America: My Time

Chapter 1532 John's Scheme

Chapter 1522 John's Scheme
In a short period of time, the clashes between the various parties were constantly taking place in the shadows. John's every move attracted the attention of some people. It didn't matter if they couldn't see through him, but they dared not let their guard down, fearing that their own interests would be harmed at any moment. Unfortunately, their wait was arduous, and before they could even understand John's plan, everything changed again.

Yes, John left Taiwan and didn't go to Hong Kong. He went straight to China to fully focus on his development there, ignoring the schemes of those guys. Most importantly, after securing the deal between the US and Japan and making up for the shortcomings in the chemical industry, John naturally wanted to vigorously develop this part of his assets.

"Impossible! No matter how crazy John is, he wouldn't make such a crazy decision. This investment is too crazy. He just got those technologies!" Having just returned to the United States, before he could even relax, Morgan received a piece of news that gave him a major headache: John had gone to China and was launching a new round of investments, most importantly in the chemical industry.

“Boss, it’s true. Asia Energy has issued a formal investment proposal. Perhaps everyone has been deceived by John. His target is chemicals, not catering, which is why he cleanly abandoned the catering group!” Jimmy said to his boss with a wry smile, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Jimmy is now somewhat bewildered by John's plans. In his view, John's actions are too reckless. He could have persisted and turned things around, but John simply gave up. No matter how you look at it, the calculations behind it are incomprehensible, and it all seems a bit too crazy. The restaurant industry is quite profitable and closely linked to John's farm strategy. Selling the restaurant group at this time would be handing over leverage to the enemy.

“No, John’s calculations aren’t that simple. If he really abandoned the restaurant business, there would be no need for him to resort to those underhanded tactics and establish a presence in Asia. Think about semiconductor chips; John also directly abandoned Dreamworld and Nvidia, seemingly intending to withdraw from the industry. But what was the result? Those old guys clearly held an absolute advantage, but where is their advantage now? Underestimating John will come at a heavy price. Japan, South Korea, and the United States have already paid a heavy price!” Morgan sighed, a hint of worry in his eyes. The more he couldn’t understand John’s plans, the more uneasy he felt.

"Boss, it seems the Koreans didn't suffer any losses. After all, they didn't pay any price. In contrast, we and Japan paid a considerable price, allowing John to make up for its shortcomings in chemicals and enabling Western Energy and Asian Energy to take a big step forward, with greater development and potential!"

"Foolish. If someone else said that, I could accept it, but it's inappropriate for you to say it. Others may not know John, but don't you? Do you think John would do something irrational? Also, do you really think Asian Energy and Western Energy have serious deficiencies in the chemical industry? Do you really think his acquisitions are just for show? Those companies aren't as bad as you think. John is just waiting for the right opportunity! Don't forget how much he benefited from the collapse of the Russians."

Others may underestimate John, but Morgan wouldn't. Back then, the Russians were no pushovers in the chemical industry, and John profited handsomely from it. Over the years, he's made significant progress in steel, shipbuilding, oil fields, and mining; how could he not have made progress in the chemical industry as well?
John has invested heavily in South Korea, Japan, Europe, and the United States. How could he have achieved nothing after all these years? It can only mean he's deliberately misleading his 'enemies.' And who are these enemies? Naturally, it's the old guys like Rockefeller. After all, Western Energy has suffered losses more than once!

“John is scheming against Rockefeller, and rightly so, after all, they control the oil companies!” In an instant, Jimmy understood. John's caution was clearly due to the changing situation. After repeated schemes, John naturally had to be wary of these old guys like Rockefeller, but this time, if another conflict broke out, there would be no more compromise.

John had made countless arrangements and preparations to reintegrate his assets, and had paid a heavy price. The next conflict would naturally be a major battle, and Rockefeller would face a powerful counterattack from John, which would cost him dearly. This wasn't Jimmy underestimating the old Rockefellers; it was simply John's proven track record.

"That's right, it's because Rockefeller controls the oil companies. John's arrangements in this area are also quite good, but they are still far behind those of the oil giants. After all, there are many things to prepare for in this industry, both upstream and downstream. Over the years, John has been preparing and is just waiting for the opportunity to come. Who knows what kind of conflict will eventually break out!"

As he spoke, Morgan sighed, a hint of worry creeping into his eyes. Having personally witnessed John's extensive network of assets in Taiwan, he finally understood just how powerful John was overseas. It seemed that Rockefeller and the other old guys had repeatedly schemed against John and gained considerable benefits, but these benefits always came at a price. When another conflict broke out, he would have to pay the price for his greed.

"No wonder John dismantled Western Energy like that. But Western Energy isn't strong enough now. If it were to fight Rockefeller and his group, Western Energy probably wouldn't stand a chance. Besides, he mainly controls oil and gas fields, and most importantly, he's carrying a huge burden!"

Hearing Jimmy's words, Morgan shook his head and said, "Jimmy, you underestimate John. If he hadn't taken on that huge burden back then, do you think he could have established himself in the energy industry? Do you think those old guys would have given him a chance to grow? And don't look at everything with old eyes. For so many years, Western Energy has been doing relevant research. You could say that Western Energy's energy has been focused on shale oil and deep-sea oil field research. Do you really think Western Energy has gained nothing? Although Western Energy isn't very strong in the US, with few oil field reserves, refineries, and chemical plants, it's a different story overseas. Do you think John can secretly lay out his mining operations and wouldn't have made preparations in the oil field sector? Also, Asian energy is not simple; it controls a lot of resources. The same goes for European energy. In the North Sea, European energy is the hegemon!"

