America: My Time

Chapter 1594 The Temptation of the Plan

Chapter 1584 The Temptation of the Plan
“Morgan, this is no joke, and we can’t afford any accidents. You should know how much effort we’ve put into all of this!” Rockefeller looked at Morgan with a solemn expression. Although he didn’t want to involve John, he had to do it for the sake of the bigger picture. He just didn’t expect Morgan to say such a thing!

"This is what you mean by not understanding John. You only think about fighting John, you don't understand him at all. All you know is what you want. I want to ask you all, who started each conflict? Has John ever made a move against us? Moreover, he controls enormous resources, so naturally he wants to see the results we push for. It's just that the oil capital that's so close to you doesn't want to see any of this, and those guys in Italy don't want to see our plan succeed, perhaps because we've affected their interests!"

Morgan's words caused Rockefeller's expression to change drastically. He wanted to explain, but couldn't find a reason, because the whole affair was orchestrated by Youtai Capital, as confirmed by the Koreans. And the Koreans were shameless enough to shift all the blame onto Youtai Capital, even having several of their associates testify. Faced with pressure from the US government, they had no choice but to deflect responsibility.

Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Morgan smiled calmly and said, "Gentlemen, I don't know what you're thinking, but this incident serves as a reminder that some things cannot be done. The situation in Japan is still fresh in our minds, and now we have problems in South Korea. Can we continue like this? We can't abandon both Japan and South Korea for their sake. People's hearts change. You should all carefully consider your stance. I originally thought I could get through this period peacefully and retire smoothly, but it seems I was overthinking it!"

Many people know that Morgan has decided to retire, but for him to say something like this at this time clearly shows that he is very angry with oil and gas capital. These guys think that the United States can't do without them, so they have become somewhat unscrupulous.

However, this time, the Japanese capital really took the blame. The Koreans shifted all the responsibility onto them, and the Japanese guys' schemes were completely wiped out by the Koreans' attempt to shift the blame. This made the Japanese guys very happy. For the first time, they felt that it was so satisfying to have someone take the blame for them.

“Morgan, we need to be careful about what’s going on over there. After all, we still can’t do without their help. Let’s appease the Koreans first and tell them not to play with fire anymore. This time, the US has taken the blame for them, but there won’t be a next time. Don’t think we can’t see through their little schemes.”

"Yes, we know exactly what the Koreans are thinking. They're just unwilling to be controlled by us, so they resort to such petty tricks. However, we have to admit that John is incredibly capable. In just over a decade, his wealth in Korea has grown so immense. No wonder the Koreans are worried and couldn't help but target him." The more you know about the Koreans, the more you realize just how astonishing John's wealth is there.

“The Asian financial crisis directly allowed John to snatch a lot of assets from them, even their economic lifeline. As soon as things eased up a bit, the Koreans’ counterattack came. This was not just aimed at John himself, but at all of us.”

When the Asian financial crisis was brought up again, the expressions of those present became somewhat solemn. John's gains were not limited to the apparent profits; the bargain hunting by various industries during the Asian financial crisis also worried them. After all, John's move was too shrewd. Was it just South Korea that was in this situation? No, many assets in Southeast Asia fell into John's hands, only they became more covert.

Unless a comprehensive understanding is conducted, no one knows how devastating John's gains were during the Asian financial crisis. But now it's all too late. With John's asset restructuring, much has been erased, and John's influence in Southeast Asia is considerable, most importantly, his network of connections is too strong. Even if they wanted to reach out and investigate, they would face resistance; after all, no one wants their secrets exposed!

John was fully aware of the emergency actions taken by the US, as he had people among those old-timers. However, the lack of results in this negotiation greatly reassured the Taiwanese capital group. They disregarded the warning and didn't care about the Korean attempts to shift blame, because their plan had succeeded. However, the Taiwanese capital group was unaware of the Japanese involvement behind the scenes. They had indeed succeeded in putting John and the Korean conglomerate in a state of conflict, a situation unlikely to ease in the short term, which would affect John's development in Korea.

However, Oil Pacific Capital forgot one important thing: John's overseas assets weren't limited to South Korea, and South Korea's capabilities couldn't possibly hinder John's expansion. Oh! Right now, John doesn't intend to continue expanding; instead, he wants to consolidate his position and eliminate any potential threats!
Without this farce, John wouldn't have been able to act so arbitrarily against the Koreans. But because of it, John had ample reason to exert greater pressure on them, forcing them to make more concessions. John wouldn't show any mercy to these guys, because these bastards were all bullies who preyed on the weak. Since there was an opportunity to extract more benefits from them, he couldn't let it slip by, or he would be wasting this precious opportunity!
South Korean conglomerates aren't yet all-powerful, but once they fully adapt to the presence of the Americans, or rather, when the Americans stop interfering in South Korean affairs, they will change. This is one of the reasons John is acting ahead of schedule to split and restructure his assets. If he can't complete his strategic positioning in South Korea within this timeframe, there will be no market left once the conglomerates recover, because if they reach a consensus internally, they will divide up the entire market!

In this energy struggle, was John truly passively accepting everything? No, it was all within John's expectations. If things hadn't escalated to this extent, how could his subsequent plans have been smoothly implemented? Without South Korea's intense reaction and Japan's greed, how could he have persuaded Russia and maximized his profits?

