there is an order from above.
A mature politician, even if he has to deal with someone, would never break up with him face to face. Instead, he would make concessions to the other person on the surface and then stab him behind his back.
Zheng Yudong said: "I hope this new governor is easy to get along with."
Li Zhaoji couldn't help but shake his head after hearing this: "I'm afraid it will be difficult, and no matter what time it is, the new governor may have come to Xiangjiang with a mission to take up his post."
"Huo Sheng's absence actually explains something."
That's right, Huo Yingdong did not come to greet the new governor Youde. It's normal when you think about it. The Huo family is a red family and has been working hard for the return of Xiangjiang. It is normal that they and the new governor are not in the same pot and they dislike each other.
"I hope the fight between the two sides can be controlled within a certain range."
Li Zhaoji couldn't help but feel worried. He was worried that the worst-case scenario would arise in the battle between China and Britain over the ownership of Hong Kong, forcing all parties to take sides, and even war would break out.
A war broke out between England and England over the Falklands, and they are still fighting now. So it is not impossible that a war breaks out between China and England over Xiangjiang.
Once a war breaks out, no matter who wins in the end, the major families based in Xiangjiang will suffer huge losses, and their lives may even be threatened.
"Don't worry, Li Sheng. Neither side wants to see a ruined Xiangjiang. The situation will be controlled within a certain range."
Lin Baicheng expressed relief. He still had this confidence. He did not believe that because of his rebirth, a war would break out in Xiangjiang.
"What Lin Sheng said is that Li Sheng is worrying too much."
Bao Yugang nodded in agreement. In his opinion, there will be a struggle, but it will not be too big and it will be controllable.
Li Zhaoji didn't say anything, just nodded. He was just worried, not that the possibility of war was very high.
Time passes minute by minute.
"Woo~~~"
As the roar sounded, the ship appeared in the eyes of everyone on the dock.
Getting closer and closer, the British flag is already visible.
After a while, the ship docked and some people boarded the dock.
Anyone who has seen Youde's photo can immediately confirm that the new governor of Xiangjiang has arrived in Xiangjiang after seeing the leader.
Youde officially set foot on the land of Xiangjiang and became the 26th Governor of Xiangjiang.
The first people to greet Youde were the British capital, led by HSBC executive Shen Chow, as well as a number of important officials from the Hong Kong government.
As for Lin Baicheng and others, they followed behind and stood aside. After all, they were Chinese and were not familiar with You De.
"Sir, welcome to Xiangjiang!"
Shen Zhou was pushed out as a representative and shook hands with You De. This scene was photographed by a group of reporters not far away.
"I think I will like Xiangjiang here. I am very happy to live here in the future."
You De expressed his love for Hong Kong and his attitude towards Hong Kong, which is that Hong Kong must continue to belong to the British. Otherwise, how could he continue to live in Xiangjiang?
Of course, Youde couldn't fall in love with the city of Xiangjiang and want to live here for the rest of his life. He was just expressing his attitude and British determination to keep Xiangjiang.
"Hong Kong will always welcome you, and you can always stay here as long as you are willing."
Shen Zhou immediately said, "People who don't know, think that the people of Xiangjiang must always be the 'good citizens' of England."
Lin Baicheng and others looked at the scene with cold eyes. The scene directed by You De and Shen Pou was for those who had been brainwashed and was of no use to them.
After Youde greeted the British capital and Hong Kong government officials, he came to Lin Baicheng and others. He could not directly ignore Lin Baicheng and other Chinese tycoons. Even if he was putting on a show for the outside world, he had to act like he was close to the people.
"Sir Youde, welcome to Hong Kong. I am Bao Yugang of Global Shipping."
Bao Yugang took the lead in reaching out to Youde and introducing himself.
"Sir Bao, I know you, the world-famous shipping king."
You De and Bao Yugang shook hands very warmly.
Yes, Bao Yugang is also a knight, and was awarded the title of knight by the Queen of England in 1976.
Of course, Sir Bao Yugang, like most of the British knights, is only an honorary knight.
There are many knights in Xiangjiang, like Shao Yifu of TVB. He is also a knight and was awarded the title of knight in 1977.
