Chapter 176: Grouping

Seeing Su Hao remain silent, Du Yuanhang assumed he acquiesced and became even more enthusiastic, launching into a long, unstoppable tirade:
"To be honest, Mr. Su, I also felt it was a real pity!
Our Fanghuan Shipping currently holds a huge amount of oil resources, with orders pouring in, and our own ships simply can't keep up!
So much money is practically handed to us, but we can only watch helplessly as we outsource to other companies, sharing the profits with them.
What kind of situation is that? If we could take on all these jobs, the profits…
Tsk tsk, I can't even imagine it!"
This was indeed true. Although outsourcing could be profitable, nothing beats keeping it all for oneself.
The profits would skyrocket!
"So! You're going to take advantage of this wave of bankruptcies to acquire those struggling companies one by one, right?"
Du Yuanhang became increasingly excited, as if he could already see his future business empire.
"Let's start with Jiangyang Shipbuilding! Step by step, we'll build our own fleet!
Then, a brand new behemoth spanning shipping, shipbuilding, and finance will be born in your hands!
Haha! How about that? My insight is pretty good, isn't it?
Although I'm slow and clumsy, I've finally caught up with your visionary thinking! Hahahaha!"
What's that word again? Over-interpretation.
That's roughly the gist of the situation.
Du Yuanhang's words were like a beacon, instantly illuminating all the fog in Su Hao's mind.
He forcefully interpreted Su Hao's vague "intuition" into a logically clear, interconnected, and goal-oriented action plan!
But… a conglomerate?
Su Hao rubbed his chin, his eyes lighting up.
Holy crap!
This direction!
It sounds… damn exciting!
If they could really build a massive Fanghuan Group…
Then his brother Huang, who's been itching to retire, won't be able to escape!
He'll have no choice but to obediently step down from the chairman's position, and then…
he'll be directly thrust into the "Chairman of the Board of Directors" seat!
Su Hao chuckled inwardly: Brother Huang, oh Brother Huang, even the King of Heaven himself probably wouldn't approve your resignation letter!
"President Su, please don't hesitate to give your orders!"
Du Yuanhang had completely transformed into Su Hao's number one fanboy, pounding his chest with his fists.
"Just say the word, and I wouldn't hesitate to do anything, even jump into a fire pit!"
However, building a group is easier said than done.
This matter required utmost caution; one wrong step could lead to total failure, dragging the entire operation down with it.
"So, President Du, what are your specific ideas?" Su Hao decided to test him, asking casually.
Du Yuanhang's spirits lifted, clearly indicating he had prepared a plan:
"Your acquisition of Jiangyang Shipbuilding's bonds obviously means you want to acquire it first.
But Jiangyang Shipbuilding builds ships, not ships.
Once the ships are built, they need a company to operate them.
Therefore, besides the 'Jiangyang Shipbuilding' production base,
we at least need a professional 'shipping company' to utilize the shipping capacity,
and a 'holding group' to coordinate management and unify all resources."
"These three things are our basic foundation!"
"Just the basic foundation?"
"Yes! Just the basic foundation to get things running!" Du Yuanhang's eyes gleamed.
"But to take on all those massive orders we have, this little bit of capital isn't enough.
We need more supporting companies, either as subsidiaries or affiliated companies incorporated into the group.
Or we could simply absorb and merge them into our departments!"
At this very moment, every single shipping company struggling to survive in the market was probably weeping in their offices.
Just look at their stock prices—glowing red, utterly pathetic.
However, for Su Hao and Fang Huan, this was a once-in-a-century "Double Eleven" clearance sale, a godsend!
Acquiring all these high-quality assets at rock-bottom prices to fill their gaps—where else could they find such a deal?
"President Su, the key is speed," Du Yuanhang reminded him.
"With oil prices so high right now, they're struggling to survive, which is what gives us this opportunity.
If oil prices drop and return to normal one day, or if our oil reserves run out, this window of opportunity will be closed."
The implication was clear: seize the opportunity while it's on sale!
Once this opportunity is gone, it'll be gone forever!
"Mr. Du, you've been working in the shipping industry for decades. You're much more professional than those scholars in our research department."
Su Hao said with a smile,
"Here's what you'd like to do: could you help me compile a list later, see which companies on the market have a solid foundation and are suitable for acquisition, and make a list of them?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Du Yuanhang's face immediately lit up with a bright smile that said, "I've been waiting for you to say that."
He magically produced a file folder from his briefcase and respectfully handed it over.
"Hehe, Mr. Su, I've been prepared for a long time!
To be honest, I don't have many other skills, but my eye for detail is pretty good. Haha!"
Su Hao took the documents, inwardly nodding in approval.
This Old Du is truly a talent.
No wonder he climbed all the way up from the bottom; his shrewdness and execution are absolutely amazing!
He opened the folder and glanced at it.
"Hmm?"
The next second, an inexplicable and powerful intuition struck again!
Du Yuanhang's list and his incredible intuition were surprisingly aligned on several targets!
His intuition told him that it wasn't just Jiangyang Shipbuilding!
Instead, the goal is to use this as a starting point, like a snake devouring and digesting related companies throughout the entire industry chain, ultimately creating an unprecedented shipping empire!
'This one... my intuition is strong...'
'Hmm, this one doesn't feel anything...'
'This one... the signal is very strong!'
Su Hao's gaze swept across the list like a highly precise scanner.
His brain didn't even have time to think; he relied entirely on that mysterious intuition...
He quickly ticked off one company name after another.
The whole process was smooth and incredibly fast!
It took only a few dozen seconds.
'Here, that's it.' He pushed the document back.
'Huh? This... that's it?' Du Yuanhang was completely dumbfounded.
"Okay. The ones checked off are our priority acquisition targets."
Su Hao handed the checked list back to him, instructing crisply,
"You're the expert in the specifics, so I'll leave the rest to you. Is that alright?"
"Oh! Of course, no problem!" Du Yuanhang was flattered, his back straightening considerably.
"You promoted me to this position precisely for this purpose!"
"If I discover any new targets, I'll let you know. For now, let's get these sorted out."
"Yes, Mr. Su!"