America: My Time

Chapter 203 Operation Hong Kong Begins

Chapter 203 Operation Hong Kong Begins

Is this the end of the story? No, Sanwa isn't stupid, and John isn't a pushover. This is just the beginning. The $500 million loan is the driving force, the motivation John is giving Sanwa, and also the pressure on Mitsui. Knowing that Toshiba has problems, how could John not retaliate at all? Mitsui needs to give itself an explanation!
"Little fox, what a little fox! He said nothing, yet he was more shrewd than if he had spoken. He not only saw through our scheme, but also forced us to step in. It seems the person who orchestrated this is truly remarkable, treating Sanhe as mere pawns. Impressive, extraordinary indeed! It's a pity that this little fox still saw through us!"

"My lord, I don't understand. Since John has seen through the other party's scheme, why doesn't he retaliate and instead lets the situation continue to develop in a way that is unfavorable to him?"

"Foolish. He doesn't need to retaliate at all, because this little fox is also setting up his own scheme, using the other side to do the same. Although we were also caught in the trap this time and were outmaneuvered, the result is good, just what we wanted. You saw Kuroki Hitomi and Naoko sitting together; that's his attitude, his attitude towards us, Sanwa. Do you understand?"

"Sir, I don't understand. What does it have to do with Sanhe if these two women are sitting together?"

“How could I have such a stupid subordinate? This is treating everyone equally. He’s telling us that there will be no deviation in our cooperation with Mitsui and Sanwa, do you understand? What’s wrong with your head? You can’t even see something so obvious! However, we also need to give him an explanation. This is also a test for us, forcing us to make a choice and forcing us to choose sides!”

"Sir, what should we do? This is an internal struggle among Americans; we shouldn't interfere!"

"Yes, normally we would ignore it, but now someone is using Sanhe as a pawn, trying to use the woman's problem to keep John in Japan and ruin Sanhe's plans. Do you think we can tolerate this? Besides, we haven't made any response this time. Do you think there's any possibility of cooperation in the future? Use your brain and think it through. Don't say such stupid things."

"Sir, things aren't that serious. It's just a woman's problem. At most, we've only offended Akio Morita and Sony. Besides, we're also victims in this matter. I don't think we should get involved. It would do us more harm than good and could even cause more trouble!" Despite his master's angry rebuke, this guy still insisted on his opinion.

“Normally, this is how it is, but it’s not normal now. Someone is secretly plotting something. Yesterday’s party was the beginning of their operation. Everything at the party was under their control. Even if Sanwa hadn’t taken action, someone else would have. We’re in the eye of the storm now, so we have to solve the problem! We need to get that old guy Akio Morita out. We should sit down and have a serious talk with him about this issue. This is no longer just a matter for Sanwa. Sony also needs to make a move. That old guy Akio Morita can’t just do nothing and push all the responsibility onto us.”

"My lord, inviting them at this time is unlikely to yield any results, and may even anger them!"

"Hmph, is that your vision? You think Akio Morita is as foolish as you? Don't worry, he won't refuse, and he has no reason to refuse. He's been tricked in this matter too. I just don't know how this guy will break the deadlock, but I believe he can do it. This is truly an invisible war, and I don't know who will have the last laugh! However, for us Sanwa, this is a test with both opportunities and dangers. Even if we can get through it..."

The bigwigs in Japan weren't fools. After doing some research, they immediately understood the intentions of those hiding in the shadows. However, they considered such methods too foolish. The final battle would be fought with strength. Weekly Bunshun was just a weekly magazine; ignoring it would mean nothing would happen. Besides, given John's cunning and shrewdness, how could he be swayed by a woman? He had clearly seen through their scheme and deliberately entered the game, hoping to drag the enemy into it as well.

With Sanwa's strength, they naturally understood who was behind the trouble in Japan. Toshiba had nothing to do with them, and that was something that Akio Morita had to handle. Warner Bros. needed to teach them a lesson. This was Japan, not the United States or Hollywood, and it wasn't their place to cause trouble, let alone scheme against Sanwa!
As for Vanguard, this is an internal matter in Japan, and Vanguard is backed by Sumitomo. It is unknown what Sumitomo's motives are behind this. If they are completely unaware, Sanwa will not believe it. Therefore, this matter needs to be resolved through their own negotiations. Fortunately, Warner Bros. is there to protect them. This is the best shield for all the bigwigs in Japan. They can push all the blame onto Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. will take the blame for everything.

