Chapter 216: Two Hundred Retired Soldiers
Hearing Bao Yugang's words, Lin Haoran immediately felt a surge of curiosity. What could be so important that it had to be conveyed so secretly?
This was truly unlike the style of a major figure.
"Uncle Bao, please speak freely!" Lin Haoran responded with a serious expression.
"Haoran, it's fine for you to make legitimate investments in the mainland, but you must avoid sensitive or special industries, especially those where Britain has explicitly prohibited imports from the mainland.
Also, maintain an appropriate distance when dealing with certain departments; don't get too deeply involved. Hong Kong is currently in a turbulent period, and your main business foundation is still there.
If the Governor's House were to place any label on you, your economic activities in Hong Kong would become extremely difficult and obstructed at every turn. I'm telling you this for your own good!" Bao Yugang lowered his voice and spoke earnestly.
Had it been someone else, they might have been confused, but Lin Haoran immediately understood.
The British Hong Kong government was striving to maintain control over Hong Kong, and was wary of excessive contact between Hong Kong businessmen and the mainland.
Bao Yugang was subtly warning him to act with discretion when operating in the mainland!
"Uncle Bao, I understand. Thank you sincerely for your reminder!" Lin Haoran nodded in gratitude.
"Good, as long as you understand. Then get some rest early. I'll head back now," Bao Yugang said, seeing Lin Haoran quickly grasp the point, and he didn't linger any longer.
After Bao Yugang left the room, Lin Haoran sat back down and began to ponder his advice.
Why were most Hong Kong businessmen still hesitant to invest in the mainland?
The main reason was their lack of confidence in the mainland's future development. The secondary reason was their fear that the British Hong Kong government might brand them unfavorably.
Living under someone else's roof, sometimes you had to bow your head — it was a helpless situation.
However, thanks to his knowledge from his previous life, Lin Haoran knew that after the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, the restrictions imposed by the Governor's House would significantly loosen.
By then, the Governor's House realized that it was impossible to continue ruling Hong Kong.
From that year on, more and more Hong Kong businessmen would begin to shift their focus to the mainland's enormous market.
But right now, no one knew the future.
Everyone understood that even with immense wealth, in the face of the nation, businessmen were still merely ants.
It was precisely because of this that Bao Yugang worried Lin Haoran might move too aggressively with investments in the mainland, demonstrating genuine goodwill.
For Lin Haoran, his investment plans in the mainland for the next few years were mainly about laying the groundwork for the future, without any rush for large-scale investments.
For example, in strategic places like Pengcheng, Yangcheng, and Hucheng, he planned to hoard large amounts of land—areas like Nanshan, Luohu, and Futian in Pengcheng; Tianhe, Yuexiu, and Haizhu in Yangcheng; and Pudong, Huangpu, and Minhang in Hucheng.
He would simply start some electronics manufacturing and commercial building projects...
In twenty to thirty years, even without other development, just the land value alone would skyrocket to terrifying numbers.
Today, in 1980, Pengcheng's GDP was less than 200 million RMB. Forty years later, Pengcheng's GDP would exceed 2 trillion RMB—a growth of more than 10,000 times!
The speed of Pengcheng's development over the coming decades would be astonishing.
A night passed quickly.
At this time, Pengcheng's developed area was still small, so there weren't many places for them to inspect—mainly around Shekou and Luohu.
At noon, after a meal in Pengcheng, they took a special vehicle to the provincial capital, Yangcheng.
With no highways, they had to take the national road. It was over 100 kilometers and took more than three hours to reach Yangcheng.
Although Yangcheng wasn't as prosperous as Hong Kong, it was still a large city with much greater scale and infrastructure compared to Pengcheng.
The high level of hospitality Lin Haoran received made him deeply feel how much importance was attached to Hong Kong businessmen.
In the afternoon, Lin Haoran had a private and in-depth meeting with provincial leaders, separate from Bao Yugang and Guo Henian.
When the other side learned that Lin Haoran intended to invest heavily in Guangdong Province, their attitude grew even warmer and more enthusiastic.
Taking advantage of the improving relations, Lin Haoran proposed a request: he wanted to recruit a batch of veterans who had participated in the counterattack against Vietnam to serve as security personnel for his enterprises.
These battle-tested veterans would be far more capable and disciplined than untested soldiers.
Originally, Lin Haoran thought that while they might agree to his request, he wouldn't get much active assistance.
To his surprise, not only did they agree, but they also promised to find two hundred veterans for him according to his requirements.
For the local government, sending a few people to Hong Kong in exchange for massive investment was undoubtedly a highly worthwhile trade.
After all, their current top priority was to boost economic development!
