The Tyrant Billionaire

At this time, the Hang Seng Index did not yet exist.

"In the future, Hardy Group companies can choose to list on this new exchange. Other companies can also list here. Stock categories could include shipping, warehousing, hotels, real estate, construction, finance, retail, toys, industry, and more. We’ll gradually cultivate the market and make Hong Kong’s financial scene more active."

HSBC and Wells Fargo’s senior executives were busily taking notes.

To be honest, they were all somewhat shocked.

Establishing a new stock exchange and turning Hong Kong into a financial center of Asia the boss’s ambitions were truly vast.

Right now, China was engulfed in continuous conflicts.

The future of Hong Kong was uncertain.

Many people were filled with worry, including the old trading families, who were busy reducing their assets and preparing to flee Hong Kong at any moment. Continue reading at empire

Yet at this time, Mr. Hardy continued investing and showed great confidence in Hong Kong’s future, leaving them surprised.

After discussing these matters, Hardy brought up another topic. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Since you’re all here, let me share the industrial planning for Hong Kong so you have a clear picture in mind."

Everyone immediately straightened up and focused their attention on the boss.

"HSBC will operate independently in the future and be solely governed by its board of directors."

"The Hong Kong branch of Wells Fargo is just that—a branch. It will remain under the direct control of Wells Fargo’s headquarters."

"HD Security’s Hong Kong branch will also function as an independent division of HD Security, without interference from others."

"The Global Times and ABC TV and radio stations will continue to report directly to their upper management."

"As for the remaining businesses, they will form the Hardy Group’s Hong Kong division. Victor will oversee this company, which includes all businesses in the Kowloon Tong industrial zone, Hardy Real Estate, and any new companies that emerge in the future."

"Any business that isn’t under the direct jurisdiction of other divisions will fall under the Hong Kong branch."

Many people thought to themselves,

This Hong Kong branch essentially had no difference from the group itself.

As they left HSBC, Victor also sat in the car. Hardy turned to Victor and said, "Look for a suitable building to purchase for the branch headquarters. As the president of this branch, you shouldn’t be cramped in a small apartment."

"You have a bunch of vice presidents and managers under you, plus a dedicated financial and legal team. You need a proper headquarters."

"I understand, boss. I’ll find a suitable place as soon as possible," Victor quickly replied.

Back at the Mid Levels villa.

It was still afternoon, and the sun was warm. Hardy and Victor chatted in the backyard while the servants brought coffee and snacks.

After taking a sip of coffee, Hardy said, "Victor, where do you think would be a good location to build a racetrack in Hong Kong?"

Victor was momentarily stunned.

The boss’s mind was always so active, now jumping to the topic of racetracks.

"You want to build a racetrack in Hong Kong?"

Hardy chuckled lightly. "Haven’t you noticed? The Hong Kong Jockey Club brings together all of Hong Kong’s upper class. The Jockey Club has become a power hub, and for Hardy Group to gain more influence, we need to have a voice there."

"Building a racetrack is just the first step. The next goal is to join the Jockey Club and eventually become a key player there. What I want is to gain influence over the club’s membership."

"Once our businesses take off, our overall strength will slowly surpass the old foreign trading Families."

Victor finally understood Hardy’s intention to build a racetrack.

"Boss, we still have a large piece of land in Sha Tin. How about building the racetrack there?" Victor asked.

Hardy paused for a moment.

History always has an uncanny way of converging in the same direction.

In the future, Hong Kong’s second racetrack would indeed be the Sha Tin Racecourse. Now, that piece of land had been acquired by Victor, and Hardy’s idea of building a racetrack naturally made that location an option.

Hardy thought about it but shook his head.

"No, let’s build it in Kowloon. Find a piece of land larger than Happy Valley and construct the new racetrack there. We can deal with Sha Tin later," Hardy said.

"At the moment, it wasn’t convenient to reach Sha Tin—the roads were long, and it required passing through mountains. Currently, there was no tunnel, and Kowloon wasn’t as congested as it would be in the future. We can still secure large tracts of land. I’ve already spoken to Grantham about purchasing some, so we’ll build in Kowloon."

"There’s a large population here, and once the racetrack is up and running, it will be much more convenient. As for whether the Hong Kong government will agree by then…"

"It doesn’t matter. If worst comes to worst, we’ll open a casino in Macau and use a telephone betting system—races in Hong Kong, bets placed in Macau. This would perfectly bypass territorial restrictions."

Moreover, building a racetrack in Kowloon serves another purpose: land acquisition. We can occupy a large area of land now, and in the future, when space becomes tight, and the roads are developed, we can consider moving the racetrack to Sha Tin. The land where the racetrack stood could likely be sold for hundreds of billions of Hong Kong dollars.

Many families in Hong Kong made their fortune this way in later years.

They originally ran businesses that weren’t very profitable, but in the end, they simply sold their land for over a hundred billion Hong Kong dollars, and just like that, they became one of Hong Kong’s top richest families.

"Victor, are there any large health supplement companies or pharmaceutical manufacturers here in Hong Kong?" Hardy asked.

Victor thought for a while, but shook his head and said: "None that I can think of, boss. Are you planning to enter the health supplement industry?"