America: My Time

Chapter 1068 The Appearance of the Sniper

Chapter 1058 The Appearance of the Sniper

Was the situation as dire as John described? No, but John's point was valid. Bartering with Russia meant that if one couldn't sell their supplies, it would put pressure on their finances. Crude oil wasn't something that could be easily digested. This gave John a good reason to expand his refineries and his intercontinental exchange. With so many supplies in hand, no one could feel at ease.

“John Western Energy has split into three. Aren’t you worried about problems? And Quantum Mining is also consolidating. Don’t you think this is too crazy?” Morgan was somewhat familiar with the situation at Quantum Mining. After all, it was too crazy to be consolidating while expanding so rapidly. It could easily lead to a crisis. He was very curious about what gave John the confidence to do this. Could it be that, as those guys said, Quantum Mining held a huge amount of precious metals?

"It is indeed a bit crazy, but there is no other way. If you want to develop, you have to face this kind of pressure. Fortunately, everything is still under control. However, the splitting and integration of iron ore and steel is necessary, otherwise the pressure on Quantum Mining itself will be great. Not only iron ore and steel, but also bauxite and aluminum groups will have to be split. After the splitting and integration, these will all be subsidiaries of Quantum Mining, and they can just focus on their professional aspects."

For John, Quantum Mining is growing larger and larger, involving more and more smelting processes. If it continues to develop haphazardly, it could easily lead to chaos. It would be better to break it up into subsidiaries sooner rather than later, with Quantum Mining focusing solely on copper, gold, and silver mining. Even rare earths will be spun off. John currently owns quite a few rare earth mines and has excellent rare earth refining technology.

"Some people are dissatisfied with your actions, especially the White House. Some have even suggested investigating everything. Your series of splits, with many overseas companies becoming independent, especially Western Energy, has made many people uneasy, since the overseas assets now exceed those of Western Energy itself!"

"I'm not going to do anything. If they want to target me, then let them come at me. At worst, we'll make a scene in front of the public. I'll definitely not be the one who suffers. Don't think I don't know what they're up to. They just want to get involved. Unfortunately, I won't give them that chance. Those bastards don't deserve my chance!"

In short, those guys were envious and all wanted to get a share of the profits from John, but unfortunately, John wouldn't give them that opportunity. Although John had new companies going public every year, he hadn't done so in the energy and mining sectors. Now, the transformation into a joint-stock company was very tempting, but unfortunately, John wouldn't give them the chance. The shares were all controlled by offshore companies and foundations, and John's shareholding was dwindling, yet there was absolutely no sign of a listing.

Of course, some people were also considering spinning off Quantum Mining's big data business, but no matter how much they schemed, they came up empty-handed in front of John. Moreover, they couldn't say that John was unwilling to share profits with everyone, since he had new companies going public every year, and they were all high-quality enterprises, leaving them speechless.

"When will John Knight International go public? You can't just keep going like this after the integration, can you? This will make more people dissatisfied. It's a behemoth."

"Going public is inevitable, but it's impossible in the short term. Knight International hasn't completed its full-scale layout yet, and it's not short of funds. After all, once all the goods we've exchanged with Russia are sold, the funding problem can be solved instantly. Going public now would only harm my own interests. Most importantly, I'm worried that someone might influence my plans. After all, not everyone is thinking about the company's long-term development; many are only concerned with short-term gains. Putting aside everything else, just the replacement of ships in Australian shipping alone might be unacceptable to many, as it's a considerable expense."

John knew all too well the true colors of those capitalists. They didn't care about the company's long-term development; they only sought short-term profits. Moreover, even if a major problem arose, they could simply sell their shares and run away.

“John, things aren’t as simple as they seem. If you can’t satisfy those guys, Cargill’s acquisition might run into problems. After all, those guys are not simple!” Morgan sighed inwardly at John’s decision. John’s attitude was indeed very tough, and he was unwilling to compromise with those guys.

