Chapter 342 Seeking Help from the Governor's House
Governor's House.
MacLehose was among the first to know about the matter. Before Lin Haoran had even finished his press conference, he had already been informed through his intelligence network.
Upon hearing the news, he was stunned for a long time.
Just this morning, he had called Lin Haoran to the Governor's House, hoping to persuade him not to escalate the situation too much.
And now, just a few hours later, Lin Haoran had taken over Jardines Matheson?
Not only that, but he had used Jardines Matheson to counter-control Jardines Matheson?
It was all too surreal.
Even though MacLehose trusted the accuracy of his intelligence reports, he still found it hard to believe.
This development was beyond his imagination.
Jardines Matheson—a giant valued at over HKD 10 billion—and Lin Haoran now controlled 47.3% of it?
Even if calculated conservatively, that stake was worth HKD 4.7 billion.
4.7 billion! What an enormous sum!
As the Governor of Hong Kong, MacLehose was no stranger to money and understood very well the significance of such an amount.
Now he understood why Lin Haoran had insisted that the Governor's House stay out of his conflict with the British consortium.
Initially, MacLehose had been confident that Lin Haoran couldn't possibly contend against the combined forces of the British businesses.
Now, just a few hours later, reality slapped him in the face.
MacLehose's fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk as he pondered how to deal with the situation.
An event of this magnitude was bound to cause a huge uproar in Hong Kong, even greater than Bao Yugang's takeover of Wharf Holdings or Li Jiacheng's acquisition of Hutchison Whampoa.
In his heart, he still leaned toward the British consortium.
But he had already given his word to Lin Haoran this morning.
If he now intervened and tried to persuade Lin Haoran to relinquish Jardines Matheson, it would be tantamount to breaking his promise.
A real dilemma.
Yet doing nothing also felt wrong.
Jardines Matheson was not the same as Hutchison Whampoa.
Though both were major firms, Jardines Matheson was much more critical.
And Hutchison Whampoa had been willingly ceded to Li Jiacheng with Huifeng Bank's tacit approval.
In contrast, Jardines Matheson was jointly controlled by multiple British consortiums and symbolized British pride.
Now, with Jardines Matheson falling into Lin Haoran's hands, it was a resounding slap to the face of the British financial community, including those behind Huifeng Bank.
Thinking and thinking, MacLehose couldn't find a solution.
"I'll just wait and see if any Jardines Matheson shareholders come to me. If they don't, I'll pretend none of this happened. If they do, I'll deal with it then," MacLehose muttered.
Just then, the phone rang.
"Governor, Mr. Henry Keswick is here to see you," a staffer reported.
"Bring him in," MacLehose said.
Hanging up the phone, he couldn't help but frown.
He had hoped to avoid getting involved, but now it seemed unavoidable.
Outside the Governor's House, the visitor was none other than the illustrious Henry Keswick, former head of Jardines Matheson.
After leaving Connaught Centre, Henry Keswick had immediately met with Jardines Matheson's key shareholders and rushed to Huifeng Bank to consult with Shen Bi.
Upon learning that Lin Haoran had seized control of Jardines Matheson and Jardines Matheson, Shen Bi himself was shocked, finding it hard to believe.
Even Huifeng Bank, despite its strength, had never dared to dream of controlling Jardines Matheson.
But Lin Haoran had done it.
Single-handedly.
Shen Bi knew very well what this meant:
Lin Haoran's business empire now outclassed Huifeng Bank.
And Huifeng Bank's reign as Hong Kong's financial overlord—barely two years old—was about to end.
"Mr. Henry Keswick, given Mr. Lin Haoran's current shareholding, your chances of reclaiming Jardines Matheson through normal business means are slim to none," Shen Bi had advised him.
"The only viable strategy is to seek pressure from the government.
If Lin Haoran cannot withstand it, there may still be room for negotiation. Otherwise, Jardines Matheson will be lost forever."
Shen Bi hoped Henry Keswick could retake Jardines Matheson, because even if Lin Haoran remained stronger with his control over Jardines Matheson, Jardines Matheson, and Hongkong Electric, the gap wouldn't be so large.
Otherwise, Huifeng Bank would have no chance of regaining dominance, at least during Shen Bi's tenure.
With Shen Bi's advice, Henry Keswick had immediately come to the Governor's House, hoping to gain MacLehose's support.
Quickly, Henry Keswick was led to the Governor's office.
MacLehose personally greeted him at the door.
After all, Henry Keswick was no ordinary figure—he was a nobleman in Britain with significant political connections.
Even someone like MacLehose had to treat him with respect.
"Governor, I'm sure you know why I'm here.
I hope you can help us.
The Keswick family cannot afford to lose control of Jardines Matheson!" Henry Keswick blurted out before even sitting down.
As for Jardines Matheson, he didn't even bother mentioning it—
It was already a lost cause.
Recovering Jardines Matheson was hard enough.
Dreaming of retaking Jardines Matheson was pure fantasy.
Henry Keswick couldn't imagine what it would mean for his family if they lost Jardines Matheson completely.
Thanks to Jardines Matheson, the Keswick family had risen to become part of Britain's elite financial families.
Without it, their status would surely fall.
Even though they still held 12% of the shares, without control, those shares were meaningless.
Selling them off for a few hundred million Hong Kong dollars?
That wouldn't compensate for the massive financial benefits they had enjoyed over the years through control of Jardines Matheson.
Thus, Henry Keswick was desperate.
Even a sliver of hope was worth fighting for.
Government pressure was his last and only chance.
"Mr. Henry Keswick, please calm down. Let's sit and talk properly," MacLehose said, motioning toward the sofa.
Only then did Henry Keswick realize how aggressive he had been.
But he couldn't help it—Jardines Matheson was too important.
In the past, he had never imagined that they would lose control.
Even when Niu Bijian began to show signs of independence, the Keswick family had still maintained enough influence through key figures placed within Jardines Matheson.
Now, however, with Lin Haoran controlling Jardines Matheson, everything had changed.
The pawns they had planted could easily be cleared out.
Their 12% shareholding was meaningless.
After Henry Keswick sat down, MacLehose said seriously,
"Mr. Henry Keswick, even if I intervene, what can I do?
Mr. Lin Haoran now controls 49.1% of the shares through Jardines Matheson.
You British consortiums own too little.
Even without counting Jardines Matheson's shares, Mr. Lin's personal stake alone is 19%—far more than your family's 12%.
Everything he has done is legal.
It's not Lin Haoran's fault you didn't take precautions.
As Governor, I have no reason to intervene and demand Mr. Lin give up Jardines Matheson!"
MacLehose had hit the nail on the head.
Even if pressure were applied, the shares would still need to be bought—
and buying them would require astronomical sums.
Did the Keswick family and their allies even have the money to buy back Lin Haoran's shares?
Especially now that Jardines Matheson's total market value had risen to over HKD 8 billion?
Lin Haoran's 19% alone was worth over HKD 1.5 billion.
Could the Keswick family really raise that kind of money?
And even if they could, would Lin Haoran agree to sell?
At this point, the complexity of the situation had far exceeded what the Governor's House could control.
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