dmims Chapter 223 Sanctions Group
Chapter 223 Sanctions Group
On the tenth day since "Hurricane Hong Kong" became a huge hit, the entire city of Hong Kong has been immersed in a movie frenzy.
The streets and alleys, newspapers and television were filled with discussions about this movie. The box office soared like a rocket, easily breaking the ten million mark and heading straight for twenty million Hong Kong dollars, setting an unprecedented record in Hong Kong film history.
Zhonghua Films achieved legendary status with this one battle, and the name Tony Leung is now on the lips of countless people both at home and abroad.
Everyone assumed that the Hollywood giants who were shut out would at most cause some trouble in the film industry—blacklisting actors, smearing reputations, and pulling their films from theaters… Lin Zhou himself also made that prediction.
But he never expected that the other party would strike right at his weakest point, directly targeting the most vital and crucial lifeline of his entire business empire—Zhonghua Electronics.
At the end of February 1982, the weather was still chilly despite the warming trend.
10:00 AM, top-floor office of Zhonghua Building.
Lin Zhou was reviewing a cooperation plan for electronic components with mainland China, his pen moving steadily across the paper, everything in perfect order.
The office door was violently pushed open.
Chen Tao, the general manager of Zhonghua Electronics, practically tumbled in.
He was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, unable to utter a complete sentence.
"President Lin!... Something terrible has happened!... Something catastrophic!"
Lin Zhou paused, then slowly raised his head.
Just by looking at Chen Tao's terrified appearance, he knew that this was no small trouble.
He put down his pen, leaned back slightly, and spoke in a steady, powerful voice that carried a calming quality.
"What's the panic? The sky isn't falling. Tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"
Chen Tao raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his voice trembling with despair:
"Joint sanctions by Western countries! ...The entire Western bloc has jointly issued a ban!"
"They've put all of Zhonghua Group's game consoles, tape recorders, and all electronic products on their blacklist! They're completely banning our products from entering their market!"
Lin Zhou frowned sharply, his eyes instantly turning cold.
"What about the port?"
"They've been detained! They've all been detained!" Chen Tao's voice trembled.
"The 23 containers of finished products we shipped a week in advance, worth nearly ten million Hong Kong dollars, were all forcibly detained at the ports of Los Angeles, London, and Hamburg, and were not allowed to enter the country!"
"And the overseas orders we signed before..." Chen Tao's throat tightened.
"Those European and American distributors have all unilaterally voided their contracts! They'd rather pay some penalty money than accept our goods!"
Lin Zhou picked up the documents with the English ban printed on them and quickly flipped through them.
Lines of cold text, like sharp blades.
The so-called "safety risks" and "non-compliance with standards" are all just high-sounding excuses.
He knew better than anyone that this was blatant revenge.
Because he refused to hand over the special effects technology for "Hurricane Hong Kong" and refused to let Hollywood take away core secrets for free, they used national-level power to target his private company, attempting to force him to bow down, submit, and hand over the technology through the most brutal commercial strangulation.
Zhonghua Group's electronics division has achieved its current scale thanks to overseas markets.
With a monthly production of over 200,000 game consoles and tape recorders, more than 70% are sold to Europe and the Americas. That is the most stable and profitable core business.
Now that their market doors have been abruptly closed, it's as if their most important cash flow has been cut off.
Chen Tao paced anxiously in his office, his face ashen.
"President Lin, there are already over 80,000 finished products piling up in the factory warehouse! The workshop is still in production, and the daily storage fees, labor costs, and component costs are astronomical!"
"If this continues, in less than half a month... our electronics factory will have to shut down completely, and tens of thousands of workers will lose their jobs!"
"Tens of thousands of people...that's tens of thousands of families!"
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the office instantly became extremely oppressive, as if the air itself had frozen.
Su Wanqing, who was carrying a stack of documents, stopped abruptly upon hearing the words "production halt," "unemployment," and "sanctions," her face turning deathly pale.
She instinctively grabbed the edge of the desk to steady herself, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"How could this happen... How could they be so unreasonable?"
"Just because Ah Zhou refuses to sell special effects technology, are they going to resort to such underhanded tactics to destroy the entire Zhonghua Electronics?"
Su Wanqing's heart jumped into her throat.
She knew better than anyone that Chung Wah Electronics was the deepest foundation Lin Zhou had built in Hong Kong, the foundation that supported tens of thousands of people. If the electronics factory collapsed, the entire Chung Wah Group would suffer a severe blow.
