Chapter 645: The Master Steps In

For example, see if there is a chance to buy this company!

This will enable us to take the foundation built up by Tsumura Pharmaceutical over the past eighty years and put it in our mouths, and also take back the advantage Tsumura Pharmaceutical has gained from Huaxia over the past few years!

This is the best way to recover losses, while also eliminating a powerful enemy.

Otherwise, with a market as large as an island nation for Tsumura & Co. to take root and grow, and with a market as immature as China's, Xia Yu would find it difficult to compete with Tsumura & Co. even if he set up a new company.

According to the original trajectory, even by the year 2000, Tsumura & Co.'s annual turnover would have exceeded China's annual sales of Chinese patent medicines by 19%.

Without external stimulation, Xia Yu would have to wait more than 20 years for a monopoly on the sales of Chinese patent medicines in the whole of Huaxia before he could possibly compete with Tsumura & Co.!

Twenty years is a long time to wait!

It would take a lot of effort just to change things externally!

Thinking about this, Xia Yu put down the register in his hands and said to Kazuya Fukuhara, 'Mr. Fukuhara, do you know anything about Tsumura & Co.? If I wanted to acquire Tsumura & Co. completely, would that be possible?'

Fukuhara Kazuya was also very surprised. He didn't expect Xia Yu to suddenly want to buy Tsumura Pharmaceutical.

Just thinking about the uniqueness of Tsumura Pharmaceutical, Fukuhara Kazuya couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile and say, 'Xia-kun, I personally think it's very difficult. This is no longer a matter of money, but also involves the conflict between Western and Chinese medicine.'

'Don't look at Tsumura Pharmaceutical now, it's the number one in the island country, and the people of the island country also identify with Kampo medicine, but it's still recovering.

'During the Meiji Restoration, the island nation comprehensively studied the West and introduced a bill to abolish traditional Chinese medicine. Only a few predecessors in traditional Chinese medicine supported it with their teeth and called for the reactivation of traditional Chinese medicine.'

'It wasn't until after 1945, when the island nation began to modernise, that the value of traditional Chinese medicine was discovered by more and more people. The public spontaneously studied traditional Chinese medicine, and then the government repealed the Meiji Restoration era bill, so that traditional Chinese medicine and Kampo medicine were able to regain their vitality.'

'And over the past 80 years, Tsumura & Co. has had many different shareholders. Many of the current shareholders are Chinese medicine research institutes or medical schools, and Tsumura & Co. has become a means for them to test the success of their research and expand their influence.'

'There is also a conflict between Chinese and Western medicine. Tsumura & Co.'s long-term development strategy has already been set, and this is no longer a matter of money.'

'If you want to acquire it, it will be very difficult, but I can try to help.'

In the end, Fukuhara Kazuya used a tone of possibility.

These things are not generally concerned by young people like him, and it is precisely because he has spent so much effort on the securities underwriting business in recent times that he has gained such an in-depth understanding of Tsumura Pharmaceuticals.

Xia Yu's brow furrowed, he didn't expect it to be such a special situation.

Tsumura Pharmaceuticals was involved in ideological and industrial struggles, and for those institutions and idealistic people, money was secondary.

He knew very well that money was not omnipotent. It might solve 99% of problems, but for a very small number of idealists, money was just a tool they used to achieve their goals.

Capitalists loved and hated these people at the same time. They loved them because they needed them to research technology, but they hated them because many of them were unyielding, leaving the capitalists' greatest weapon, capital, useless.

'Then I'll trouble you to give it a try. If possible, help me acquire it, and if there's no way to acquire it wholly, acquire a portion of the equity,'

Xia Yu said slowly.

Although he said this, in fact, he had no hope in his heart.

Fukuhara Kazuya nodded and said, 'There is no problem with acquiring a portion of the equity. Tsumura Pharmaceuticals is about to go public, and at least a quarter of the equity will be put on the stock market. Sanwa Bank and our fund are likely to get the underwriting rights. These stocks can be transferred to you, and I will help you acquire the others.'

'Mr. Fukuhara, then I'll trouble you!'

Xia Yu smiled gratefully.

Even if I can only get a part of it, it's still good. By infiltrating the enemy and stealing their secrets, I can learn the essence and benefit the growth of my own company.

For example, Tsumura & Co. has cooperated with multiple medical schools, which is a good opportunity to learn from their strengths.

