America: My Time

Chapter 1563 Conflict of Interests

Chapter 1553 Conflict of Interests
"That's right. Although we suffered heavy losses this time, it was also a turning point. If we hadn't suffered any losses, do you think those old guys like Rockefeller would have been at ease? Consider how much profit we gained from the Asian financial crisis, how much wealth we accumulated. Do you think they wouldn't have any thoughts about it, or that they wouldn't be wary of us at all? As long as we appear weak, I believe they will quickly shift their focus to John, or even make some concessions and give us some benefits. After all, they don't want us to be too weak!"

"Well said. Temporary concessions can lead to future rises, which is good for us. Now let's acknowledge our respective losses. This time we need to work together and no one can back down. This is not just about one person, but about the interests of all of us!"

Soon, the guys at Youtai Capital began discussing their respective responsibilities, with each group having to bear a portion of the cost based on their own circumstances. Although many were very resistant, they had no choice but to accept it when they thought about the consequences of refusing. After all, if they refused, it would mean parting ways with the entire Youtai Capital and not receiving any help from them in the future.

Regardless of their thoughts, resentment, or unwillingness, everything quickly came to a conclusion. Their respective leaders received their groups' share of the costs, so they all had to bear a portion of the consequences. The leaders' explanation sounded promising, but no one was happy. They were all troubled by the losses they were to bear. In their eyes, this was an undeserved disaster; clearly, nothing was their fault, yet they were forced to take responsibility.

Do they regret it? Some of them did have that thought. After all, it would be a lie to say that giving away so much money wouldn't affect them. However, they couldn't object and could only silently accept it. No matter how wronged or angry they felt, they had to suppress it; this was the responsibility they had to bear as members of the group. They had all been aware of the situation before, but they hadn't actually encountered such a 'disaster,' so they had only enjoyed the benefits the group provided. Now they had to pay the price for the benefits they had previously enjoyed. Some of them hadn't benefited from the group but were now bearing the responsibility, and they felt wronged. They had so many grievances they couldn't express, making their hearts incredibly heavy.

If the previous split was a result of differing stances, this time some people had the idea of ​​getting away with it, and this time it's due to the influence of interests. Having paid such a high price for nothing, how can they not feel resentful? They didn't cause this, they didn't even know about it, yet now they have to share the responsibility. Who can they reason with?
When the meeting ended and the members dispersed, the bigwigs of Youtai Capital remained, all with solemn expressions. They had sensed the change in people's hearts and felt immense pressure.

“Soros, did we make a mistake by sharing the responsibility with them? This has alienated them from us, and they even have the idea of ​​parting ways with us. If we can’t get back the lost wealth with them, I’m afraid that after this, our control over the group will be affected, and if it happens again, it will fall apart.”

"I know that all too well, but if we have to bear the consequences, do you think we have the ability to do it? And even if we manage to do it, can we maintain our own stability? If we lose our current status and wealth, do we still have the ability to start over? Will those people give us another chance? Actually, rather than saying the responsibility lies with us, it's more accurate to say that the Middle East's calculations are too deep. They themselves are unwilling to take the lead, but they keep making us step forward, and when things go wrong, they make us bear the consequences. I'm tired of it time and time again. Perhaps we should part ways with them; we are not on the same side as them."

These words caused the bigwigs of the oil and gas capital present to sigh. They were well aware of this, but a small number of people in their respective groups still had their hearts set on the Middle East. However, they were taking all the responsibility on everyone else, which was something that no group was willing to accept.

"If all else fails, we can clean things up again. Even those guys are cleaning up their internal problems, so we can do the same. They're willing to give everything, that's their own idea, their own decision, and it has nothing to do with us. Even if they are all important figures in our group, it won't work. Otherwise, our group will split up or even be destroyed in no time! People are driven by self-interest, and no one wants to suffer such a huge loss!"

"There's nothing we can do about it. We can only blame John for reacting too strongly. And some people always try to target this madman John without considering that even old guys like Rockefeller suffered greatly. What benefit could they possibly gain? Expecting to deal with John using such methods is just too naive!"

"That's not quite right. Their ultimate goal wasn't to destroy all of John's assets, which is almost unrealistic. They wanted to destroy John's military-industrial complex, including not only Gulfstream Aerospace but also Bentley Group and the media group. Unfortunately, John reacted too quickly and parted ways with Hollywood directly. Before everyone could even begin their actions, the opportunity quietly disappeared."

"Right now, we can only take it one step at a time. As long as we stabilize the situation, we can recover everyone's losses little by little from the stock market. That's our strength. As long as John doesn't target us, there shouldn't be any major problems!"

Although Soros's tone was firm, his confrontations with John had all ended in defeat. Even though everyone believed in his abilities, the mere mention of John's name instilled a sense of unease in everyone, a fear that another unexpected event might occur!

"We can't rely on the donkey anymore, so we need to keep a low profile. We shouldn't make any rash moves at this time. Even if we have any ideas, we need to suppress them. We can't stand out anymore. This incident has caused quite a stir, so we need to keep a low profile for a while. If we want to shift the pressure, we can do it from the outside!"

