In the days that followed, the two men began drafting a detailed plan for the coup. Deng Shiyang did not step out of his room, having all three meals there. In order to write the operation plan, he and Keith had less than six hours of sleep each day.
After three long days of hard work, a more than ten-page plan for the coup was handed over to Harrowby before the deadline.
In contrast to the two who worked through the deadline, Harrowby did not immediately open the plan after receiving it. Although the desire to read it was clawing at him like a small cat since the moment he got it. During lunch at the sixth-floor restaurant, he wanted several times to go back to his room to read it, but in the end, he restrained himself.
At 4 p.m., after shaking off the drowsiness from lunch, he dialed room service and ordered a bottle of 1999 Chateau Palmer wine. Holding a wine glass in one hand and the document in the other, he sat on the sofa by the window. This was a habit he had developed over the years—whenever he needed to concentrate on something, he preferred doing so in the afternoon or evening. Now, it was necessary to carefully read through the plan.
He gently opened the light blue plastic folder, set aside the maps and explanatory images, and began reading the text portion.
The coup plan was a synthesis of the information provided by Harrowby, Deng Shiyang's observations in Swaziland, and the client’s objectives. It included forecasts on the possible international impacts of the coup and offered suggestions on how to quickly seize national power and stabilize the domestic situation.
The plan also provided a brief analysis of the military forces in Swaziland and Mozambique, as well as an outline of the strategy to be adopted in the coup and the reasons for choosing that strategy.
Following that were six pages detailing the operational methods: where to hire the necessary personnel, what weapons and equipment were needed, auxiliary gear, transport helicopters, the ships to be used as a sea base, as well as the prices of uniforms, food, fuel, and other consumables.
The plan emphasized the necessity of maintaining secrecy throughout. Although there would be four deputies under the director, none of them would know the contents of the plan. The destination and flight routes would only be disclosed to the ship captains and pilots at the last moment, ensuring that even under investigation, other members and the plan itself would not be compromised. All weapons, equipment, and other materials needed for the operation would be purchased legally to reduce the risk of police investigation. Only the two project directors, Harrowby, and the client would know all the details of the plan.
Finally, there were two appendices, printed separately on two pages.
Page One: Financial Budget
- Reconnaissance trip to Swaziland, feasibility assessment report (completed): £50,000
- Project manager and deputy managers’ salaries: £300,000
- Deputies’ salaries: £200,000
- Salary for hired personnel: £320,000 (soldiers: £150,000; mortar crew: £30,000; helicopter crew: £80,000; mechanics: £40,000; ship crew: £20,000)
- Travel expenses: £100,000
- Cargo plane rental: £20,000
- Weapons purchase: £800,000
- Helicopter purchase and modification costs: £4,000,000
- Ship purchase and modification costs: £1,000,000
- Purchase of other auxiliary equipment: £300,000
- Contingency fund: £500,000
- Total: £7,290,000
Page Two: Timeline
- Phase One: Recruitment of personnel, opening bank accounts (two weeks)
- Phase Two: Training personnel, purchasing supplies (three weeks)
- Phase Three: Modifying transport vehicles, transporting personnel and supplies (two weeks)
- Phase Four: Boarding personnel and supplies, preparing for action (one week)
- Total Duration: Eight weeks
Harrowby carefully reviewed the plan twice. He stared out at Victoria Harbour while continually drinking wine. After drinking more than half a bottle of wine, he took the report out of the folder, put it in the fax machine, and sent it to a fax number in London before heading to his bedroom to rest.
The day after completing the plan, Deng Shiyang slept until noon. After a quick wash, he touched his growling stomach and walked over to the desk in the living room. Upon approaching, he noticed that the phone on the desk, which was charging, displayed two "missed calls."
Upon checking, he saw that the two calls were made an hour and half an hour ago, both from a number with a long-distance area code of "636." This was the number for "Thomas Investigative Consultants." He knew that the call coming late at night must be something important, so he immediately pressed "redial."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The call was answered after only two rings. Before he could speak, the familiar voice of the employee from before came through: "Finally, I got hold of you."
"Any news?"
"Yes." The employee answered, with a hint of self-satisfaction in his tone, "You previously instructed that if ‘Diliman Holdings’ makes any moves in the stock market, we must notify you immediately..."
"Go on." Deng Shiyang interrupted.
"Oh, sorry. We just received word that ‘Diliman Holdings’ has approached ‘Credit Suisse’ to acquire all of ‘Ruiyuan International’s’ debt. They are also preparing to negotiate with ‘Shougang Holdings’ and ‘Tongguan Resources’ to acquire their shares."
"When did this happen?"
"Contact with ‘Credit Suisse’ was made two hours ago, and the negotiation is scheduled for two days later."