The Queen of England bestows knighthoods on Chinese tycoons and celebrities in order to win over them, so there are many Chinese in Hong Kong who have received knighthoods.
In fact, with Lin Baicheng's wealth and status, he was also eligible to be awarded a knighthood, but the reason why he was not granted the title was because he declined.
Soon after Lin Baicheng decided to support the mainland in the early days, when MacLehose wooed him, he promised that the Queen of England would grant him a knighthood, but Lin Baicheng did not agree and declined.
Of course Lin Baicheng would not agree. The title of British knighthood is not valuable now. Apart from the good reputation, it has no practical benefits.
If he were a noble with an actual fiefdom, Lin Baicheng might still be tempted and consider it. Only an honorary title of knight has no other benefits except that it sounds good. Lin Baicheng would be stupid to accept it.
"Sir Youde, hello, I am Lin Baicheng from Hutchison Whampoa."
Lin Baicheng introduced himself as the chairman of Hutchison Whampoa, which is somewhat famous in England.
Youde, who walked up to Lin Baicheng, looked Lin Baicheng up and down after hearing this, but did not shake hands with Lin Baicheng immediately.
The surroundings suddenly became much quieter, and many people subconsciously held their breath.
The smile on Lin Baicheng's face did not change, and he did not retract his outstretched hand, as if he didn't notice anything.
"What is Sir Yod doing?"
Shen Zhou couldn't help but frown secretly when he saw this. Although he wanted Youde to suppress Lin Baicheng, but Youde suppressing Lin Baicheng for no reason when he first came here would only cause a backlash among the Chinese people. Not only the lower-level Xiangjiang people would support Lin Baicheng, but also other Chinese businessmen would choose to stand. On Lin Baicheng's side.
This has nothing to do with whether Lin Baicheng is close to him or not. Things hurt others, especially if he can suppress Lin Baicheng for no reason. Naturally, everyone is worried that they will become the next one, and they definitely hope that Lin Baicheng can hold on.
In this way, if Youde cannot suppress the situation, it will be a huge blow to his prestige. However, if Lin Baicheng, who is supported by all parties, is suppressed, it will only trigger a greater backlash and make more people support the mainland. It will be even more difficult to retain Hong Kong.
Especially since he was the Governor of Xiangjiang, Shen Zhou felt that he should not have thought of this and should not be so irrational.
"Mr. Lin Baicheng, I have heard of you in London. You are indeed young and promising. Xiangjiang has developed better and better under the management of Sir MacLehose in recent years. It is really rare for elites to emerge."
After a few seconds, You De seemed to suddenly react, holding Lin Baicheng's hand and praising him continuously.
"Sir Mai is a respectable governor, and I believe Sir Yoder will also become a respectable governor."
Lin Baicheng didn't seem to notice You De's different attitude towards him, smiling all over his face, but there was a hint in his words, it was up to You De to hear it.
"I will definitely learn from Sir MacLehose."
Youde smiled and said: "Sir MacLehose's great contribution to Hong Kong will definitely be commended by the Queen when he returns to London. I think I will also receive the same reward when I leave."
This sentence is telling Lin Baicheng that he will definitely succeed and let Hong Kong continue to be ruled by the British.
Otherwise, how could he be rewarded by the Queen of England as a loser.
"Then I'll have to wait and see."
Lin Baicheng said nothing more.
Youde didn't say anything more and turned to say hello to Li Zhaoji who was next to Lin Baicheng.
After that, Youde's behavior was very normal, treating everyone in a formulaic manner, and not messing with his son.
Lin Baicheng knew that this was a disincentive for him, and it also made him a target for the eyes of all walks of life in Hong Kong.
Lin Baicheng was mentally prepared for this. What happened now? You De was just giving him a little embarrassment for the sake of face, and he hadn't used any real weapons yet.
But this also made Lin Baicheng certain of one thing, that is, it was basically impossible to win over You De. But it's impossible. You have to give it a try. If you don't give it a try, it's 100% impossible. If you try, there's still some chance of success.
After saying hello to everyone, Youde left Queen's Pier with the people from the Hong Kong government.
