America: My Time

Chapter 1595 New layout
Chapter 1585 A New Strategy
Seeing the expressions on the faces of the Japanese guys, John could tell they were already going crazy with excitement. So he nodded and continued, "It's good that you all understand. The first phase doesn't seem to have much to do with Asian Energy, since the undersea pipeline company has already been spun off. The second phase will be related to Asian Energy. If the plan goes smoothly, around 2004, Asian Energy will sell about 30% of its shares in the major oil and gas fields on Sakhalin Island. Then, it will adjust according to its own situation, and finally sell all its shares before 2010. Of course, if everything goes smoothly, it might be completed around 2008. Everything depends on the progress. It's not a small matter; it relates to Asian Energy's overall strategy and its own economic situation. So even if everything goes smoothly, you will all need to wait quite a while!"

"Mr. John, can't we go any faster?"

Hearing this, John smiled wryly and said, "This is the fastest arrangement we can make. Asian energy needs time, and there's no use rushing it. As long as there are no results from Russia, cooperation is out of the question. Let me remind you all, this matter is not as simple as you think. After all, there are too many interests involved, and we need to take care of all parties. Of course, if you think it's taking too long, you can give up. After all, cooperation is a matter of mutual consent!"

The more anxious the Japanese were, the happier John became, knowing he could extract more benefits from them. Given the relationship between the US and Russia, John dared not invest further in Russia; recouping costs would take time, and Russia was no longer in its initial difficult state. Without further investment in Russia, he needed to prepare for the worst. John's tough stance at this time was the best protection for himself, and it also made it clear to the Japanese that the initiative had never been in their hands.

“Mr. John, please don’t be angry. He was just acting on impulse and didn’t mean any harm. After all, this has been going on for too long, and it’s making us all a little uneasy. Besides, we’re worried that your decision might affect Japan’s energy supply. You know how important Japan’s energy needs are for Sakhalin Island, so we were just thinking of getting it done as quickly as possible.”

John shook his head and said, "Alright, I'm not angry. I know what you're thinking, and that's why I'm giving you all this opportunity. It's just that I need to balance the interests of all parties: Russia, South Korea, China, and Japan. I need to balance them all well. Otherwise, you might be happy, but I'll be in trouble. Look at South Korea's current situation; you can imagine how serious the consequences would be if I didn't balance things properly! The Asian Energy plan is like this; even if everything goes smoothly, it will take several years. Sakhalin Island is not the United States. I know you're thinking about my previous sale of assets to the United States, but these are completely different things and cannot be compared!"

John pointed out the hidden agenda of the Japanese. His previous sale of Nvidia and Dreamworld had led these guys to believe that acquiring Sakhalin Island's resources would be easy. They were mistaken. Even if John had complete control of these resources, he still had to get past Russia. And if John wanted to sell, Russia certainly wouldn't be uninterested. Greed had blinded these guys, making them forget even the most basic facts!
"We were too complacent, forgetting the difficulties of energy in Asia and the location of Sakhalin Island!" The Japanese official apologized to John cleanly and efficiently, as if he had done it a thousand times before. John felt a chill run down his spine and naturally couldn't continue to put pressure on them.

"It's nothing, I understand. If you really have other ideas, you can discuss them with them after Asian Energy reaches an agreement with Russia. After all, the initiative has always been in their hands." John sent these guys from Japan to Russia, and the result was predictable. If they really did that, they would be too foolish. Russia would definitely screw them over!
After some communication, the Japanese guys left satisfied. They all got what they wanted. Although they hadn't started yet, they believed everything was under control. This was the result of John's integrity in Japan.

With the departure of the Japanese, the Koreans became even more anxious. It was obvious that the Japanese had obtained everything they wanted, but the Koreans still had no clue what to do. This was because the Koreans had made too much of a fuss, which made John very unfriendly to them. Every time they tried to visit, John refused, and even Lee Boo-jin refused to answer their calls.

The profits from Sakhalin Island are limited. If Japan takes more, they naturally take less. So how could these guys accept that? They tried even harder to find out more details, but unfortunately, Asia Energy didn't give them any response. Everything seemed to have sunk into the sea without even a ripple!
Seeing that admitting their mistakes had yielded no results, the Koreans were completely dumbfounded. They felt they had been thoroughly screwed over by the Americans, gaining nothing and offending John. However, the real headache wasn't the conglomerates, but the Korean government. They wanted to suppress the conglomerates and seize the initiative, but now they had failed again, which would have a significant impact on them.

The South Korean government wanted to shift all the blame onto conglomerates, especially the Lee family of Samsung, since Lee Boo-jin is the eldest princess of the Lee family. Unfortunately, all their efforts were in vain. A single phone call from the US government forced them to back down. Samsung now has powerful backing from the US, and even the South Korean government had to back down!
John initially thought the farce would end quickly, but things took a turn for the worse. When those guys targeted Lee Boo-jin, everything spiraled out of control, and John's assets in South Korea were affected in the short term. However, this time John didn't retaliate. It wasn't that he lacked the ability, but rather that he dared not target them again, fearing he might inadvertently ruin the South Korean economy and lose his investments.

"Let's begin. This is the new plan. Don't rush into action, take it slow!" John handed the plan to Lee Boo-jin. The Koreans were making such a fuss that he felt his next plan should start by testing the Koreans. After all, he now had such a good opportunity to make the Koreans dare not make any more small moves.

