Chapter 311: The Ship Kings React
Central, Pedder Street — beside a newspaper stand:
A man rode up on his bicycle and stopped at the stand. After casually scanning the headlines, one particular newspaper immediately caught his eye.
Why? Because printed on the front page was the staggering figure: $50,000,000. He even counted the digits twice to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
"Boss, I'll take a copy of the Oriental Daily," the man said loudly, without hesitation.
At just 30 cents, Oriental Daily was one of the cheapest newspapers in Hong Kong, but its quality rivaled the more expensive ones. It was especially popular for its rich coverage of everyday stories from across the city—unlike other papers that mostly focused on international affairs.
"Coming right up," the newsstand owner replied.
The man took his newspaper and moved to a nearby bench under the warm winter sun. Hong Kong's winters weren't cold, and sunbathing was rather pleasant.
"Two 120,000-ton supertankers, five mid-sized oil tankers of over 50,000 tons each, and three 50,000-ton bulk carriers... total: 600,000 tons!"
Seeing that figure made the man beam with excitement. He was a student at the Drunken Bay Maritime Academy in Kwai Chung. The man who owned the academy had just announced a massive expansion—didn't that mean better job prospects for him and his peers?
And a capital investment of this magnitude also reflected just how financially powerful their boss was. For them, this was incredibly reassuring.
Ordinary people don't seek glory. If they can work under a kind, competent, and successful boss, they're set for life.
He kept reading. In the middle of the article, there was an analysis comparing the size and scale of various shipping companies in Hong Kong—both British-owned and Chinese-owned.
Among the British firms, Jardine, Wheelock, and Swire were the strongest. Each had a shipping capacity of over 3 million tons, though exact figures were unclear, as many ships weren't registered in Hong Kong and were spread across complex holding structures and cross-owned subsidiaries. The 3-million-ton figure was only a rough estimate.
Among Chinese-owned enterprises, Tung Hao-yun had the largest fleet, with close to 2 million tons. Zhao Congyan and Cao Wenjin each had between 1.2 and 1.5 million.
Then there was the rising star, Yang Wendong. Before this deal, he already had a fleet totaling around 900,000 tons. With these new orders, his capacity would leap to 1.5 million tons—making him one of the top three Chinese shipping tycoons.
Most importantly, up to now, most of Yang Wendong's ships were second-hand vessels—about 85% of his total fleet. This had drawn a fair amount of criticism, with some even mocking him for it.
But this latest purchase—600,000 tons of brand-new ships—would immediately cut that ratio down to around 50%. In both Chinese- and British-owned shipping firms, that was considered a healthy and respectable balance. As long as he continued to acquire new ships, the company would enter a phase of stable, sustainable development.
The article concluded by mentioning other emerging shipping companies like Global Shipping, whose capacity was fast approaching 1 million tons—making them another rising force in the industry.
"I'd better head back to the academy," the man thought. "Though I bet the staff already saw this paper."
Admiralty District
Tung Hao-yun sat in his office with a grim expression as he finished reading the article. Without hesitation, he turned to his assistant. "Put the word out. I want to order more supertankers and bulk carriers."
"Father, wait," Tung Jiancheng interjected. "Japan's shipbuilding industry is already under heavy pressure. Now that Yang Wendong has ordered ten ships, if we jump in now, the shipyards will be even more backed up. They'll raise prices, and we'll lose on the financial side."
Even though Japanese shipbuilders led the world, shipyard space was limited. When times were slow, you could negotiate a good deal. But when they were busy, of course they'd squeeze you—what kind of capitalist wouldn't?
Tung Hao-yun's expression softened. "There was no warning before this?"
A cautious manager replied, "Mr. Tung, we did know that Zheng Yuhua and some senior Changxing Shipping executives had traveled to Japan and visited several shipyards.
But we assumed they were making a small purchase—no one expected them to buy 600,000 tons' worth of ships in one go."