Lin Zhou remained calm, showing no sign of panic, though his eyes were as cold as ice.
"They're not being unreasonable; they're deliberately retaliating."
His voice was deep, and each word was crystal clear:
"They refuse to give me film technology, so they use sanctions to strangle me and force me to submit. They think that by blocking overseas markets, I will have no choice but to obediently hand over the technology."
Chen Tao was now so anxious he had lost his composure. He looked at Lin Zhou and advised him with a bitter and helpless expression:
"Mr. Lin, how about... we back down?"
"Isn't Hollywood all they want special effects technology? Let's give them a share, even just the right to use it, to get through this crisis... Otherwise, the electronics factory really won't be able to hold on, and thousands of families will go hungry!"
In his view, bowing down to find a way to survive was the only option.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Lin Zhou looked up.
In that instant, his gaze sharpened like a knife, revealing his full power, and he stared straight at Chen Tao.
His usually gentle gaze now carried an undeniable authority, rendering Chen Tao speechless for a moment.
"Lower your head?"
Lin Zhou's tone was indifferent, yet carried immense weight:
"Once we back down, they will endlessly manipulate us and take advantage of us. Today they want special effects, tomorrow they want shares, and the day after they want the entire electronics production line."
"Chen Tao, remember this—the core technology is in my hands, and no one can do anything about it. I'm not afraid of sanctions."
Chen Tao was stunned, standing there blankly, his face full of confusion.
They've all been blocked by the West, their warehouses are overflowing, all their orders are canceled, and their cash flow is about to dry up... Where does Lin Sheng get his confidence from?
Lin Zhou said no more, reached for the phone on his desk, and dialed a special number.
This forwarded number is never used lightly.
Once the call is made, it will be a major event that affects the mainland.
He dialed directly the number of the person in charge of the mainland partner organization.
The phone was answered quickly after only two rings, and a respectful yet warm voice came from the other end, conveying complete trust:
"Hello, is this Mr. Lin from Hong Kong? This is Lao Wang!"
Lin Zhou's tone was concise and to the point, without beating around the bush:
"Old Wang, I've run into a bit of trouble. Zhonghua Electronics has been subjected to comprehensive sanctions by Western countries, resulting in a large backlog of unsold game consoles and tape recorders. I need mainland channels to take over all of their inventory."
"We'll take as many as you have."
There was no complaining, no pleading, just a calm statement of needs.
On the other end of the phone, there wasn't even a second of hesitation.
"Alright! Don't worry, Mr. Lin! Leave this to me!"
Old Wang's voice was firm and resonant, without the slightest hesitation:
"State-owned department stores, urban and rural supply and marketing cooperatives, shopping malls in major provinces and cities, welfare procurement for industrial and mining enterprises... I don't even need to give any notice, your goods are currently in short supply domestically! So we'll buy as much as you have!"
Lin Zhou's lips curled up slightly, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes:
"Thanks, Lao Wang. I'll remember this favor."
"Mr. Lin, you're too kind!" Old Wang laughed heartily.
"You've made so many contributions to the development of the mainland, building skyscrapers and industrial zones. This small matter is our duty! I'll arrange a train car immediately to prioritize your shipment!"
The call lasted only one minute.
One sentence, one promise.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhou turned to look at Chen Tao, who was completely stunned, and said calmly:
"Did you hear that?"
"Mainland China, take over everything."
"Arrange shipment immediately! Send all the unsold finished products to ports in major provinces and cities in mainland China. It needs to be fast, without delays."
Chen Tao stood there stunned, taking several seconds to react.
The next moment, overwhelming ecstasy overwhelmed all his reason.
More than 80,000 stockpiled products instantly found a place to go.
The jobs of tens of thousands of workers have been saved!
"Yes! I'll do it right away! I'll arrange it now!"
Chen Tao practically leaped out of the office, his previously pale face now glowing red.
Su Wanqing let out a long sigh, held her forehead, her whole body went limp, and she was still shaken.
"That scared me to death... Thank goodness, we have the mainland market to back us up. Otherwise, we would have really suffered a huge setback this time."
Lin Zhou stepped forward and gently took her slightly cool hand in his palm, which was warm and strong.
"I had already prepared a backup plan."
His voice was gentle, yet carried an absolute confidence:
"The West thinks that it can strangle and trap me with a single sanction."
"They forgot that behind me is a huge domestic market with a population of one billion and unlimited potential, enough to easily absorb all my products."