Chapter 1063: Interfering with the selection of the governor

Duke Carter Howard looked straight at Xia Yu and said bluntly, 'The telecommunications industry is an industry with extremely high barriers to entry. Everyone knows that it is a big and delicious cake, and there are too many people eyeing it. You can't just grab it if you want!'

'Mr Xia, even I cannot guarantee how much equity we can grab. If you are hoping to do the same as Datong Telecom, then I advise you to give up straight away, it is impossible to succeed!'

Facing the cold water that Duke Carter Howard had poured, Xia Yu did not resign himself to his fate. He smiled faintly and said, 'Sir Carter, of course I know the difficulty involved, which is why I do not have high expectations for this new telecommunications company. I do not expect to gain a dominant position, but at the very least I can get a certain amount of equity, can't I?'

'Are you not interested in this company?'

Duke Carter Howard smiled faintly, without answering, and just shook his head with some emotion.

Seeing this, Xia Yu's brows could not help but wrinkle slightly.

Seeing Xia Yu frown, Duke Carter Howard suddenly felt a lot better.

But when he subconsciously looked at his daughter, he noticed that she had also furrowed her brows, with a pained expression on her face, which made his good mood disappear in an instant.

'Hey...'

Duke Carter Howard couldn't bear to see his daughter like this. He sighed inwardly, then glared at Xia Yu.

In Xia Yu's somewhat puzzled gaze, Duke Carter Howard said, 'Mr. Xia, I'm also interested in this company, but I only plan to fight for a small shareholding.'

'This new telecommunications company is different from Cable & Wireless. On the premise that the Bank of Bahrain is excluded, the bank related to me is Lloyds Bank, and my main strength must be concentrated here. Other families will also concentrate their strength here. Even if I add my strength, we may not be able to compete with Barclays Bank and National Westminster Bank.'

'So if you want me to help you, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but I can't help.'

'So this time, you will have to find a way on your own. I really can't do anything.'

'My only suggestion is that you can ask Lady Margaret to give you special consideration.'

When saying these words, Duke Carter Howard kept his eyes locked with Xia Yu the whole time, and that calm gaze showed that this was his true opinion and attitude, not deception or prevarication.

Xia Yu didn't have high hopes before coming here, and now that he had brought it up, he was just trying his best. Whether it worked or not, he wouldn't have any regrets, so at the beginning, he said that this matter was just one of his goals.

Since there is no hope here with Duke Carter Howard, there is no need to talk about this topic, and he will think of another way.

Xia Yu nodded slightly, and said to Duke Carter Howard with a slight hint of gratitude, 'Sir Carter, it's fine, I was just talking about this matter. I am well aware of the difficulty involved, and I will think of another way.'

'I have some other matters I would like to consult you about.'

Duke Carter Howard lifted his teacup and took a sip of coffee, and said slowly, 'Please go ahead!'

Xia Yu cleared his throat and spoke loudly, 'Sir Carter, there are only two months left until 1982. According to the term of office, Sir Murray MacLehose's term of office in Hong Kong is about to expire. It is about time to decide on the next Governor of Hong Kong, isn't it?'

Duke Carter Howard immediately understood the meaning of Xia Yu's words. Xia Yu wanted to directly interfere with the British personnel appointment and replace him with a Governor of Hong Kong who would listen to him!

He frowned and looked at Xia Yu solemnly and said, 'Mr Xia, as a British duke, it is my mission and duty to uphold the prestige and honour of the United Kingdom. Do you think it is appropriate to talk to me about subverting the British colony?'

Xia Yu's face became solemn and he immediately corrected him, 'Sir Carter, I want to correct you. Hong Kong is not a British colony. Only part of it belongs to the British leasehold, and the lease term is 99 years. This concept cannot be wrong!'

'In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly clearly defined the nature of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is not a colony.'

'I won't mention sovereignty or not, but I don't want the prefix 'native of a British colony' on my head. This is an insult to my character and a denial of my strength.'

Duke Carter Howard and Xia Yu looked at each other for a moment, and he took the initiative to back down and apologise, saying, 'Okay, I'm sorry, I misspoke. Xiangjiang is indeed a British lease.'

'And,'

'I have never looked down on you, and you should understand the truth of my words.'

At this time, Elena hurriedly spoke up, saying, 'Yes, Xia Yu, my father doesn't think so.'

Xia Yu smiled faintly and said, 'Irina, don't worry, I'm not arguing with your father.'

After saying that, Xia Yu looked at Duke Carter Howard and said with a smile, "Sir Carter, I'm sorry I spoke a little loudly just now. I hope you can understand that I have a relatively strong sense of self-esteem.'

Duke Carter Howard also came down the steps and waved his hand, smiling and saying, "Mr. Xia, I should be the one apologising. I spoke without thinking and didn't pay attention to the wording.'

'As you may know, the UK still has many colonies around the world. I'm not really interested in them, so I haven't really looked into the nature of these places.'

After apologising, as if to show his usual friendly attitude, he volunteered, 'Mr Xia, I understand your concerns. Hong Kong is your hometown and the gathering place for your career. Hong Kong's prosperity is crucial to you. Political stability is the foundation of economic development, as everyone knows.'

'However, the appointment of the Governor of Hong Kong requires confirmation by the Queen, and Lady Margaret has the power to make recommendations.'

'In this regard, it is inappropriate for me to intervene, otherwise it will easily become a pretext for enemies to attack, which will damage the reputation and interests of our family.'

'If you can persuade Prince Philip to help you, the chances of success will be even greater.'

After saying this, the Duke of Carter Howard paused for a long time before saying a few more very pertinent and penetrating words.

'And Mr Xia, in fact, after Governor MacLehose's term expires, it doesn't matter what the attitude of the next governor is. His limited autonomy poses no fatal threat to you. The greatest role of the governor of Hong Kong is to implement the orders and will of Downing Street. You should aim in that direction.'

'And Lady Margaret is relatively strong-willed in terms of diplomacy. Now, because her efforts to curb the economic downturn have not been effective, and the sale of state-owned enterprises has resulted in high unemployment, her approval rating is declining. Under these circumstances, bowing on the issue of Hong Kong will likely make the public even more disappointed with her, which is not conducive to her re-election.'

Xia Yu said with a hint of gratitude, 'Sir Carter, first of all, thank you for your advice.'

'But I still want to say that Hong Kong is different from a British colony.'

'Even if it was a British colony, in the past 20 to 30 years, there have been many colonies that have gained independence, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Tanzania, South Africa, and so on, as many as 50 countries. These countries can all be independent, so what is the difference between them and Hong Kong, which is only a leased territory? I just hope that it can be stable, and how much prestige will the UK lose?'

'As for what you said about affecting Lady Margaret's re-election, as a supporter who admires her, I definitely will not harm her.'

'I have prepared something extremely important that can restore the UK's great international prestige, enough to offset the influence of Hong Kong.'

'Of course, if this thing just sinks and disappears, I can guarantee that the UK's prestige will suffer a huge blow.'

Duke Carter Howard heard this and looked at Xia Yu with burning eyes.

Xia Yu looked at Carter Howard with a frank expression, his attitude was very clear, what he said was true.

In an instant, the Duke of Carter Howard's face changed constantly.