Tung Jiancheng added, "That's right, Father. Based on normal logic, we expected them to buy a few ships—maybe 100,000 tons tops.
This scale is completely unexpected. After all, Changxing had no previous experience with oil transport."
The manager gratefully shot Tung Jiancheng a look of appreciation. As the heir, he had just helped shoulder the blame—even though it wasn't really the manager's fault, facing the boss always meant explaining more than just the facts.
Tung Jiancheng continued, "Back then, we truly lacked experience. Few Hong Kong captains had ever operated a 100,000-ton oil tanker. But now, the situation is different. Changxing Shipping can poach talent.
And there are still two years before delivery. That's plenty of time to recruit or even send people to Japan for training. With an order this size, the Japanese shipyards will definitely be willing to help."
"Agreed," Tung Hao-yun said. "Plus, Changxing already has six old 50,000-ton oil tankers running nonstop between Hong Kong and the mainland, transporting water. That's great real-world training for their crew—and it's low risk."
He sighed, "Back when he frantically bought all those old ships, no one understood. It's only in the last six months that we've realized it was all for Hong Kong's water crisis. I have to admit—I admire him."
"Absolutely," Tung Jiancheng echoed. The rest of the room stayed silent, but they all felt the same.
They couldn't be the heroes, but they could certainly admire one. That's human nature.
Tung Hao-yun added, "With the water transport routes kept close to shore, and with a maritime academy in place, Changxing is now perfectly positioned to produce a steady stream of trained shipping professionals. That completely resolves the issue of being a new company with insufficient manpower."
Training talent in the maritime sector was notoriously difficult. Long-distance voyages didn't allow for much trial and error, and the costs were astronomical. Mass training programs were all but impossible.
But now, with a maritime academy for theory, and short-range water transport for hands-on experience—not to mention two repair shipyards providing technical education—Yang Wendong had built a nearly perfect pipeline.
It was a seamless system. A circle, neatly closed.
While deep-sea and coastal voyages are quite different, once you've cultivated a large team of sailors capable of operating in coastal waters, training them for ocean voyages becomes much easier.
Tung Jiancheng added, "That's right. Now that Yang Wendong has resolved his last shortcoming—talent—given his financial power and HSBC's support, his expansion in the shipping industry is bound to accelerate."
Tung Hao-yun sat in silence, his brows furrowed.
Tung Jiancheng could only try to comfort him. "Father, Yang Wendong is clearly on the rise now. We don't need to worry too much about rankings. Let's just focus on developing our own business.
Even though we're in the same industry, realistically, we don't have any direct conflicts of interest."
As a son, he knew how obsessed his father was with "tonnage." He had long prided himself on being the number one Chinese shipping tycoon in Hong Kong. Now that someone was challenging that position, it was impossible to predict how he would take it.
"Mm." Tung Hao-yun nodded, then turned to a nearby manager. "Go and find out the specific details of this deal."
The newspaper only mentioned general figures. The real content of the agreement—terms, delivery schedules, financing—was still unknown.
"Yes, sir," the manager said at once and left the room.
Tung Hao-yun glanced at his son and said, "Don't worry. I understand your point. We also need to expand. I'm thinking of ordering container ships. They have huge potential, especially in Europe and the U.S."
"If that's your decision, I support it," Tung Jiancheng replied. He knew he couldn't talk his father out of chasing fame or scale—but as long as he didn't make any impulsive decisions, all would be well.
Central – New Headquarters of Global Shipping
After accepting investment from HSBC, Global Shipping's growth had exploded. Their new headquarters was now located in Central, where they leased prime real estate from Hongkong Land.
Bao Yugang entered the office and laid a newspaper on a colleague's desk with a smile. "A-Long, did you see this?"
A-Long glanced at the Oriental Daily headline and grinned. "Of course I did. I just bought the paper myself. Yang Wendong really dropped a bombshell in the Hong Kong shipping industry."