Deng Shiyang frowned and asked, "So, ‘Diliman’ started the full acquisition of ‘Ruiyuan International’ this morning?"
The other party thought for a moment and replied, "You could say that. Their leveraged buyout has already entered the final stage."
Deng Shiyang was silent for a moment before feigning a displeased tone, saying, "Was there no sign of this beforehand?"
"Oh, sorry," the other person replied a bit awkwardly. "This move was very sudden. I was also taken aback when I received the news."
"Alright." Apparently accepting the explanation, Deng Shiyang's tone softened. After pausing, he asked, "How’s the investigation into ‘Diliman’ going?"
"Please hold on."
The sound of shuffling papers came through the receiver. After a few minutes, the employee said, "The progress isn't fast, but we've made some headway. The report is right here; I can fax it to you."
"Is it long?"
"No, it's less than a page."
"Read it to me."
"Alright." The employee cleared his throat and then read: "As per the request, our firm conducted a background investigation of ‘Diliman Holdings Ltd.,’ registered in Jersey. According to information obtained from ‘Extel,’ the company was founded in 1923 under the name ‘Diliman Trading Co., Ltd.’ It was primarily engaged in rubber plantation and tire manufacturing."
"The company’s founder, Sean Plummer Diliman, anticipated a surge in demand for tires during the 1920s automobile boom and invested in rubber plantations in Malaya. However, things didn’t go as planned. Shortly after its founding, the Great Depression of the 1930s led to a sharp drop in rubber demand. The outbreak of World War II later briefly improved the situation, but two years after the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese invasion shattered any chance of good fortune."
"After the war, independence movements swept across Southeast Asia’s colonies. Amid the insurgency and rebellion led by the Malayan Communist Party, the company struggled to survive until 1957 when the plantations were nationalized by the newly independent Federation of Malaya. The company then went into steep decline, and its share price kept plummeting. By the end of last year, before it was acquired, each share was only 43 pence."
"Earlier this year, ‘International Commercial Bank,’ based in Luxembourg, began purchasing shares of ‘Diliman Trading Co., Ltd.’ After gaining control of the board, they moved the company from London to Jersey and renamed it ‘Diliman Holdings.’"
"What an ideal shell company," Deng Shiyang thought but didn't say aloud. He quietly listened until the employee finished and then asked, "Can you find out who acquired this company?"
There was a long silence on the other end before the reply came: "That's probably not possible. We only know that they acquired ‘Diliman’ shares through seven people. Since each held less than ten percent, the bank wasn’t required to disclose the buyer's identity."
British corporate law stipulates that anyone wanting to acquire more than ten percent of a publicly listed company’s shares must prove their identity to the company’s board of directors within two weeks. The purpose of this law is to make the buyer’s identity public and inform how many shares they purchased and from which company.
For this reason, if a broker is buying more than ten percent of a company’s shares, they must disclose the buyer’s identity to the company’s board of directors. Only when purchasing less than ten percent can the buyer remain anonymous.
Thus, a financial tycoon wishing to remain anonymous while acquiring the majority of a company’s shares can appoint multiple agents to bypass the law. However, this approach is easily seen through, and brokers may eventually be forced to reveal the true buyer due to legal pressure.
Therefore, a foreign bank not bound by British corporate law can refuse to disclose the identity of the actual buyer and does not need to provide any other details.
"...Sir, are you still there?"
The voice from the receiver seemed distant, interrupting Deng Shiyang’s thoughts. He replied apologetically, "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"This is all we have so far regarding ‘Diliman Holdings.’ Are you satisfied?"
"Yes, you've done well."
"Thank you. So, what do you plan to do next?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you want us to end the investigation or continue?"
"Continue." Deng Shiyang thought for a while, then said, "I need you to note down a couple of things for further investigation."
The sound of shuffling papers came through again. After about half a minute, the employee said, "Go ahead."
"I need you to look into two things: first, the current management of ‘Diliman.’ If those seven brokers want to remain anonymous, they will definitely appoint an agent to enter the company’s board of directors. I need you to find out this agent's identity."
"And the second?"
"Second, the source of ‘Diliman’s’ funds. I need to know where they got the money for acquiring ‘Ruiyuan International’ besides loans and bond issuance."
"Got it."
After the employee finished taking notes, Deng Shiyang asked, "How long will it take?"
"The first task isn't difficult—should be done in a day. The second one is harder. These guys are pros with multiple channels for moving money. Tracking it down will be quite tricky."
"Do your best." Deng Shiyang responded nonchalantly, then ended the call.
Annotations:
- Extel (Exchange Telegraph Company): A British-based commercial investigation company.