America: My Time

Chapter 1474 Persuasion
Chapter 1464 Persuasion

"Little Bush really went to see John. It seems they've already started making moves. This time, the internal struggle within Elephant is probably a done deal!" Morgan sighed after learning of Little Bush's actions. He naturally understood why Little Bush went to see John: it was for the promise of 'friendship.' With that promise in hand, he would have no problem competing in Elephant, since John's support directly provided him with ample resources.

Although John won't fully support Bush, with the support of several major media groups and two major television networks, if Bush can't secure an overwhelming victory within Elephant, it would be a disservice to the help John has given him!

"Boss, isn't the Bush family being too wasteful? Such a good promise is being squandered on internal power struggles within Elephant. They could have waited a bit longer. With Old Bush's abilities, he could have easily secured victory for Young Bush within Elephant. There's no need to squander this precious promise like this!"

“You’re right. With Old Bush’s strength, he can indeed achieve victory within the Elephant family, but he would need to pay a higher price and gain more benefits. However, with John’s promise, it’s much easier. You may think it’s a waste, but within Old Bush’s family, it’s the best choice. It will save them a lot of connections. Do you think the struggle within the Elephant family is without cost? Favors aren’t so easy to repay. Moreover, if they keep this promise, they won’t get much help. After all, Donkey will also get support at that time. And the final struggle is about exchanging benefits. Without sufficient benefits, John won’t help them wholeheartedly.”

"No way, didn't John promise to help Little Bush?" Jimmy looked at his boss with a puzzled expression, somewhat unable to understand. After all, John and Little Bush's 'friendship' back then was well-known, and their relationship had remained unaffected over the years, always being quite good!
“Jimmy, you’ve got one thing wrong. John’s promise to help Little Bush is true, but it can’t be full-fledged help. It will only be media support. Do you think John’s power is that little? Do you think he has any influence among the people? Putting aside everything else, the employees of his companies alone are a resource that many people would covet. Not to mention that he completely controls Oregon. You don’t think he hasn’t had any influence on the people of Oregon for so long, do you? If he just stands up and raises his voice, how many votes will he get? Have you thought about that?”

At this moment, Jimmy suddenly realized how ridiculous his previous thoughts were. John's influence far exceeded his imagination, not to mention that John was now promoting social projects. The temptation was astonishing, and his employees would be incredibly 'grateful'. With just a word from John, Little Bush could bring amazing gains. So how could he get John's full support without sufficient exchange of benefits?
"Boss, does the donkey have no chance at all? After all, the donkey is quite strong, and Oil Capital has a lot of cooperation with them. Most importantly, those guys are John's adversaries!"

"It's not that there's absolutely no chance, but the probability of success is very small. After all, the donkey has done a lot of stupid things, and most importantly, they've thoroughly offended John. Don't be fooled by the fact that John has reconciled with them; getting him to help them will come at a huge price. And even if John is on their side, their chances of winning aren't very high. Of course, someone as influential as John is someone that both the donkey and the elephant would have to pay a very high price to get his support. Otherwise, John wouldn't get involved; self-interest is the foundation of everything!"

Yes, Morgan is absolutely right. In the face of such a major event, personal relationships are nothing but a stepping stone. Without sufficient benefits, even if an opportunity is presented to you, it is useless. Ultimately, everything is decided by the exchange of benefits. If you cannot offer enough benefits, you will not get John's help. This also applies to other conglomerates. In the eyes of conglomerate tycoons, the exchange of benefits is fundamental.

"But haven't they already convinced the oil and arms companies? With their help, there shouldn't be any major problems, and he has also gained everyone's approval."

"You still don't understand the madness of elections. As long as there's even the slightest possibility, there's always a chance to turn things around, let alone someone as heavyweight as John. Even if you have a lot of confidence and support, you can't underestimate your opponent, and you can't give up on anyone you can win over. Doing so will only lead to unpredictable changes in the final battle. The election isn't just about the Bush family; it's a crucial opportunity for the Elephant. If Little Bush loses all his original support, how do you think people will view him? How effective are the promises they made before? You still underestimate John's influence. Don't think that just because John has conflicts with those old guys like Rockefeller, everyone will stand on the opposite side of him. I can tell you clearly that many more people want to follow John's choice."

"Why? Is it just because of John's influence?" Although Jimmy had been involved in several major events like this, this time he was truly involved at the core level, so he couldn't understand what his boss was saying.

"Influence is only a small part. More people value John's luck and terrifying strength. Do you think anyone would dare to ignore John's existence, given his undefeated record? Do you think those old guys wouldn't have other ideas? Remember, when it comes to such a prodigy, everyone will selectively believe his decisions. As long as he doesn't suffer a defeat, no one will question his choices. So John's importance is not as simple as you think!"

After hearing his boss's explanation, Jimmy finally understood the reason behind it and how terrifying John's influence was. Even the election had such a terrifying influence, and even the financial giants who had once opposed him chose to follow suit. This was beyond his imagination and made him extremely shocked!
"Is it possible that Little Bush and John have reached a consensus on cooperation, and that they have already exchanged benefits?" This thought arose in Jimmy's mind again, and he felt that such a possibility existed!