"Exactly. Six hundred thousand tons of new ship tonnage—I'm jealous," Bao Yugang said with a sigh.
A-Long replied, "You don't need to worry, Mr. Bao. That was a one-time mega deal. He only got such favorable loan terms because of his success in other industries. Pulling that off again won't be easy—at least not until this batch of ships is delivered."
Bao Yugang shook his head. "That's normally true. But if Yang Wendong keeps succeeding in his other sectors, it's entirely possible he'll launch another round of massive expansion."
"That's true," A-Long agreed. "His strength doesn't just lie in shipping—it's everything else.
His industrial products sell worldwide, and he's even released a few successful electronics recently. His real estate ventures are huge too. Combined, all of that makes him formidable."
"Yeah." Bao Yugang nodded thoughtfully. "But I don't need to compete with him. I just need to focus on my own business."
A-Long said, "Still, Yang Wendong's massive order in Japan is bound to affect our own ship expansion plans."
"True," Bao Yugang replied. "But we have no choice—we need to expand too. Fortunately, HSBC has given me a very generous credit line, so I'm not too worried about funding."
"Right," A-Long continued. "Are we also going to enter the oil tanker market in a big way?"
Bao Yugang nodded. "Yes. The risk is higher, but with the global economy growing, oil demand will only rise. The profits in this sector will climb as well.
Didn't you notice that 75% of Yang Wendong's order was oil tankers?"
"Yeah, he really went all in."
Bao Yugang chuckled. "With his track record of success across multiple industries, it's clear he has a keen eye. I believe in his judgment—and so does Saunders. So many people can't all be wrong."
"Makes sense," A-Long replied. "And all of our ships are on long-term leases, so our risk is minimal."
Bao Yugang added, "Also, the second class of students at the Maritime Academy is about to graduate. Get in touch with Yang Wendong. I have something I'd like to discuss with him."
"Understood."
This 600,000-ton new ship order had caught the attention of every shipping company in Hong Kong—and even some international shipping giants.
The media heat surrounding the story continued to rise.
The next day, every major Hong Kong newspaper ran the story. Many referred to Yang Wendong as the "next generation shipping king" and predicted he'd lead one of the future great family empires of Hong Kong.
Strikingly, almost all Hong Kong media outlets portrayed Yang Wendong in a favorable light. Not one article criticized or challenged him—a stark contrast to how they had treated certain other tycoons in the past.
January 15 – Drunken Bay Maritime Academy
Yang Wendong, responding to an invitation, arrived at the academy.
"Mr. Yang!" Bao Yugang greeted him with a hearty laugh. "It's been a few months. When I saw the news a few days ago, I was absolutely green with envy."
Yang Wendong replied with a smile, "Mr. Bao, your relationship with HSBC is far stronger than mine. If you really wanted to place a large order, I don't think you'd have much trouble."
The key to buying ships was bank support. Japanese banks would finance any ship purchase—because supporting shipbuilding was part of Japan's national policy.
The remaining funds had to come from other sources, and that meant having strong relationships with other banks. After all, these were essentially unsecured loans—granted only to those with proven strength or strong connections.
Bao Yugang nodded. "Yes, I'm actually preparing to place a tanker order in Europe."
"Europe?" Yang Wendong was surprised. "Aren't European ship prices much higher?"
Japan had become the world's leading shipbuilder in 1956 for one simple reason—low prices.
Bao Yugang replied, "I want to do business in Europe. Many clients there only trust European-built ships. I don't have much choice."
"I see." Yang Wendong nodded. "Then let me congratulate you in advance on your booming European business."
"Thank you." Bao Yugang smiled again. "Actually, the main reason I invited you today, aside from the graduation ceremony, is that I'd like to discuss something with you."
"Go ahead." Yang Wendong was curious.
"You're familiar with container shipping, right?" Bao Yugang asked.
"Of course," Yang Wendong nodded.
"I want to push the Hong Kong government to develop a modern container terminal," Bao Yugang said.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10