"Mr. Lin, please rest assured," the official solemnly promised. "At the end of last year, a batch of veterans who fought in the counterattack against Vietnam retired. They are now working in various units in Yangcheng, and contacting them is very convenient.
If they are willing to go to Hong Kong with you, they will be entirely under your command, with no further ties to us."
Two hundred people — not too many, but not few either — was exactly what Lin Haoran hoped for.
Once he successfully recruited these two hundred battle-hardened soldiers, he would have a solid foundation for his security company.
In the future, he could continue expanding his recruitment from the mainland.
This batch would just be the beginning.
As for whether these two hundred would include government plants or spies, Lin Haoran didn't care.
What he truly needed were capable men who would obey his orders unconditionally—that was enough.
The security company's main purpose was to protect his growing number of businesses.
Moreover, thanks to his loyalty system, he would eventually be able to see who among them was problematic.
Most importantly, since the government was helping arrange this, these two hundred men were unlikely to be poor choices.
The only thing he worried about was if the news got out, it might arouse the British Governor's House's vigilance.
However, he had already considered a solution.
Once these men were assembled, he would arrange for the mainland to send them by boat to the Sai Kung area.
Sai Kung's patrols were less intense than those around Pengcheng Bay, so getting them ashore there would be no problem.
Then, he would gradually move them into the city and help them obtain Hong Kong ID cards.
At that time, Hong Kong still practiced the "touch-base policy," which was relatively lenient.
Under that policy, if illegal immigrants from the mainland managed to reach the city center, they could stay and become legal residents.
If caught in the restricted zones near the border, they would be repatriated.
This policy would only end in October this year.
With Lin Haoran's help, these men would have no trouble reaching the city center.
Afterward, he would integrate them gradually into the security company.
"Thank you so much!" Lin Haoran said earnestly. "After returning, I will immediately send someone to discuss detailed investment plans. If everything goes well, our investment here will exceed 100 million Hong Kong dollars within three years, possibly much more. In the future, I will continue to increase investment!"
The official's sincerity made Lin Haoran very satisfied, and he naturally did not want to disappoint them.
Besides, he had already planned to make large-scale investments, starting with establishing manufacturing bases in the mainland.
For Lin Haoran, this was not difficult.
When the official heard Lin Haoran mention an investment of over 100 million Hong Kong dollars, he showed a very satisfied smile—this was no small amount!
Thus, while Lin Haoran continued inspecting Yangcheng's market, the local government began gathering the veterans.
In this era, there was no shortage of people wanting to go to Hong Kong, especially in Guangdong Province.
Everyone knew about Hong Kong's wealth and prosperity. Otherwise, so many wouldn't have risked their lives to smuggle themselves there.
Now, with such a rare opportunity to go legally and with a stable job, of course they seized it eagerly.
Thus, gathering the veterans was not difficult.
By Lin Haoran's third day in Yangcheng, the good news came: the personnel had been found.
Regarding this matter, Lin Haoran didn't inform Bao Yugang and Guo Henian, and the local government kept it discreet.
At 3 p.m. on March 10th, three hundred energetic young men gathered at a stadium in Yangcheng.
That's right — three hundred.
Knowing that Lin Haoran would need to make selections, the government had wisely prepared extras for him to choose from.
This demonstrated their thorough consideration and excellent attitude toward treating an important potential foreign investor.
Although due to poor nutrition their physiques weren't especially impressive, combat ability wasn't solely about appearance.
Standing before the assembled men, Lin Haoran smiled and said, "I'm sure you all understand why you're here. Let me introduce myself: I'm an entrepreneur from Hong Kong, currently owning several major companies there.
My requirements for you are simple. I need you to protect my enterprises — in short, if you pass my tests, you will become members of my security company, effectively professional bodyguards.
As for pay and benefits, I guarantee they will exceed your expectations. Understood?"
"Understood!" the two hundred men shouted in unison, their voices firm and powerful.
Clearly, although they had retired from the military, their years of training had not faded.
"Weidong, Weiguo, the next phase is up to you," Lin Haoran turned to his men.
"I want a team of strong fighters—not everyone needs to be as strong as you two, but at least they must match Lin Yi's level.
Anyone who can't meet that standard will be eliminated. Select the best two hundred.
I leave the judging entirely to you."
Lin Yi's level might seem decent among ordinary people—capable of fighting five men alone—but compared to elite fighters like Li Weiguo and Li Weidong, it was just average.
Thus, Lin Haoran's requirements were neither too harsh nor too lax.
He had come to the mainland looking for elites, not just anyone.
If he wanted mediocrities, he could have easily hired hundreds in Hong Kong itself.
"Rest assured, Boss!" the two men nodded and then turned toward the awaiting candidates.
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