What does this mean? Those who understand understand, and those who don't understand won't understand no matter what. This is tacit understanding. Those who understand will take action, and those who don't understand can only stare blankly. The matter is accomplished in secrecy, and no one will offer any further explanation.

In reality, in the confrontation between the oil giants and John D. Rockefeller, and even in this struggle for interests within the United States, there wasn't much they could do. A single misstep could land them in trouble. The more underhanded the methods they used, the heavier the price they would pay at crucial moments—this incident perfectly illustrates this! Although John D. Rockefeller and these old fogies were fighting, they weren't breaking apart. Both John D. Rockefeller and these other old fogies had their own principles, which is why they repeatedly compromised. If John D. Rockefeller was assertive, these old fogies would compromise; conversely, John D. Rockefeller would compromise—it all came down to their own abilities!

When the decision of the oil giants became known, and when they took action to hold those responsible accountable, the old men like Rockefeller all found out, and a sense of gravity crept into their eyes. Although they had suspected it for some time, when it actually happened, they were incredibly nervous; this was not the outcome they wanted to see.

"As expected, these guys made that decision. They'll take the losses for those guys and earn a good reputation for themselves. We need to be careful now, or we might get outsmarted by them. Everything needs to be done quickly to avoid any more problems that could ruin our plans and put more pressure on us!"

“We have no problems, but this self-inspection has also had a significant impact on us. Speeding up the operation requires everyone's cooperation. I am worried that acting rashly will affect the plan. After all, the donkeys are not so easy to talk to, and they are all clamoring for compensation.”

"These bastards have the nerve to ask us for compensation. What have they done? If they had done their best, we wouldn't be in this situation now. They've already been very lenient by not demanding an explanation from them!"

"That's true, but those guys won't think that way. They only see the attitude and sincerity of Youtai Capital. They only see that those who work for Youtai Capital have been compensated. If we do nothing, I'm afraid it will be difficult to get them to work for us again, since these guys are all incredibly greedy."

"Actually, don't you all think that the donkeys are a bit crazy right now, as if they want to squeeze out the last bit of profit? They are not only cooperating with us, but also with Youtai Capital, so we can completely ignore them. Since these guys want to play tricks, let them do it. If they really cause some trouble, we have a reason to hide our strength once again!"

"That's true, but I'm afraid these guys are more likely to ruin things than help us. They can't help us succeed, but they can ruin our plans. After all, these guys have gone a bit crazy, and we have to be careful, especially at this time. They still have some power in their hands and can affect us!"

"Let's talk to Richard Leighton first. At least for now, he's still the president. As long as he nods, no matter how much the Donkey thinks, it won't matter. Look at John's performance; he can ignore the Donkey. We don't need to give them any special treatment. Since they want to cooperate with the Oilfield Capital and think we're not generous enough, let them go. Just like we used their pressure to release some of our media holdings. I think John is right. With the development of the internet, traditional media power will be affected. He doesn't have much traditional newspaper business left, only a few, and even fewer newspapers. We should take this opportunity to get rid of our newspaper holdings as well." At this moment, Morgan reminded everyone. After all, this was a gathering of their old-money families, so there was no need to avoid certain things.

"If someone else had said this, I wouldn't have believed it, but since it came from John, we should believe it. If we make some careful arrangements, we might be able to sell them for a high price. Given the current frenzy of oil capital, they won't let such an opportunity pass. If we bring Middle Eastern tycoons into the game, whichever side completes the acquisition from us will have to pay a hefty price!"

"Good, this is a good idea. This is a battle for control of the narrative. If we don't make them pay a heavy price, it would be a waste of our efforts. Now we can prepare ourselves. As soon as those guys make any moves against us, we'll sell off our media assets. The reason is simple: we need to recoup our losses!"

It has to be said that these old guys are all cunning and treacherous. Even at this point, they still don't forget to maximize their own interests. As for whether they will offend people, that's not even a consideration for them.

"Morgan, do you think we still need to continue investing in the internet industry? We've all suffered significant losses, and we can foresee the internet industry heading into trouble. What are you Morgan thinking?" Rockefeller quickly turned his attention to the Morgan tycoon, awaiting his reply.

"This bubble has burst, and the internet industry will face difficulties in the short term. However, in the long run, it still has great value. If you are interested, you should still hold one or two high-quality companies. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and as you have all seen, John has not reduced his investment in the internet industry at all, and his assets have not been affected much!"

They all knew about John's assets in the United States, especially in the internet industry. John did indeed still hold several high-quality assets. At the same time, before the bubble burst, John had sold off 90% of his assets. So, although many people were aware that the internet industry still had potential, they were worried that it would fall into crisis again and make them pay a greater price. After all, they did not have John's strength!
"Forget it, let's not discuss this anymore. Everyone should make decisions based on their own circumstances, since each of us is different. But one thing is certain: we need to accelerate our energy deployment, otherwise things will go wrong. The British are thinking of increasing their demands on us, and if they object, it will have a significant impact on our plans!"

(End of this chapter)