Upon seeing this, many people left and waited until evening to attend the welcoming dinner hosted by the Hong Kong government.
After the others left and only a few people were left, Zheng Yudong said to Lin Baicheng: "Lin Sheng, you should be more careful. The new governor is coming from a bad place, at least to you."
Li Zhaoji nodded: "Governor Youde definitely did it on purpose."
"It's okay, I'm mentally prepared for this."
Lin Baicheng smiled and said: "He can't cover up Xiangjiang with one hand. It's not that easy to suppress me."
"Don't worry Lin Sheng, we will support you."
Bao Yugang said aloud that he had a good relationship with the British capital. Even if he couldn't help Lin Baicheng openly in the end, it was still okay to provide Lin Baicheng with some help secretly.
Bao Yugang knew very well that although he had a good relationship with Shen Chou and other British investors, he belonged to the circle of Chinese businessmen. When he had to make a choice, he had to stand on the side of the Chinese businessmen, and this position could not be shaken.
Zheng Yudong said solemnly: "Bao Sheng is right. If Lin Sheng needs help, just tell us and we will do our best."
Others agreed and expressed that they would stand by Lin Baicheng.
"Thank you all, I won't be polite if necessary."
Lin Baicheng solemnly expressed his gratitude to everyone present. He would not be polite if needed. Sometimes, asking others to help and owe a favor will bring the relationship closer between the two parties. You cannot go it alone just because you don't want to owe a favor.
Of course, if you can't owe a huge favor, it's better not to owe it. After all, it's hard to repay a debt of favor.
After everyone chatted for a while, they said goodbye and left.
Lin Baicheng got on the extended Lincoln and left to go back to Lin's house.
In the car, Lin Baicheng fell into deep thought.
The scene at the Queen's Pier just now made him a little confused. The new Governor-General Youde didn't even try to win him over, and directly expressed his dissatisfaction with him in front of people from all walks of life, as if telling everyone to suppress him, Lin Baicheng.
Even if Youde really wanted to suppress him, Lin Baicheng, there was no need to do this. He could just maintain superficial harmony with him and then deal with him. There was no need to make his attitude clear like now.
If this fails to suppress Lin Baicheng, the prestige of Governor-General Youde will be discounted.
A mature politician should not do this.
Therefore, Youde's move made Lin Baicheng a little confused, and he didn't know what Youde was thinking.
"Forget it, let's stop the enemy and cover the water."
After thinking for a moment, Lin Baicheng shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He decided to remain unchanged in the face of changes and wait for Youde to make a move.
Lin Baicheng could only wait for Youde to make a move. Even if he knew that Youde was dissatisfied with him, Lin Baicheng had no way to target Youde. That was challenging the authority of the British government. He was just doing that because he had nothing better to do.
…
After 6:30, Lin Baicheng left the Lin residence.
The extended Lincoln drove to the Peninsula Hotel, where the welcoming dinner tonight was held.
Although Lin Baicheng rarely came here, all kinds of banquets held by the Hong Kong government were held here. If he was invited to attend, he would have to come even if he didn't want to.
Outside the Peninsula Hotel, a large number of media were waiting to interview and take pictures of the guests.
After Lin Baicheng arrived, a large number of reporters immediately surrounded him, but they were blocked outside by bodyguards and no one could squeeze in.
Lin Baicheng did not answer the reporters' questions and walked directly into the Peninsula Hotel.
Many guests had already come to the dinner, and the number would only be more than the number of people who went to the Queen's Pier to welcome him in the evening.
Many guests were Lin Baicheng's acquaintances. Lin Baicheng greeted them one by one. They did not alienate Lin Baicheng because of Youde's attitude towards Lin Baicheng at the Queen's Pier before. They were just like usual.
Many things cannot be hidden from people. As long as they are willing, everyone can find out what happened at the Queen's Pier not long ago.
But everyone did not change their attitude because Lin Baicheng is still the richest man in Hong Kong and has a huge business. It is questionable whether he will be suppressed.
Youde, the governor, has not started to suppress Lin Baicheng, but he has started to change his attitude towards Lin Baicheng. This is what a fool would do. Even if those who have a certain business are not so smart, they are definitely not stupid.