The Tyrant Billionaire

However, regardless of whether Grantham approved, Hardy's security personnel would be armed, and in the future, a large batch of weapons would be brought in.

Hardy also proposed to Grantham that the security company could supplement the Hong Kong police force or even the military to ensure Hong Kong's safety.

Unfortunately, Grantham directly refused.

But no matter what, Hardy would organize his own forces to protect all of his businesses. This was non-negotiable. The British false safety promises would never convince Hardy.

Hong Kong, though a tiny place, had suddenly seen a massive influx of people. And who were these people? They were deserters from both sides of the ongoing civil war in China. These people were an undisciplined bunch, already accustomed to looting, killing, and using force in the war-torn areas of China. Expecting these deserters to start from nothing and work honestly was simply not realistic.

Additionally, there was the local Triad society, deeply rooted in Hong Kong but complicated in its structure, as well as other forces like the Teochew gang.

Although Victor had established connections with the Triads, Hardy didn't trust them. Having dealt with gangs himself, he knew exactly what kind of people they were.

In later years, the number of gang affiliated people in Hong Kong would soar to the tens of thousands. With Hardy's extensive business interests here, he needed a strong enough force to handle these characters.

As for supporting his own gang leaders, that was a matter for the future.

On the surface, Hardy intended for the HD Security Company to become a prominent power in Hong Kong, a force that everyone would fear.

...

The next day. Stay tuned for updates on empire

Hardy first visited Wells Fargo Bank for an inspection. Wells Fargo's office was originally a foreign bank, located in Central, Hong Kong Island—what would later become the famous Hong Kong Financial Street.

The bank president, Sandy Weil, reported to Hardy on Wells Fargo's business development in Hong Kong over the past year. Overall, it had been stable.

Although Hong Kong still had HSBC, Hardy's approach differentiated the roles of the two banks. HSBC handled all of Hong Kong's business, while Wells Fargo was the core engine of Hardy's group.

In the future, the funds for Hardy's businesses in Hong Kong would primarily go through Wells Fargo. This way, the core of Hardy's operations in Hong Kong would be harder for others to grasp.

After leaving Wells Fargo, Hardy, accompanied by Victor and Sandy Weil, headed to HSBC. HSBC was also on Central Road, just a few hundred meters away from Wells Fargo.

The motorcade arrived at HSBC's entrance.

A large group of HSBC senior executives, all managers and above, stood in line waiting at the entrance—there were dozens of people. Seeing this grand reception for such a young man attracted the attention of onlookers and customers alike.

Hardy stepped out of the car.

HSBC President Saunders immediately stepped forward.

The crowd, watching the scene, thought to themselves, "This level of reception for a young man must mean he's someone extraordinary."

At that moment, someone quietly remarked, "I've seen this man in the newspapers. This must be Mr. Hardy, only 28 years old, and already one of the richest tycoons in the U.S."

"Oh, so this is Mr. Hardy! I've heard people talk about the Hardy Group recently. I always thought Mr. Hardy would be an old man. I didn't expect him to be so young—only 28."

After some brief pleasantries, Hardy didn't rush inside but instead stood at the foot of the HSBC building, gazing at it.

The current HSBC building was already the third generation, a 13 story building flanked by annexes on both sides.

A pair of bronze lions stood at the entrance.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

These bronze lions were quite famous. It was said that the Shanghai HSBC headquarters also had two bronze lions. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, due to a shortage of materials, the Japanese tried to melt the lions down for copper, showing just how desperate they were.

Later, when the atomic bombs dropped and Japan surrendered, the U.S. military found the lions in a warehouse. Knowing they belonged to HSBC, they returned them, and thus the lions were reinstated to their original place.

Hardy walked forward and patted the two bronze lions. "Guard the door well for me." With a smile, he then walked into the building.

Inside the conference room.

Hardy listened to HSBC's management report. The bank's financial situation was still tight, despite the $40 million support from Wells Fargo and Manhattan Bank. However, with so many customers withdrawing their money—especially due to Wells Fargo's operations pulling most of it out—it was difficult to maintain liquidity.

Though it was tough, HSBC was not yet at a critical survival point.

President Saunders discussed plans to tighten the money supply, reduce loans, recover as much capital as possible, lower bad debt rates, and hold events to rebuild public confidence in HSBC and attract more deposits.

As for operational details, Hardy didn't interfere. After Saunders finished his report, Hardy said, "Two things. First, recent intelligence shows that more and more people are coming to Hong Kong from the mainland. These people often carry large amounts of cash, gold, or silver, making it a prime opportunity to attract deposits. HSBC and Wells Fargo must not neglect this business."

"Second, the scale of the Hong Kong stock market is currently small, My idea is to develop Hong Kong into the first financial center in the East.

"The current Hong Kong Stock Exchange is too small, with only about 30 companies listed. However, it's under the control of the Financial Secretary, and we can't touch it. My idea is to establish a new stock exchange ourselves."

"It could be called the Far East Stock Exchange or the Kowloon Stock Exchange—either name works. The exchange's banking operations could be managed by HSBC and Wells Fargo. We can model it after the U.S. stock market and set up a financial index to show market trends."