Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 20: Robbery (Part [-])

A pile of ruins!
  The seemingly light words fell into Mr. White's ears, making his heart tremble. Of course he knew what the other person's words meant - war will destroy everything.

Everything in North Borneo has been destroyed, including the extremely expensive port. On orders from the military, the company destroyed many facilities, including the port. After the war, it would take money to rebuild it all.

"Leave aside the fact that Britain will not, and the United States will not allow Britain to have colonies, let's talk about North Borneo. The war destroyed almost everything there. Even if the company took back North Borneo after the war, it faced They are just devastated ruins, and the destroyed ports and cities need to be rebuilt. The question is, do you have the money?"

After blowing out a puff of smoke, Li Yi looked at White in front of him and said directly.

"You don't have it, and neither does the company. When the time comes, what is your choice? It's nothing more than handing everything over to the government, well... after you have paid debt interest for several years! Mr. White, this is the only thing you can get - pay a huge amount of debt interest and then hand the company back to the government, because this is your only option."

Li Yian didn't even give him a chance to breathe, but took advantage of his uneasy mind to continue speaking.

"Otherwise, you will not only have to bear huge bond interest payments, but also have to find ways to rebuild. But sir, will you invest in a piece of land that is destined to be lost?"

This is the most fatal blow!
  As the only major shareholder of a company with colonies in the British Empire, White has always maintained close contact with the Colonial Office. Just a few months ago at a banquet, he personally heard the Colonial Secretary say that it would be difficult to maintain the British Empire. colony.

This is a well-known fact that even India was promised self-government by the British Empire after the war.

autonomy!

It is undoubtedly disastrous for the North Borneo Company. Without official help, it is difficult for the company to continue operating. Is it possible for the official to help them? Officials would certainly prefer to rebuild Singapore than North Borneo.

"This……"

White took a puff of cigarette and said with some guilt.

"But sir, as we all know, the company owns everything there, there must be someone willing to buy the company's bonds."

"When the time comes, the British Empire will not allow the colonies to be autonomous. And how long can your assets last?"

As he spoke, Li Yian said directly.

"Your dividend in 40 years was 3.5 pounds. This was the last dividend you received, but more than 99% of this dividend was paid personal income tax. In 41 years, North Borneo fell. In the past three years, In the middle of the year, you did not receive a penny of dividends. Instead, you had to pay £2.9 in interest on corporate bonds every year. In the past three years, you paid almost £[-] in interest. Mr. White, you will suffer a lot if you do this. Sora, how long can you hold on?"

"Sir, the war will end."

Reflecting, White said,
  "After the war is over, I will still have a chance..."

"What if the war continues for another four or five years? You know, until now, there is no sign of it ending!"

One sentence made White's face turn extremely pale, and even the fingers holding the cigarette trembled involuntarily.

How long will the war last?
  No one knows, it may be four years, it may be five years, who knows? The German army was so powerful, and their submarines continued to sink merchant ships. Newspapers even worried that Britain would fall into famine next month, because the rate of merchant ships being sunk far exceeded the rate of construction. This war is completely different from the last one. This time, Germany is stronger, but what about Britain? It is even weaker, so weak that it is even unable to resist the German invasion. It can only rely on the Americans, and the Americans are not at ease. They do everything possible to force Britain to give up its colonies. Does Britain have a choice?
  No!

Why didn't Li Nian listen to Ian Thorpe QC and wait until next year to acquire the North Borneo Company?
  To put it bluntly, it’s because of poor information.

In 43, no one could guess when the Axis Powers would be defeated, but by 44, the whole world saw that the Axis Powers had been defeated.

Li Yian doesn't know whether the North Borneo Company's share price will fall next year, but one thing is certain, these shareholders will definitely have illusions, and they will definitely dream of restoring yesterday's glory, and then this This illusion will be completely shattered in 45 years, that is, at the end of the war.

If possible, Li Nian would of course wait until 45 years. After all, by then, everyone will know that North Borneo cannot be saved. But when the time comes, there may not be enough time. He needs to "return" to North Borneo as soon as the war ends, which involves a series of follow-up tasks.

"But in the past four or five years, you will need to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt interest. The only question is, can you afford it?"

Li Yian said lightly, then he took a puff of cigarette and blew out a smoke ring happily.

"When you can't afford the debt, the creditors will sue, and the court will auction your property in accordance with the law to repay the debt. Mr. White, by then, you will have nothing and lose everything including this house. thing!"

The man's words pierced Mr. White's heart like a thorn. This old British man who was over sixty years old knew very well that the other party was telling the truth. In fact, this was what he was worried about, and it was also what the other major shareholders were worried about. What they worry about is that if the war continues, the huge debt interest will eventually cause them to lose everything.

"Well, sir, I admit you are telling the truth, and if you will, one shilling per share..."

Before she finished speaking, she saw the sarcasm on the other side's face, which seemed to be mocking her innocence.

"Mr. White,"

After taking a puff of cigarette, Li Yian stood up.

"If this is the case, there is no need for us to continue talking. We all know that the North Borneo Company's shares are worthless!"

After that, he turned around to leave, and when he saw this, Mr. White said quickly.

"Mr. Li, what price do you think is appropriate?"

"Transfer the shares to me free of charge, and I will bear the interest on the debt. From now on, I will pay you a pension of 2000 pounds a year."

Li Yian put forward his conditions directly, and he didn't even think about paying for it! After that, he put his business card on the table and said to him.

"Mr. White, I will leave London in the next few days, please make a decision as soon as possible!"

After that, he left, leaving White with a messy face...

(End of this chapter)