America: My Time

Chapter 1351 Britain's Worries

Chapter 1341 Britain's Worries
Time flew by, and HSBC didn't hold out for long. After all, they couldn't be as reckless as John; they needed to answer to their board. Faced with Standard Chartered's aggressive attacks, their Southeast Asian business plummeted, forcing them to give up. At the very least, they no longer had the courage to continue fighting John. They couldn't afford such huge losses, and in their view, giving up now, even with some losses, was insignificant. They could always make a comeback later. Preserving themselves was the priority; if they couldn't even protect themselves, what future could they talk about?
This time, HSBC truly witnessed John's madness, and the bigwigs in Hong Kong also witnessed what domineering and crazy meant. Even if it meant suffering losses themselves, they wanted to inflict damage on their enemies. Such crazy behavior was unacceptable to them, but that's exactly what John did, and that's exactly what Standard Chartered Bank did.

In this battle, John established his authority in Asia and Hong Kong, showing those people what a ruthless person he was, and forcing those who wanted to scheme against him to give up, after all, they couldn't afford the serious consequences. Even the guys in Japan became a little more restrained, no longer daring to use too many petty tricks, all worried that angering John would have unimaginable consequences.

“Stop. We can stop here in Southeast Asia. There’s no need to keep going. Even if there are still some benefits, they won’t be much!” John reminded Yuan Tianfan. At this point, the winds in Southeast Asia had begun to shift. Those guys couldn’t hold on any longer and had to compromise with the International Monetary Fund, so John didn’t plan to try and earn the last penny.

"Alright, I'll arrange it right away. But should we continue this fierce battle with HSBC? These guys have completely retreated from Southeast Asia. If we continue, we'll spread the war to other countries, which will put considerable pressure on ourselves!"

"Let it go. Continuing the fight won't do us much good. Driving them out of Southeast Asia is enough. Without HSBC, we can fully take over the Southeast Asian market and take the initiative. This battle has also made us famous in the Chinese community, letting them know how powerful we are. At least we have made more progress."

Standard Chartered Bank's aggressive retaliation, and its willingness to fight HSBC at any cost, has demonstrated its formidable strength and powerful foundation to the entire Asian world. This has led many to choose Standard Chartered over HSBC, and even some of Hong Kong's bigwigs have changed their minds, given Standard Chartered's undeniable power!

"Our losses this time are also considerable. At least half of our profits were consumed in this battle, which is a significant loss for us!" Yuan Tianfan sighed softly as he spoke. Although the battle was impressive, the losses were substantial. Half of our profits in Southeast Asia were wiped out, and this loss pained him.

"This is a loss we have to accept. If we keep worrying about our own interests and don't dare to fight HSBC, it will only make them more arrogant. Only by hurting them will these guys behave themselves. This time, those guys have already approached the British Royal Family. Although they are not the Queen, they are still members of the Royal Family. We still have to give them some face. We can't go too far. After all, I have a lot of assets in Britain, and Standard Chartered Bank also has more of a presence in Britain."

For the royal family to intervene, those guys at HSBC must have paid a considerable price. If it weren't for the fact that they had also suffered significant losses, John wouldn't have let them off so easily. Even the royal family's intervention wouldn't have mattered. At least John didn't think those guys were worthy of his respect. Unless the Queen intervened, he could ignore them.

John no longer wants Standard Chartered to waste its precious funds on them because of HSBC. There are still many opportunities ahead, and he doesn't want to squander this potential profit.

Following John's arrangement, Standard Chartered Bank quickly responded, ceasing its targeting of HSBC and backing down, which relieved many. Frankly, many were worried that Standard Chartered would engage in a deadly battle with HSBC, harming their interests. Seeing Standard Chartered back down finally put their minds at ease. The British were also relieved; they didn't want to see Standard Chartered and HSBC locked in a life-or-death struggle, wasting their own resources!

In the eyes of the British, Standard Chartered Bank is still a British bank, one of their own. Even though Standard Chartered Bank has been taken over by John, it still has its headquarters in the UK, so they still consider it one of their own.

"You shouldn't have gone out and lobbied. That's not what you should be doing. Do you know what the result will be? You've wasted a huge favor. John chose to back down, and our royal family now owes him a favor. He gave us face, so we owe him a favor. It's not worth it for HSBC's promise!"

"But we can't just watch their war continue, otherwise HSBC will suffer huge losses, and might even be utterly defeated. If that happens, those guys will cause trouble, which won't be good for us either!"

"Cause trouble? Do you think they dare to do that? They started this big fight themselves. They insisted on meddling in the Americans' internal strife and listened to the temptations of those oily capitalists. Now that such a big mess has occurred, we're already being very kind by not causing them any trouble. How dare they cause trouble? Do you really think they can do whatever they want?"

“But too many people have come forward, and they are all nobles who have dealings with our royal family. We can’t just not give them any face at all. Besides, quite a few people are dissatisfied with Standard Chartered Bank and John this time, and they think he has gone too far!”