"No, that's absolutely impossible. Even the best of relationships are useless in the final showdown. The exchange of interests is the real key; interests are the foundation of everything. Remember, without sufficient interests, even the best relationships will be set aside. Pay close attention to this election; you'll gain a lot of experience from it." Morgan's words at this moment signified a delegation of authority to Jimmy, allowing him to represent Morgan in collaborating with Bush. Such an opportunity is rare, and Jimmy's recognition is a testament to his abilities; otherwise, his position would make it difficult for him to participate in core issues!

This scenario is playing out in many conglomerates and even large families. No one will easily give up such an opportunity; they will all take the chance to remind their descendants or successors that the exchange of benefits is the foundation of everything, and that without sufficient benefits, it is impossible to gain everyone's approval.

What was John doing? He was facing old Martin, his own father. Even though Donkey knew that there was no possibility of cooperation between John and them, they still wanted to try their best to win him over. And the only person who had the most influence over John was old Martin. As for John's family, no one could persuade them because his family were all part of the Elephant family.

"Old man, things have come to this point. Do you think we still need to talk? I don't trust those guys from Donkey. Leaving aside the possibility of their promises succeeding, their credibility alone is not enough to reassure me. You'd better not try to persuade me anymore. I can't possibly side with Donkey." Faced with Old Martin's persuasion, John was also speechless and under considerable pressure. After all, he had to give the old man some face no matter what.

“I know, but given my position and status, I have no choice but to make this trip. Even if it's just a formality, I have to complete it. Even if I know you won't agree, I still have to persuade you to give birth, and I have to do my part to fulfill my promise to everyone. Do you understand? I'm not doing this for myself, but for the Bayard family!”

“I understand, how could I not understand? But what’s the use? It’s just a waste of time and energy, a pointless trip. I believe even the Donkeys themselves don’t have enough confidence. After all, Zipperton really damaged the Donkeys’ reputation. At this point, hardly anyone is willing to stand on their side. Wasting time and energy is not advisable!”

“In your eyes, this is unacceptable, but in my heart, it is something that must be done. After all, I have to consider the future development of the Bayard family, or the past relationships!” Old Martin sighed. If he could, he would not want to make this trip, but if he did not do so, the conflict between John and the family would become bigger and bigger, and eventually it would be out of control. This would not only be John's problem, but also their family's problem.

Despite the significant conflicts between John and the Bayard family that had even led to a complete break, the greedy members of the family still failed to grasp the situation and see through everything. They clung to the ridiculous idea that John should stand by their side. To prevent these people from appearing before John and destroying any remaining ties between him and the family, the old man had no choice but to personally intervene and persuade John.

“Grandpa, your stance has nothing to do with me. You should understand that it’s impossible for me to get along with them again. I only have that last bit of affection left between us. If it weren’t for you, even that last connection might have been severed. I am me, I have my own stance and my own interests, and I will not get along with the Bayard family!” Fearing that the old man might still have some inappropriate thoughts, John felt it was better to be clear about everything to avoid more trouble in the future!
"Don't worry, I have no intention of persuading you. Things have come to this point, do you think I'm still foolish enough not to see through the propaganda, or that I would sacrifice your interests for the sake of the Bayard family? Even if we have different stances, that last bit of family ties cannot be severed, and I need to maintain that bond!"

Old Martin was also quite helpless. If those guys in the family had any sense and hadn't been tempted by greed, things wouldn't have turned out this way. John would have at least given the family some face, but now he completely disregarded that. If he hadn't intervened, who knows what kind of situation would have arisen!
"Maintaining family ties? What family ties are left? If these guys had any family ties in their hearts, none of this would have happened. Even if our tacit cooperation played a part, it was mostly their stupidity and greed that caused the problems."

John had no intention of hiding anything in this matter. It was better to be clear about everything in the face of such a major event to avoid bringing endless crises to himself in the future. Moreover, he had neither the time nor the energy to care about the situation of his family. He would only fight for his own interests.

“I don’t intend to force you. You have your thoughts, and they have their expectations. As for what the final outcome will be, it’s not up to me to decide. I just need to do my best to have a clear conscience. Do you understand?” At this moment, Old Martin looked at John with a serious expression, trying to read something from John’s face.

“I don’t understand, and I don’t want to understand. I don’t want to suffer any more injustice. What’s done is done. There’s no way we can mend a broken mirror. I’m not the same person I was back then. Maybe you don’t want to have any regrets in your life, or see me break ties with them, but I’m not willing to wrong myself, and I don’t want to leave any more trouble for myself. I’ve made such a huge sacrifice to eliminate all hidden dangers, so I can’t accept your idea. I will only walk my own path. They want to scheme against me, want me to give them benefits, but that’s impossible. Old man, you should let go of everything and stop making things difficult for me!” John didn’t get too agitated; he answered the old man’s words very calmly.
(End of this chapter)