America: My Time

Chapter 1525 Making Up for Defects
Chapter 1515 Making Up for Defects

"John, what do you want from the Japanese?" Morgan quickly realized that John must have some ulterior motive. Even if he intervened, these Japanese guys would have to pay a price, otherwise this matter would not be resolved.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in this battle over semiconductor chips. Even if I brought it up, you wouldn't accept it. I know you guys well; I'm afraid you don't want to see me grow and prosper in those industries anymore—it makes you uneasy. If you really want to resolve this, I need chemical technology. Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. You can cooperate with the British, but there's a price to pay. My request isn't unreasonable, is it? After all, I haven't received any help from my American colleagues in this area. Everything I have comes from the old Russians. I need chemical data from Japan and the US!"

"Hiss!" Morgan gasped when he heard John's request. He hadn't expected John to be so crazy as to be considering such a thing. But he couldn't refuse, because John had leverage over both Japan and the United States. Moreover, since they were cooperating with the British, they had to give John an explanation. Otherwise, John could easily launch an attack with a perfectly valid reason. Most importantly, John wouldn't dare to make a scene in front of the public!
“John, I can accept your request in principle, but you understand, this is not something I can decide on my own. I need to discuss it with them, especially those guys in Japan. They won't accept it so easily!” Morgan sighed as he spoke. He was well aware of Japan's greed. If these guys weren't unwilling to pay any price, how could they have tolerated it until now!

"This isn't my problem. Aren't you asking me what I'm asking for? And those guys from Japan wanted me to make demands, right? I'm making them now. Of course, if they refuse, I'm not against it, but they'll have to pay a price. My cooperation with Taiwan gives me a share of the energy market. If they want me to drop the matter, they'll have to open up more of the energy market to me, or maybe other industry markets!"

At this point, John decided against continuing the argument with Morgan and stated his demands directly. John had a significant weakness in the chemical industry, and this time he wanted to compensate for it. The US and Japan were both chemical powerhouses; if he could extract the benefits he wanted from them, that would be ideal. While Russia had a strong foundation, it couldn't compare to the US and Japan in the chemical field!
"John, can we change our request? Do you think companies like Mobil, DuPont, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Asahi Kasei would accept this? It involves a lot of interests. Not to mention the situation in the United States, even those guys in Japan would not accept it. You know how stingy they are!"

Hearing Morgan's words, John smiled calmly and said, "So what? That's not something I need to consider. I've already made my demands, and if they don't accept them, that's their own business. I'm not causing trouble; I'm just demanding the compensation I deserve. If they don't accept it, then let's see how they handle it."

Seeing John's resolute attitude, Morgan understood that John was determined to rip off the Rockefellers and the Japanese in the chemical industry. So, he sighed and said, "Alright, I'll contact them, but it'll take some time; after all, this is no small matter!"

"Sure, but I don't trust those guys. Three days at most. If they don't accept, don't blame me for retaliating. You know I have good relationships with Middle Eastern tycoons. If those guys in Japan disagree, they'll face my counterattack!" John was blatantly threatening Morgan and Rockefeller. If those old guys didn't want to pay the price, Japan would pay a heavy price for its stupidity and greed. At that point, those Japanese guys would never trust the Americans again and would no longer cooperate with them against John.

Without neon's help, the old guys like Rockefeller wouldn't have been confident of defeating John in the semiconductor chip industry, but the huge price they were paying was painful for them. Although John didn't make detailed compensation demands, given the capabilities of Western Energy and Asian Energy, they certainly wouldn't be fooled.

"I'll arrange everything. Wait for my news!" Morgan said, getting up to leave. Now was not the time to argue with John, and he also knew that it was impossible to persuade John to give up this request. It was better to leave the choice to those old guys like Rockefeller, or even to those guys in Japan!

Watching Morgan's departing figure, John smiled calmly and shook his head. This time, he would absolutely not compromise. He was determined to tear a piece of flesh from those guys. Moreover, John knew how vast the chemical market would be and how astonishing the profits would be. Furthermore, he had already completed most of his preparations during the Asian financial crisis. Now, all that was missing was the chemical technology. The Russian technology only solved the problem of having it; to refine it, he needed to start with the United States and Japan. How could John possibly let this opportunity slip by!

"Impossible! We can't accept this demand! John is such a bastard!" Rockefeller was furious after hearing Morgan's phone call; this was cutting into their flesh. If they agreed to John's conditions, they would face pressure from him in the chemical industry.

"Mr. Rockefeller, let me remind you, if you don't agree, the consequences will be very serious. John won't let this go easily. Are you sure you can compete with Mr. John on semiconductor chips after you refuse? Moreover, if you refuse, it means you're forcing those guys in Japan to compromise with Mr. John. They don't have your kind of confidence!" President Leachton 'kindly' reminded him upon seeing Rockefeller's attitude!