"Heh, you're really naive. They only dare to talk to you. Do you think they'd dare go to John? They wouldn't dare say a word in front of John. You don't think those guys are capable of fighting a conglomerate like John's, and you don't really think John is unaware of their situation. If they dare to get involved, many of their investments in Europe will be attacked, as will their investments in Asia and Africa. Don't think John's armed forces are just for show; things are far more terrifying and insane than you imagine! This favor has been incurred and will have to be repaid later. When Standard Chartered Bank continues its expansion in Britain, we'll have to accept it." Although she felt a little unwilling, the Queen was powerless. What was done was done, and John had given the royal family ample face. To nitpick further would be excessive. This time, they were the ones who proactively sought out John, not the other way around.

"Alright, stop thinking about it! What Downing Street is thinking is their responsibility, since this involves Britain's financial security. But they're pushing it onto the Royal Family, which is a bit unreasonable. They can't just leave without saying anything!"

"I'm not quite sure. They've mentioned it, but there hasn't been any reaction yet. It seems they're worried about John's investments in England, fearing it might anger him and affect the British economy. After all, he controls heavy industry in England, and if something goes wrong, it would be a significant problem for Downing Street. John's actions in Europe back then terrified many people; no one doubted his determination and madness. And this time is enough to prove that he's still that guy who's mad to the extreme!"

"Yes, this battle showed everyone his madness. He suffered considerable losses himself, but it boosted Standard Chartered Bank's reputation and made John famous. This wasn't due to the power of finance, but his madness. Everyone knew how powerful he was in finance and was wary of him, but that was just wariness. After this battle, no one dared to act rashly. After all, he was capable of a truly mad counterattack, a counterattack that disregarded his own interests. That's the most terrifying thing. No one wants to face someone as powerful and mad as him!"

"I don't understand. Doesn't he have any scruples? Is it necessary to go to such extremes? And his battle with Youtai Capital is a bit too much. It doesn't benefit him at all."

"So this is your opinion? You think his confrontation with the oilfield capital isn't beneficial to him? You're too naive. The benefits are enormous. Leaving aside the staggering profits he gains in the Middle East—you can't believe Bentley's booming sales there aren't attributable to this. His luxury brands are also major beneficiaries in the Middle East, as are arms sales. All of this alone is enough to drive him crazy. And you can't believe his battle with the oilfield capital isn't beneficial. If he hadn't fought that war, how do you think those American conglomerates would have reacted? They would have suppressed John's development even more aggressively! Don't underestimate John's intelligence; he's more formidable than you imagine. Avoid making enemies unnecessarily; don't incur favors, or it will become trouble for us later!"

Even if you understand, many people can see through John's scheme. Everyone knows all this, but John has never hidden anything. Everything is out in the open. This is a blatant conspiracy. Even if you know it, you can't stop it unless you choose to enter the fray, choose to stand on the opposite side of John, and participate in this conflict.

In Britain, John is not as simple as he appears. Whether it's the royal family or Downing Street, they all have to be cautious and careful, worried that provoking John might affect Britain's development. After all, John controls a lot of Britain's heavy industry, which makes them have to treat him with caution and fear that something might go wrong!
Just look at the situation in the US now to see how crazy John is about heavy industry and manufacturing. Even General Motors is preparing to relocate. How can this not worry the British? After all, labor costs are very high in Britain. If Bentley Motors were to relocate directly, it would be a huge loss for them. Not to mention that Britain also manufactures aircraft, and large aircraft at that. This makes the British even more cautious!
John's investments in Britain are so vast and his assets so powerful that all sides have to be cautious. This is also why the Queen is unwilling to incur favors. If the manufacturing sector were to shift, the Royal Family would be in a difficult position, caught between a rock and a hard place. Most importantly, John's energy holdings have also demanded attention from all sides in Britain. Any problems could have a significant impact on them, given John's substantial investments in the North Sea oil fields.

Of course, John's acquisition in Europe this time, even with pressure from American financial groups, was still quite a big deal and had an amazing impact. Everything made Britain and Europe take it seriously. Not to mention that many people were also watching the sale of Dreamworld and Nvidia. Under these circumstances, some people naturally saw John's layout in Britain and Europe, which made some people interested!

However, being tempted was useless. No one dared to make any rash moves. Even those guys from Oil Capital didn't dare to take any action. Last time, they were too arrogant and let things get out of control. John directly relocated ASML and the aircraft manufacturing plant, which directly slapped them in the face.

However, Britain is the beneficiary of this incident. It is precisely because they have benefited that they are more cautious and unwilling to take risks. They are unwilling to face even the smallest dangers, fearing that it will bring unnecessary trouble and affect themselves.

The royal family's prestige cannot be ruined by something like this, which is why the Queen was so cautious in her advice and said those words. Only by truly understanding John's madness, how terrifying his trump cards are, and what kind of danger would arise if he were provoked, can one proceed with utmost care.

The battle between Standard Chartered and HSBC had a huge impact not only in Asia, but also in Europe, perhaps even more so, and in Britain. The more they understood John's madness, the less they dared to act rashly, and the more they had to consider John's thoughts, daring not to be careless in the slightest.

If we take a closer look at John's investments in Europe, Britain is undoubtedly a key focus, with numerous investments spanning various sectors, from energy and manufacturing to electricity, gas, retail, luxury goods, and even the wine industry. These investments constitute a significant portion of his portfolio in Britain, so the British must pay close attention to John's reactions, fearing that something unexpected might happen!

(End of this chapter)