This was Japan's scheme. They wanted to use this opportunity to constantly test John. Warner was the most vocal, and they felt they had to seize this opportunity. Although they would suffer some losses themselves, compared to the gains, this was insignificant. How could the various parties in Japan be completely unprepared for John, a guy who had suddenly barged into their country? They wouldn't dare to cooperate with him 'genuinely' without a thorough understanding of this young man. After receiving Sanhe's reply, John immediately took action. With this funding, his plans in Hong Kong were more complete, and this battle would be his chance to teach the British a lesson, to show them what a powerful dragon crossing the river truly was. Even if he couldn't seize Standard Chartered this time, he could still take the benefits he wanted from them.

"Tianfan, the five hundred million US dollars will soon be in the designated account. Proceed according to plan. You have full access to all the funds in Hong Kong, and other companies will cooperate with your actions. Let those guys know how powerful we are!"

"Yes, boss, I understand. I will never let you down!"

After signing the contract with Sanhe Bank, John had a brief conversation with Yuan Tianfan. Since the phone was not safe, the two did not say much. All the plans had been arranged in advance, and once the plan was launched, everything would be under Yuan Tianfan's control to avoid missing the opportunity. All John had to do was prepare the funds in advance!

A $500 million loan is an undeniable financial operation, and even if John wanted to cover it up, he couldn't. Sanwa Bank couldn't keep it a secret, and there were quite a few people watching him. Such a large loan couldn't possibly escape the attention of others. Once such a cooperation occurs, it will inevitably have a significant impact on Japan!
Of course, what people care about is not where the $500 million went, but that Sanwa has finally made a profit. This makes many people uneasy, including Mitsui, Dai-ichi Kangye, and even Mitsubishi, as it will seriously affect their interests.

John's decision to invest in the Hong Kong market and pursue acquisitions of several Hong Kong businesses did not raise many questions or concerns. Although John had impressive investments in Japan, he also had substantial investments in Hong Kong. While $500 million was a large sum, it was understandable given John's overall investment in Hong Kong.

After receiving John's call, the operation in Hong Kong began. Soon, Pacific Investment made an offer to acquire the properties in Hong Kong owned by Hongkong Land, Wheelock and Jardine Matheson. At this time, a large amount of funds poured in from both Standard Chartered and HSBC. This was due to the accumulation of John's working capital in Hong Kong, as well as funds from Taiwan and the return of funds from Southeast Asia.

When such an astonishing move occurred, the entire Hong Kong was shaken. No one expected that John would have such amazing courage to launch an acquisition offer for the three major trading companies at this time, and with such astonishing funds. This was not a feint, but a real attack.

At this moment, the Hong Kong tycoons finally witnessed John's capital power, his methods and madness. As the acquisition invitations began, Pacific Investment also kept communicating with these trading companies to prepare for the acquisition. Moreover, more and more funds from overseas were flowing into Hong Kong. Almost all of John's funds in Asia were flowing into Hong Kong, putting pressure on all the Hong Kong tycoons and also on the British trading companies.

Although companies like Hongkong Land, Jardine Matheson, and Wheelock were preparing to leave Hong Kong, they did not expect John's move to be so astonishing, attempting to swallow their Hong Kong properties whole. This put them under immense pressure, as did HSBC and Standard Chartered.

Accept the offer and begin acquisition negotiations? No, HSBC cannot accept it. Although some companies like Hongkong Land, Jardine Matheson, and Wheelock are interested, HSBC still wants to take a gamble and continue to suppress John's expansion in Hong Kong. Even if it's a deal, it shouldn't be with that damned American, John. HSBC even persuaded Standard Chartered to join forces with them to block Pacific Investment's acquisition offer.

At this point, in order to encourage its 'allies,' HSBC revealed its hand, telling Standard Chartered about the US's scheme. It hoped that Standard Chartered, along with Jardine Matheson, Hongkong Land, and Wheelock, would stand with HSBC to stop John and even divert the other party's attention to Hong Kong and Asia.

It has to be said that the US's scheming is truly remarkable. They have not only set up operations in Japan, but also in Hong Kong. Such scheming cannot be accomplished in a short time. It seems that these guys have put in a lot of effort and used unimaginable resources to scheme against John.

(End of this chapter)