President Lloyd was also quite dissatisfied with these old fogies like Rockefeller, after all, he had taken the blame for a lot of things for them. Now that he had a chance to trick them, how could he pass it up? As for what the Japanese thought, that wasn't a concern for Lloyd; he didn't have as many scruples as Rockefeller!
“Yes, this is not the time to make a move. Don’t forget, John has a lot of leverage over us. If things escalate, it won’t be good for us. What do you think the consequences will be if it reaches the public? Not to mention, your refusal means John won’t follow the rules anymore. Although John’s demands are a bit excessive, in the chemical industry, even if you accept John’s conditions, can’t you still suppress him? If you don’t even have this much confidence, do you still have the confidence to stand up to John?” The military personnel also spoke up, putting pressure on Rockefeller and his group. After all, they didn’t want to see things escalate, and they didn’t want to be affected!
“Mr. Rockefeller, we support your decisions regarding the energy sector and are fully cooperating with you. If Mr. John intervenes, I'm afraid our previous plans will be in jeopardy. After all, with his vast funds, he could easily succeed if he wanted to get involved.” The White House staff continued to pressure Rockefeller and his associates, forcing them to accept John's terms, as they were the last people who wanted to see a conflict erupt.

"Alright, we can accept that, but we need to discuss the specifics of what information to provide!" While Rockefeller and DuPont might not have enough confidence in other areas, they were confident enough to suppress John in the field of chemicals. Even if they gave John the chemical information he wanted, it would take time to digest it. If they refused, allowing John to focus on semiconductor chips, their plan would fail.

"I believe Mr. John can understand and accept this!" President Lloyd Duncan immediately stated. His words made it very clear: as long as they were willing to compromise, the White House would definitely try to persuade John. These old guys hadn't been unaware of why John chose the chemical industry; it was related to many of the industries John controlled, from clothing to aerospace and automobiles. In short, resolving this weakness would free John from the threat of being held hostage by Rockefeller and his ilk!
John hadn't cared too much in the past, since he had a fairly good relationship with Japan and could get the materials he wanted from them. But after this incident, John had to prepare for the worst. After this, these guys in Japan were no longer trustworthy. Moreover, once that old guy Akio Morita was gone, he wouldn't need to be nice to Japan anymore. The time to screw them over was coming!
“But this is too good for John. He can get so much benefit from such a small thing. He’s made a fortune!” Rockefeller said through gritted teeth. If he didn’t know that it was the Japanese and the Middle Eastern guys who were behind this, he would have suspected that it was John’s conspiracy.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. If things really escalate, it won’t be as simple as it is now. Mr. Morgan did warn us. John mentioned the Middle Eastern tycoons. We Americans aren’t worried about their schemes, but can Japan afford it? If the Middle Eastern tycoons hold them by the throat, and John cuts off their energy supply, what do you think will happen then?”

“Impossible! John would never do that. If he did, he would be standing on the opposite side of Japan, which would affect his assets in Japan, and he would also lose credibility!”

"No, you're wrong. Mr. John is capable of doing all this without being affected. You haven't forgotten that many of Asia's energy resources are in Russia. Given John's relationship with Russia, getting them to step in wouldn't be difficult."

When the military personnel mentioned Russia, Rockefeller and the other old guys frowned. John and Russia were indeed on good terms. As long as John paid a small price, he could easily get them to play the villain and take the lead. John's reputation would not be affected.

"But I'm not willing to accept this! The price is too high!" Rockefeller sighed, a hint of resentment in his eyes, but he was powerless to refuse.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Think about it: if we push those guys from Japan to John's side, how serious will the consequences be? Besides, you're not without the chance to negotiate with John!"

“Impossible! Those guys in Japan wouldn’t dare do that. If they dare to side with John, they’ll face our wrath, and the price they’ll pay will be far more staggering!” Rockefeller said to the crowd with a gloomy face. In his eyes, Japan was just a pawn, and pawns couldn’t refuse his demands.

“Mr. Rockefeller, I understand how you feel, but nothing is impossible. You know the relationship between Neon and Mr. John. As long as they are willing to compromise, this matter can be easily resolved. If it drags on and problems arise, don’t blame us for not helping!”

Faced with pressure from the White House and the military, and even threats from John, Rockefeller and DuPont had no choice but to compromise and accept John's demands. After all, they had been at a disadvantage in this conflict, and if it dragged on any longer, they were afraid that something terrible would happen and they would pay an even heavier price!

Under everyone's persuasion, Rockefeller had no choice but to accept it. Soon after, they told the guys in Japan the news. Although they were prepared, the Japanese guys were still furious when they heard it. They shouldn't have trusted Rockefeller and his ilk. These guys were dishonest, and they would always suffer losses if they cooperated with them.

Unfortunately, although the Japanese wanted to refuse, Rockefeller had to compromise, President Richard Lamb of the White House personally intervened, and the military also joined in. The Japanese naturally understood that if they refused again, it wouldn't be good for them; the price they would have to pay would be even greater.

With reluctance, the Japanese guys accepted, but they wouldn't provide much information; the bulk of it would still be in the US. Rockefeller and the White House accepted this as well, since although Japan had some involvement, it was all because they wanted to 'help' Intel and AMD.

(End of this chapter)