Chapter 3140
March 1657, Pearl River Estuary, Guangdong, Hong Kong Island.
More than twenty years have passed since the Executive Committee launched the Hong Kong project at the end of 1629. With the rapid growth of trade volume between Haihan and Ming Dynasty, Hong Kong Island has gradually become one of the busiest trading ports in the Pearl River Estuary.
A considerable part of the various goods from Haihan are collected and distributed here, and then transported to various places in Guangdong and Guangxi. Therefore, almost all big business houses with names that can be heard in Guangdong and Guangxi have their business stores here.
After Haihan took control of the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, it strengthened the construction of port facilities on Hong Kong Island, which greatly increased the cargo throughput here compared with before.
In the early years, there were only a few fishing villages on Hong Kong Island. Today, the island's population has increased nearly a hundred times, with two-thirds of them engaged in trade and shipping. The number of various ships entering and exiting the port every day has even exceeded that of Guangzhou, the traditional trade center of Guangdong and Guangdong.
Causeway Bay on the northern coast of Hong Kong Island is the first commercial port developed by Haihan on the island, and it is also the most prosperous area in the area. However, starting a few days ago, the Causeway Bay Pier no longer allowed new arrivals to dock in the name of maintaining port facilities, and the ships originally berthed here were quickly transferred to other terminals.
Well-informed sources claim that the reason for emptying the port is not for repairs, but to prepare for a large fleet coming from Hainan Island. It is said that a big figure from the Executive Committee is going to visit Hong Kong.
Not many people believed this rumor at first. After all, Bai Kesi had only been to Hong Kong last year. It stands to reason that a big shot would not visit such a small place so frequently.
But when Malik, the governor of the two regions, and many officials suddenly came to Hong Kong Island, and all the land and sea troops stationed on the island entered a state of combat readiness, the credibility of this rumor suddenly increased a lot.
Not only people from the government followed Malik to Hong Kong, but also many leading figures in the business circles of Guangdong and Guangxi, who also appeared quietly on Hong Kong Island in the past few days.
The influx of a large number of dignitaries and dignitaries into Hong Kong Island has had the most direct impact on the fact that the local accommodation provided for tourists has suddenly become tense. The hotels with slightly better conditions were all fully booked, and the price of high-end suites with courtyards had increased by more than five times than usual.
Some private houses with quiet environment and available for rent have suddenly become a hot commodity. The daily rent for a three-in-a-yard apartment was actually raised to more than 3,000 yuan by wealthy customers from all over the country.
However, the upper-class people with real status naturally don't have to compete with others for accommodation resources, because they already own their own properties here.
There is a manor built on the mountain at the foot of Xianglu Peak near Causeway Bay, covering an area of about dozens of acres. Its layout faces north and south, facing the strait between Hong Kong Island and the mainland, with a very broad view.
This manor was designed and supervised by famous Jiangnan garden masters. The building materials and furniture used were said to be purchased and shipped from all over the country. Hundreds of craftsmen worked together and it took nearly four years to complete.
Because its owner is Li Jifeng, the richest businessman in Guangdong and Guangxi, this manor is known as "Li Garden" among the people.
However, Li Jifeng's physical condition has become increasingly poor in recent years and he rarely leaves Guangzhou. Therefore, after this hugely expensive manor was built, it remained vacant most of the time. It only occasionally received some distinguished guests to stay for a few days.
For example, when Bai Kesi, a senior official of the Executive Committee, visited Hong Kong last time, he stayed at "Lee Garden". But after that, the manor returned to a closed state.
A year later, "Li Garden" was opened again, and this time the guest of honor was Maliko.
With his status, he certainly deserves this special treatment. However, he is not the only one who will be staying at "Lee Garden" this time, there are also members of the executive committee who are about to arrive in Hong Kong. There are several large courtyards in "Li Garden", which can accommodate hundreds of people, enough to accommodate senior officials of the executive committee and their cronies. However, after all, the space is limited. Other accompanying personnel, such as officials from various ministries, businessmen, foreign envoys, etc., may not enjoy such treatment and will have to find other accommodations or make do on the ship.
Anyway, the fleet only plans to stay in Hong Kong for one night. It can be spent with eyes closed and opened. It is not impossible to find a place to sleep.
As the richest man in Guangdong and Guangxi who have close relations with Haihan executives, the Li family naturally cannot miss such an important moment. Although Li Jifeng could not come due to physical reasons, he still asked Li Nai to come to Hong Kong as a representative.
However, Li Nai did not come with Maliko. He arrived here a few days in advance and supervised the people to clean up the inside and outside of "Li Garden" and prepare to receive distinguished guests.
Although Malico has been to Hong Kong many times, this is actually his first time staying at "Li Yuan". After looking at the living environment here, he can't help but admire Li Nai's preparations.
"It's a pity that this place is empty. You should take your old man over and let him enjoy the beautiful scenery here. Maybe under a change of environment, his health and bones can slowly recover."
Li Nai responded: "Thank you, Lord Ma, for your concern. My father has always wanted to come and see us. When spring comes, if his condition gets better, we will send him here to stay for a while."
Maliko said: "It's rare for the executive committee to go on a tour together, but Mr. Li can't come and meet. It's really a pity."
In the early years, Haihan sent people to Guangzhou to carry out trade activities and established the Guangdong Office. Ma Like was one of the founders. He has been dealing with the Li family for many years, so he is naturally very aware of the personal relationship between Li Jifeng and his son and the senior officials of Haihan.
Li Nai also looked regretful and said: "My father wanted to come, alas... I heard that the Executive Committee is going north on this trip and only stopped briefly in Hong Kong. I don't know if anyone will visit here on the way back. Arrangement.”
Maliko nodded and said: "The Executive Committee's trip to the north is in a hurry. It has to arrive in Hangzhou before the National Day, so it will not stop anywhere else except Hong Kong. As for the arrangements for the return trip, It is estimated that it has not been completely determined yet. When the fleet arrives here, you can invite them yourself as the landlord.”
Li Nai asked: "Since the trip is so busy, why do we have to stay in Hong Kong for one night? Is there some important arrangement?"
Malico did not treat Li Nai as an outsider, and told him frankly: "The executive committee just completed the personnel replacement not long ago, and there are big differences on the future development direction. You know this, right?"
Li Nai nodded and said: "I saw it from the newspaper. The discussions among the adults were very lively!"
Maliko said: "The new executive committee will next confirm whether the national development plan in the next few years will be inward or outward. This is very important to our two vast regions, and it took me a lot of effort to make it happen. The executive committee has arranged this trip, and may be able to take this opportunity to have some influence on their final decision.”
Li Nai suddenly said: "That's it."
(End of chapter)