Chapter 486: The Japanese Market — A Prize We Must Win!
At Concordia Building, 51st floor, General Manager's Office.
Lin Haoran strode into the office. Ma Shimin immediately put down his work and stood up to greet him.
Nearby, Lin Haoran's future private reception room, newly renovated over the weekend, was already completed.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to move in.
Even though they had used quality materials, it was still necessary to ventilate the place and clear out any lingering odors.
"Boss, shall I call the team to the conference room now?" Ma Shimin asked.
"Alright, go ahead," Lin Haoran nodded.
"I'll make the call," Ma replied, then returned to his desk and picked up the phone.
One minute later, Ma Shimin looked up and said,
"Boss, they'll be in the conference room within five minutes."
Lin Haoran nodded.
After a moment's thought, he asked,
"How is Galaxy Securities doing?"
He hadn't paid much attention to it over the past few days and was curious about its situation after Jardines Matheson Securities officially went bankrupt.
"Galaxy Securities is growing rapidly," Ma Shimin reported.
"Despite being newly established, with the volume of business we absorbed from Jardines Matheson Securities, we're already among the top three in Hong Kong.
Unfortunately, some resources were captured by Victory Company and Bao Yuan Investment. Otherwise, we could have completely taken over Jardines Matheson Securities' market share.
Still, if we continue integrating Jardines' resources, we'll eventually be able to challenge Victory Company for industry leadership."
"Very good. Excellent performance," Lin Haoran praised.
"Even against opponents like Hui Fung Bank, we have nothing to fear. Compete with them boldly!"
He knew Hui Fung Bank well.
Although Shen Bi currently appeared friendly and cooperative, the moment Lin Haoran showed any weakness, Hui Fung Bank would strike without mercy.
Business was war — ruthless and unfeeling. Everything was driven by利益 first and foremost.
Thus, Lin Haoran had no qualms about Galaxy Securities competing directly against Hui Fung Bank's Victory Company.
"Don't worry, Boss, I know exactly what to do," Ma Shimin said with a firm nod.
They chatted for a while longer until the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway.
The team had arrived.
After another brief conversation, they stepped out of the office together.
The conference room was just a few meters away.
When Lin Haoran and Ma Shimin entered, they found it already full.
This room was usually used for Land Corporation's mid-to-senior management meetings.
Accommodating 68 people wasn't an issue.
Ma Shimin did a quick headcount, then turned to Lin Haoran and said,
"Boss, all 68 members are present."
Lin Haoran nodded and activated his golden finger.
Instantly, loyalty ratings appeared above each person's head.
Because this team had been selected entirely by Ma Shimin, Lin Haoran had initially worried that the loyalty levels might be uneven.
But what he saw astonished him.
Among the 68 individuals, not a single one had loyalty below 80.
The highest loyalty even reached 90!
Although this loyalty was directed toward Land Corporation rather than himself personally, it was already excellent.
What mattered was their loyalty to the group.
Even if they weren't all the top technical talents that Ma Shimin claimed they were, their loyalty alone satisfied Lin Haoran greatly.
"Good morning, Boss!"
Everyone greeted him simultaneously in Cantonese — even a few foreign employees among them.
Lin Haoran smiled warmly and nodded before addressing the group.
"Everyone, since Mr. Ma has selected you, I trust you understand the purpose of this mission.
That's right — Land Corporation plans a massive expansion into the Japanese market.
And you are our vanguard."
"You carry great responsibilities.
Whether Land Corporation can carve out new territory in Japan will depend largely on you.
I trust you will not disappoint me."
"Boss, we won't fail you!"
"Please rest assured, Boss!"
"The Japanese market will be ours!"
...
Though the responses were a bit chaotic and not spoken in unison, Lin Haoran could feel their confidence and fighting spirit.
"This meeting is just a preliminary introduction," Lin Haoran continued.
"The specific departure date will be announced soon.
Since this is a long-term mission, not a short business trip, I want everyone to handle your personal affairs in the coming days."
"If anyone has second thoughts or doubts, please speak to Mr. Ma immediately.
Once the final list is confirmed in a few days, there will be no changes."
"This is not a joke. Think it through seriously.
If you don't wish to go, it's better to say so now.
Mr. Ma will then adjust the team accordingly."
Lin Haoran's gaze swept across the entire room, his tone serious.
He was very pleased with this team.
Though only 68 people, they would be enough to establish a new company in Japan.
Now, what he needed was a senior executive capable of managing everything on the ground without requiring his constant attention.
After the brief meeting, he dismissed the team to return to their posts.
Obviously, they wouldn't be leaving immediately — preparing for a long-term stay in Japan required time.
After all 68 employees exited the conference room, Lin Haoran and Ma Shimin returned to the General Manager's office.
Once seated, Lin Haoran said with a satisfied smile,
"Mr. Ma, you did an excellent job selecting this team. I'm very pleased."
Ma Shimin, though curious how Lin Haoran could be so confident after only a few minutes of interaction, asked no questions.
He had no idea that his boss had a cheat ability to see loyalty values.
"Boss, it's my duty," Ma Shimin replied.
"For the senior executive who will lead the team to Japan, do you have any recommendations?" Lin Haoran asked.
Although Lin Haoran knew the senior executives of Land Corporation, his understanding of them was still shallow.
Most were holdovers from the old Land Corporation — loyal to the group but not necessarily loyal to Lin Haoran personally.
If it weren't for the practical difficulties of replacing the entire senior management team at once, Lin Haoran would have already done so.
He had even quietly instructed Ma Shimin to start recruiting replacements through headhunters.
Thus, choosing someone to lead the Japan mission required extreme caution.
First and foremost, loyalty to him personally was non-negotiable.
Of course, thanks to his golden finger, he could easily check this.
However, loyalty alone wasn't enough.
The candidate also needed comprehensive management capabilities.
They couldn't simply specialize in one area — they had to be versatile.
Even though Lin Haoran planned to exit Japan before the bubble burst in 1992, that was still at least ten years away.
Plenty of time to build a second Land Corporation — or even far more than that.
After all, his ambitions in Japan were enormous — aiming to rake in hundreds of billions, maybe even trillions of yen.
By contrast, Land Corporation's current value, even after its massive growth, still didn't exceed 10 billion USD.
This Japan operation would be monumental.
After thinking it over, Ma Shimin said,
"Boss, to be honest, I know this post is extremely important.
Rather than making a hasty recommendation, I suggest we retrieve the personnel files from HR.
You can review them carefully and choose the most suitable candidate yourself."
"Good idea," Lin Haoran nodded.
Thus, Ma Shimin left to fetch the personnel files, while Lin Haoran sat alone, crossing his legs and gazing out at the bustling city below the gloomy sky.
A few minutes later, Ma Shimin returned with a folder in hand.
"Boss, here's the personnel information for all our senior executives," he said respectfully, handing it over.
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