After that, Kazuya Fukuhara accompanied Xia Yu for lunch, and then sent him on a plane to Hong Kong.

The next day, Xia Yu arrived at the Spring and Autumn Medical Hall.

Since there was little hope, he immediately took the second path. He never took chances or hung onto one tree.

'Ah Yu, why are you free today?'

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Li Chunqiu preparing Chinese medicine. Li Chunqiu was happy to see Xia Yu and said,

'I've been meaning to visit for a long time, so I came over.'

Xia Yu said with a smile.

Li Chunqiu laughed heartily. Although he knew Xia Yu was just paying lip service, he was still happy.

'Go sit inside, I'll be there soon.'

Li Chunqiu said as he continued mixing the medicine.

'Okay, you go ahead, Master!'

Xia Yu went inside and saw the wooden dummy in the courtyard. He couldn't help but start practising Tai Chi.

After about five minutes, Li Chunqiu, dressed in a long robe with a flowing white beard, walked in with a gentle smile. He watched Xia Yu as he was practising Tai Chi, and after ten seconds or so, his smile grew wider. He nodded from time to time, obviously quite satisfied with Xia Yu's kung fu.

'Hoo!'

Xia Yu stopped practising and came to stand in front of Li Chunqiu, smiling and saying, 'Master, is my kung fu on the right track?'

Li Chunqiu stroked his long beard and said with a smile, 'Not bad. You've made such progress in just one year, which is as fast as what it would take an ordinary person three to five years.'

Hearing this kind of evaluation, Xia Yu was very happy, but he was not proud. Instead, he humbly asked, "Please give me your honest opinion!'

Li Chunqiu thought for a moment, then took Xia Yu out into the courtyard and said, "You start again from the beginning and make a few changes.'

'Okay!'

After saying this, Xia Yu began to practise boxing again. Li Chunqiu called time from time to time, pointing out Xia Yu's shortcomings, which Xia Yu corrected attentively.

Before they knew it, half an hour had passed in a flash.

Xia Yu and Li Chunqiu went into the inner hall and sat down to drink tea and chat.

'Master, I have come to ask you something this time.'

After taking a sip of tea, Xia Yu put down the cup and said solemnly.

Seeing Xia Yu's solemn gesture, Li Chunqiu's eyebrows slightly raised, and he focused his attention and said, 'Go ahead, what is it?'

Xia Yu pondered for a moment, not asking the question so quickly. Instead, he first told Li Chunqiu about what he had learned yesterday about Tsumura & Co. and traditional Chinese medicine on the island, before asking, 'Master, now excluding the mainland, what is the situation of traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese medicine overseas?'

Li Chunqiu was silent for a long time before sighing and saying, 'The situation is not optimistic. The future of traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese herbal medicine does not lie in marketing, but rather in inheritance and cultivation of Chinese herbal medicine. The latter two are problematic.'

'Many old Chinese doctors have passed away in the past decade, and there are now only about 15 truly capable Chinese doctors in Hong Kong. Five of them have an unstable inheritance, and their descendants are unwilling to learn.'

'I'm not sure about the situation in Southeast Asia, but I conservatively estimate that there are still more than a dozen old Chinese doctors, and the largest number is in the east.'

'Another thing is the cultivation of Chinese herbal medicine. There is only one Chinese herbal medicine trading market in Hong Kong. Ten years ago, it was still good, and the quality was guaranteed. Now the quality of Chinese herbal medicine has generally declined, and the quality varies. Previously, I didn't need to worry about buying medicine, but now I have to personally select it every time, otherwise it won't be effective and will harm both the patient and myself.'

'If this trend continues and nothing changes, Chinese medicine will gradually decline, and with the decline of Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine will also be almost gone.'

Li Chunqiu makes a living from traditional Chinese medicine after all, and has become a part of it after so many years, so naturally he is worried about its development.

But his strength alone is not enough to save the entire industry.

Unless there is some superpower intervening!

Wait, superpower?

Thinking of this, Li Chunqiu looked at Xia Yu with burning eyes.

Isn't a superpower just capital? Use capital to drive other forces!

And in Xiangjiang, if it comes to the strength of capital, which Chinese can match his own apprentice Xia Yu?

And now Xia Yu has come to ask him about this matter on his own initiative, so he must have some ideas!

Thinking about this, Li Chunqiu's heart began to anticipate Xia Yu's real reason for coming.