When the changes in the US became known to the Japanese, and John's arrangements for Suo Ikuo officially began, the Japanese conglomerates all sprang into action. They no longer had any reservations. Despite their previous confident demeanor, a lingering unease had completely vanished. They needed to accelerate their efforts, maximizing profits and preventing others from seizing the initiative! "I understand your thoughts," John thought, "but are you sure you want to proceed? Why divide things so meticulously? If your forces were concentrated, it would be easier to gain Russia's approval. With such a dispersed approach, some might miss out. After all, this is not under my control, nor is it something Asian Energy can control. Only with Russia's approval can our cooperation truly begin!" Understanding the greedy decisions of these Japanese, John sneered inwardly. These guys were eager to die, wanting to maximize their profits. This suited his purposes perfectly, but he couldn't let them succeed so easily. He needed to put some pressure on them, to give them a little motivation!

“Mr. John, we understand your concerns, and there’s nothing we can do about it. After all, we all need to develop, and this will allow Japan to have a greater energy supply. I believe that with your relationship with Russia, this is not a problem!”

"I can only do my best. Even if we are to take action, we have to wait for the power transition in the United States to be completed. Otherwise, no one can bear the consequences if something goes wrong. I can only say that I will do my best to persuade Russia, but I cannot guarantee the outcome. Moreover, even if we succeed, completing the deal will not be possible in one or two years. It will take time. This cooperation is different from our previous cooperation. It will take a long time, after all, it involves too many interests."

The more detailed John's explanation was, the more tempted the Japanese guys became. The more John explained, the more sincere they felt about this collaboration. It would be foolish to miss this opportunity!
"We can accept all of this. Time is not an issue. The only thing we don't understand is whether Asia Energy is truly going to withdraw completely from Sakhalin Island, or just sell a portion of its assets?" At this moment, a Japanese official spoke up. Of course, this was not their wish, but rather they were forced to do so by the Japanese conglomerate. After all, the Japanese conglomerate couldn't take the blame, so the official was the best option, hence this guy's words!
"It depends on the situation. As you all know, the situation with the Koreans is such that I've lost patience with them and don't want things to go wrong again and again. It's only been a short time, and the Koreans have already caused so much trouble. If we continue to cooperate, I'm afraid there will be even bigger problems. I can only say that after we have discussed things with Russia, Asia Energy will gradually withdraw from Sakhalin Island. Not only Asia Energy, but the mining group will also withdraw in a planned manner."

"Mr. John, is your decision due to internal issues in Russia that could affect the development of energy and mining?" Good heavens, the Japanese officials are really fearless, daring to say something like that!
John shook his head and said, "No, this has little to do with Russia. It's my own problem. You all know about the deal between the Koreans and me before. If Asian Energy continues to control Sakhalin Island, do you think they will keep targeting me and keep using that ridiculous moral blackmail?"

Although John's reasoning was far-fetched, the Japanese didn't react much. They couldn't see through John's scheme yet, let alone know what would happen in the future. Under these circumstances, they could only reluctantly accept John's explanation.

However, they already understood one thing: John's plans on Sakhalin Island would be gradually stripped away over a long period of time. This made their eyes light up, as these were all resources they had been longing for. As a result, they all had even more outrageous ideas in their minds: they wanted to take over everything.

"Gentlemen, don't have too many illusions. Russia will definitely make demands. They will interfere in the resource development of Sakhalin Island. After all, Sakhalin Island is their territory. Asia Energy wants to find a partner, so how could Russia give up? After all, Asia Energy's investment has completed the infrastructure construction, and now it's time to make money. They have no reason to give up! Since we are going to cooperate, I have nothing to hold back. I hope you understand that you will reap what you sow!"

"We understand, but we don't know when Asian Energy will begin cooperation and for how long if Russia agrees. We need to be prepared. Although this is a conglomerate's cooperation, we officials also need to be aware of it!"

"I understand. Starting next year, Asia Energy has developed a ten-year plan. Of course, this is the most conservative plan. If everything goes smoothly, it may be completed in seven or eight years. The first phase is negotiations with Russia, which will begin next year. The goal is to reach an agreement within the year. If Russia accepts, the undersea pipeline company will sell 30% of its shares, and the goal is to sell all of the shares within three to four years. I believe you all understand why!"

"Understood, we all understand!" The Japanese guys nodded. Was the undersea oil pipeline company important? Absolutely, it was extremely important; it was a force that could hold a country hostage. The Japanese guys were naturally very interested, but whether they could actually get shares was another matter, since Russia would definitely not ignore this!
John's reason for releasing the undersea pipeline company first was to reassure Russia. At this point, the Japanese also understood that the acquisition of the undersea pipeline company was not due to South Korea. It was all part of Asian Energy's plan. It can only be said that South Korea chose the worst possible time to act.

However, we can't blame the Koreans. Who would have thought that Asia Energy had already prepared for the breakup? Moreover, this plan sounds like it had been in the works for a long time. They even suspected that John was just using the Koreans as a scapegoat. How could such a plan have come about in such a short time? They just couldn't speak up or expose it, otherwise they would be ruining their own plans. After all, Asia Energy's plan was very beneficial to them!

(End of this chapter)