"That's not a big problem. At worst, we can give up and complete the integration with Dekabio as the core. Cargill isn't a major issue!" John wasn't surprised that the Cargill acquisition might run into problems. After all, Cargill is one of the four major grain traders; if Donald wanted to, he could easily pull some strings, not to mention the sabotage from those with ulterior motives. When John said this, Morgan was taken aback. He hadn't expected John to think this way; it was completely different from his own guess. Could it be that John really had no intention of becoming a world-class grain trader, and everything was just an accident?

"John, aren't I worried that my plans will be thwarted? Cargill is very powerful!"

“I don’t want to force them. I can’t give them everything they want. If they insist, I will have to give up. Besides, I’m in the livestock business. You should know that my farms in the US are mainly livestock farms, so Cargill isn’t that important to me. If those guys think they can hold me back, they’re dreaming! If the acquisition is blocked, I can authorize Morgan to sell my shares at a high price. Cargill is not a necessity for me!”

A ruthless person can't stand firm. John dares not be careless in dealing with these old foxes, or he'll be easily tricked and killed. It may seem like a small matter, but the underlying issues are likely much more complex. Besides, John has no time to waste on petty squabbles. With the NAFTA agreement, Mexico's crisis is imminent, and an economic crisis will follow across Latin America. John needs to prepare in advance. A swift and decisive approach is best. If someone tries to sabotage him, he should simply abandon the fight; there's no need for further entanglement.

“Okay, Morgan will do as you ask. Judging from the current situation, it’s quite a big deal that we’ve encountered some obstacles along the way. After all, the way you acquired Westinghouse Electric made them feel that they also had a chance.” At this point, Morgan revealed the reason: it was all John’s own doing.

“John, there’s something that’s been bothering me. If there’s something you can’t say, then just pretend I didn’t ask. Why are you investing so much money in this farm and winery? It doesn’t seem to bring you much return. The effort and the return are completely disproportionate. You could put your energy into other investments, even mines, energy, high-tech, or even retail, which would far exceed what’s in farms and wineries. If you were older, we could understand, but you’re still very young, which is something we old folks don’t quite understand!”

"It's a personal hobby. The winery is entirely a personal hobby, and as for the farm, that's also a hobby, but it's also out of necessity. After all, my business dealings with Da Mao and Er Mao are substantial. Back when Lao Mao was still around, you know it was precisely because of these farms that I developed a better relationship with him. Now, I can't just stop whenever I want. If I really give up, my losses will be huge, and all my efforts over the years will be wasted. Now I'm in a bit of a dilemma. No matter how difficult it is, I have to persevere. I can't just take advantage of the situation and then immediately back out; otherwise, my reputation will be ruined!"

Morgan knew perfectly well how much John had benefited from the Russians. The development of Bentley Motors, Quantum Mining, and Western Energy were largely due to the technology he had acquired from the Russians. Even the same was true for Gulfstream Aerospace. Now, John had acquired so many of the Russians' aircraft at low prices. It would be impossible for this not to involve other transactions, not to mention steel and shipbuilding.

Knowing John's current situation with Big Mao and Little Mao, Morgan understood John's predicament. The trade could not stop, but the goods he had acquired could not be sold, which put pressure on Australian shipping. Moreover, Australian shipping was still undergoing modernization, and even if steel was used as payment, the pressure on Australian shipping was still great.

It was very profitable back then, but with the ever-changing situation, the lucrative business has run into problems, and bartering has become a source of pressure for John. Of course, there must be other collaborations behind this, otherwise John wouldn't be one to suffer losses, but Morgan couldn't very well ask, after all, it was someone else's trade secret!
At this moment, Morgan instantly understood why John had been so tolerant of the Japanese. It was all about profit. In the current climate, Japan could help John absorb a lot of resources, and for that reason alone, John couldn't part ways with Japan, not to mention the many benefits they had given him.

Upon realizing this, Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. At least John hadn't intended to control the grain supply; it was all just a coincidence. Of course, Morgan wouldn't completely trust John. Only at the very end could he be certain. As long as John hadn't truly relinquished his stake in Cargill's acquisition, he would still harbor suspicions!

(End of this chapter)