"Thirty percent of the shares are to be transferred to the family foundation. Isn't that a bit too much?" Lee Boo-jin was somewhat shocked when she saw John's arrangement, along with the family foundation's contact information.

"This is just the beginning. Looking ahead, we'll still need to cooperate with the original group on some assets, and the allocation will follow the same pattern. Otherwise, do you think you can control everything? You don't really think that after the split, the Korean conglomerate can hold 100% of the shares. That's impossible. Asia Energy will still hold some energy shares, and the same goes for Quantum Mining. Only in this way, if problems arise in the future, I won't need to step in; the groups behind them will naturally handle it. Your job is to maintain the normal operation and development of those Korean companies! Any problems can be directly attributed to the corresponding group companies; it has nothing to do with you."

"Isn't this a complete waste of time and energy? If they hadn't split it up directly, but instead allowed them to retain a portion of the shares, wouldn't that have been much simpler?" Lee Boo-jin looked at John with a puzzled expression. In her opinion, John's move was a terrible mistake, completely unnecessary and a waste of time.

“There are many things that can’t be explained clearly. You just know that this is the best choice. An extra step in the process means an extra layer of security and protection. From now on, you will be in charge of everything on the Korean side. However, you also need to pay attention to the group’s proposals, as there are many reasons behind them!” Hearing John say this, Lee Boo-jin suddenly realized that it was all about asset transfer. Was it really necessary for John to be so careful? Given his position in the United States, did he need to complicate things so much?

Yes, and it's absolutely necessary to do so. After this transformation, Lee Boo-jin became a member of the Korean conglomerate, backed not by John, but by those conglomerates. This would reduce a lot of trouble for John. He doesn't have the energy to arrange everything perfectly himself.

"Is this what we do here, or is this what all countries do?" Lee Boo-jin still asked this question, as she still had some concerns in her heart, after all, this was not a small matter.

John didn't elaborate on the matter, but stated directly, "All companies operate this way. Only in this way can I remain completely hidden behind the scenes. Given enough time, the people in the US will stop noticing me, which will reduce a lot of my troubles. After all, with this change, if any company runs into problems, they can seek help from the group behind it. I don't have the time or energy to waste on them! Remember, the brand cannot change; it's just a transfer of shares, understand?"

"I understand, but the losses from doing this are too great. Is it worth it?"

"Whether it's worth it or not, I know in my heart. You may think it's not worth it because the losses are too great, but I think it is. In the end, you will only hold 40% of the shares, 30% will be held by the group, and 30% will be held by the charitable foundation. If a dangerous moment comes, you should understand how much power they can exert!"

Although John's family foundation wasn't directly involved, its power far surpasses that of charitable foundations. Many of John's assets are held by the family foundation, meaning the shares in the group are essentially in John's hands. Furthermore, John's family foundation wields considerable influence in American high society, almost entirely supporting those within its interest groups. Otherwise, how could John have so quickly gained control of Oregon? The charitable foundation goes without saying; many people, from the "elephant" to the "donkey," have received its assistance! Although John and the "donkey" had a falling out, that doesn't mean they are enemies!
In Lee Boo-jin's mind, once the conglomerate was fully established, John would definitely continue to expand his assets and recover the losses from before. But she was wrong. John wanted to preserve value, not increase it. It is said that one should be low-key in life but high-profile in work, and John was doing just that. However, when his plan was completed, he had already disappeared behind the scenes.

Although there was no explicit agreement between John and Morgan, it was clear to anyone with a discerning eye that they were working together. Otherwise, John would have compromised as soon as Morgan made a move. John was restructuring assets and trying to remain out of the public eye, while Morgan also wanted to retire—that was the unspoken understanding between them!

John had mentioned his plans more than once or twice, but Lee Boo-jin hadn't taken them seriously. In her mind, capital was inherently greedy and profit-driven; why would John pass up an opportunity? Now she realized she was wrong. John was doing exactly that, and the recent frenzy in South Korea had only accelerated the process!
Under normal circumstances, John would naturally polish everything step by step and eliminate all hidden dangers. However, things on the Korean side came suddenly, forcing John to undergo another change before he could complete the restructuring of Korean assets. Moreover, the reason was quite convincing: the Koreans lacked integrity. This forced John to prepare for the worst and to thwart the Koreans' honey trap to the greatest extent possible.

If those guys in Japan knew about John's plan, they would definitely curse the Koreans for being stupid. But that day won't be too late. After all, as soon as Lee Boo-jin makes a move and those shares flow out again, it will attract a lot of attention. Smart people can understand what's going on with a little thought. So the Koreans will have to take the blame again!
Of course, all of this was brought on by the Koreans themselves. If they had just been more law-abiding and less driven by their insane ambition, things wouldn't be like this now. However, none of this was on John's mind. Opportunity knocks but once; he couldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by. Giving the Koreans a hard time was a good option!

Faced with John's decision, Lee Boo-jin could only sigh and say, "Alright, I will proceed as planned, but in this way, there will be no profit for several years, and the company's brand value will be affected!"

"It's alright. What we want is not short-term gains, but long-term gains! When those Koreans truly calm down and negotiate with you on an equal footing, that will be the final division of interests. I believe that day is not far off. Those guys won't last long. If they still don't make any progress, what do you think those old guys in the US will think? Will they try to replace them?"

Upon hearing this, Lee Boo-jin couldn't help but shudder, a chill creeping down her spine. It was indeed a possibility!

(End of this chapter)