Compared to Jimmy, Morgan was more aware of John's European and Asian energy holdings. European Energy's main domain was the North Sea oil fields and Norwegian oil and gas fields. Especially in Norway, European Energy's investment was staggering, and it held absolute initiative, even having its own undersea oil pipeline!
Seeing Jimmy's shocked expression, Morgan continued, "Jimmy, remember, don't let appearances blind you. John's energy strategy is no less impressive than his mining operations. You know how formidable his mining empire is; after all, the Quantum Mines incident caused quite a stir. Western Energy may seem weak, but that's not necessarily true. Most importantly, do you think John would be foolish enough to wage war against Rockefeller and his ilk in the US? That's impossible. He's targeting the Asian and European markets. Now, whether it's South Korea or Japan, a large portion of their energy resources has fallen into John's hands, not to mention the enormous Chinese market. Do you think John's energy strategy is weak? Many times, I've suspected that John is using a feint, a diversionary tactic. This time, it seems like those old Rockefellers are scheming against John and us, but do you think John might be adding fuel to the fire, going with the flow?" At this moment, Jimmy's expression turned serious. Such a thing could really happen. After all, this wasn't the first time John had done this. The clash over semiconductor chips might just be bait John used to attract everyone's attention, or even the sale of the restaurant group might be bait. John's real target was energy and chemicals.

"Isn't this too crazy? If this fails, John will suffer a huge loss!" Jimmy was somewhat incredulous, as it seemed utterly insane to him.

"What seems crazy to you is normal to John. To gain benefits, you have to pay the corresponding price. There's no gain without pain. And even if those old guys like Rockefeller know about John's scheme, so what? Did John start all this? What right do they have to retaliate against John? The rules still have to be followed. After all, John is also a member of the American financial group. No one can break the rules!"

Although Morgan's statement was correct, it was still unacceptable to Jimmy. After all, he was not a financial tycoon, and he simply did not understand the plans and ideas of financial giants like Morgan and John. At least in terms of concepts, there was a fundamental difference. He could only become a professional manager, not a financial tycoon, because the two were on different levels.

"But isn't John worried that doing this will cause dissatisfaction among others? After all, this incident has had quite a few repercussions!"

"Worried? Why should John be worried? This wasn't John's doing; it was those guys who started the trouble. John wants to scheme against Rockefeller and his cronies. Is there anything wrong with that? After all, they're the ones who started the trouble, not John. They were too eager to take everything from John's semiconductor chip business, and if they fail, they'll pay the price! Otherwise, they'll have to bear John's wrath, and someone will have to take responsibility. As for the petty tricks of Oil Capital and the abandonment of the catering group, they're not worth mentioning. Don't be fooled by Oil Capital's constant troublemaking; behind their first incident, there were certain figures, and even behind this one, there's the White House and the Donkey. You don't really think Oil Capital controls all the profits, do you? If you think that, you're sorely mistaken! Now that John has abandoned the catering group, no matter what happens next, no one can target John's plans. Whether John is investing in energy or chemicals, those guys must remain silent."

At this point, Morgan didn't explain things too clearly, nor did he elaborate on the underlying reasons. Whether Jimmy could figure it out on his own depended on his own wisdom; Morgan wouldn't reveal it, after all, this was a matter that couldn't be explained. If you understood, you understood; if you didn't, telling you wouldn't help.

In the restaurant group matter, it wasn't publicly acknowledged that it was the work of Youtai Capital, but rather Wall Street. Regardless of whether those Wall Street figures benefited or not, they had already intervened. Ostensibly, they were vying with John for the restaurant group's profits, but now that John had relinquished his stake, it was tantamount to giving them the benefits and making a compromise. Therefore, the rest of the story is no longer their decision. They outmaneuvered John, and now they will face his retaliation. Whatever the outcome, no one will hold a grudge.

Seeing Jimmy still lost in thought, Morgan didn't say anything more. He shook his head, no longer holding any expectations for Jimmy. Over the years, Jimmy had shown loyalty, but at this crucial moment, he still couldn't see through everything hidden behind the scenes. Such a person couldn't support the Morgan Group. He was just a relatively capable manager; he couldn't shoulder more responsibility. His abilities were questionable!

Jimmy had no idea what Morgan was thinking, but even if he did, he wouldn't complain. Instead, he would accept it gladly. After all, he didn't have much ambition, and he was quite aware of his own abilities. Looking at John's development over the past twenty years and then at his own situation, he could easily see how big the gap was between himself and a true financial tycoon.

After a long while, Jimmy finally came to his senses, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "I understand!"

"Good that you understand. Only by understanding can you know how dangerous this battle was. As the saying goes, once a move is made, there's no going back. Since they've already made their moves, they have to accept the outcome, win or lose. No one can break the rules. In the past, John might have given those old guys some face, but now John won't give them any face at all!"

The reason for this is simple: John's power has changed, and there is even more pressure behind the Spring Cow incident, forcing those old guys to accept it unless they are willing to face a chaotic and crazy America, a situation that no financial tycoon is willing to accept or see!

(End of this chapter)