America: My Time

Chapter 238 The Scheme Behind the Fire

Chapter 238 The Scheme Behind the Fire
Regarding expansion in Europe, it was Southern Group that made the move. Since expansion in the US needs to be halted, it's better to place funds overseas, and food is a good option. Therefore, the acquisition will have to wait until Southern Group is free to proceed, as they are currently involved in the entire 7-Eleven convenience store chain, which takes time.

John envisions Southern Group integrating everything related to food, from sales to processing. This applies to the wine industry as well as beverages and food. Only by owning its own production facilities, brands, and sales channels can Southern Group avoid being controlled or held hostage by others.

If you're going to do something, you have to do it. If it weren't for the storm in the US, John would probably have already started to take over Costco. Costco is not as valuable now as it will be in the future; it's just starting out, which is the best time to acquire it. Unfortunately, because of the storm in the US, John had to give up and will not start an acquisition in the short term.

If I could perfect my sales channels and control the retail industry in the United States, it would be of great benefit to my future development. The early 1980s was the best time for the development of supermarkets, but unfortunately, it has to stop now due to external forces. No matter how much I desire it, I must be careful. If another major strike is triggered, I will not be able to solve the problem!

John dared not underestimate the methods of those old guys, nor the power of other forces. He could not act rashly without absolute certainty, nor could he trust the old guys' guarantees.

When the Jeep fire broke out, Morgan received the news and was furious. It was no small matter. Although they knew John had deliberately left this hidden danger, the auto workers wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant and storm the Jeep factory without external pressure. The fire made things even more troublesome and dangerous.

"Jimmy, do you think this is still Donkey causing trouble behind the scenes, or maybe it's those guys from Seville causing trouble, trying to force John to show up and compromise through these means?"

“Boss, it’s hard to say. Maybe it’s not just Donkey. I even suspect those old guys are involved. We know about John’s plans at Jeep, so those old guys can’t possibly not know. If they do know, it’s only natural that they would take this opportunity to do something big. For them, it’s a good thing no matter who wins!”

"Yes, for those old guys, as long as this fire starts, they're invincible. And once the fire starts, John will definitely return to the US from Europe. At that time, they'll have a chance to get John to finance their project. After all, they're worried that John will abandon the financing plan. Now that the three mines have been sold, John has a lot of dollars in his hands. Most importantly, John has clearly slowed down his development in the US. It seems he's also sensed the danger."

“Boss, this was an inevitable result. If John hadn’t noticed anything after such a frenzied attack, then there would have been a problem. However, this situation will affect Morgan’s interests. These old guys are restricting John’s development, which also affects Morgan. Now, we have no use for overseas acquisitions!”

“Jimmy, don’t panic. We need to stay calm, especially now. You think those old guys are only targeting John? No, they’re also targeting Morgan. Otherwise, do you think they would have joined forces to attack John? Their so-called reasons don’t exist; they’re all just empty words. Those old guys are also giving Morgan a warning.”

Jimmy was dumbfounded when he heard his boss's words. This was something he hadn't expected. He hadn't thought that those old guys would actually use external forces to put Morgan in a bad light!
"Boss, how dare they do this? Aren't they afraid of incurring Morgan's wrath?"

"They're not afraid because they know their limits. They won't cross our bottom line. Now those old guys are scared. They're worried that John will become the next big conglomerate and take away their interests in the US. That's why they teamed up with outsiders and the Donald to target John, and even took the opportunity to put pressure on Morgan. It's a pity their plan failed. Neither the Donald nor the outside forces could make John fail. Now the pressure is on them."

"Boss, how should we deal with all this?"

"Let's wait and see. John, that little fox, has succeeded in his battle against the British capital in Hong Kong, which has made those old guys even more nervous. However, it's interesting that John chose Cathay Pacific to acquire an airline. Could it be that he really intends to make a name for himself in the aviation industry?"

Upon hearing his boss's words, Jimmy's eyes flashed with tension. He smiled wryly and said, "Boss, nobody knows what that little fox John is thinking. He seems to have let loose now, recording an album in Japan and continuing to invest in Japanese real estate. I just don't understand why he cares so much about Japan. Doesn't he know about the trade issues between Japan and the US? Faced with strong pressure from the US, Japan will inevitably compromise." "Not only do you not understand, but I also can't understand this little fox. But it's impossible for him to be completely unprepared. This guy knows Japan better than we do. Perhaps he believes that Japan's economy won't be affected by US pressure and that Japan can continue to develop. Jimmy, you've been to Japan several times. What are your impressions of Japan? Do you think they have the ability to withstand US pressure and keep their economy unaffected?"

"Boss, you're putting me in a difficult position. I can't answer that question. If I have any impression of Japan, it's that their pace of life is too fast, and they receive strong government support in the semiconductor field, which we don't have. With resource sharing, they have the ability to crush American semiconductor companies!"

"Speaking of semiconductors, what do you think of John's clever strategy? Can Taiwan compete with Japan? And if Japan runs into trouble, can Taiwan mitigate the impact?"

"Boss, are you worried that the game world will be affected?"

"That's right. Game World will soon be going public and raising funds. If there are problems in Japan, it will affect the development of Game World. We have to be careful about this. Moreover, I always feel that John, that little fox, doesn't really value Game World. His energy is not focused on the United States, but overseas."

"Boss, you know what, it's really true. John's overseas investments exceed those in the US, especially in manufacturing. He's even stronger overseas than in the US. Semiconductor chips, VCDs, and cars are all manufactured overseas. And his semiconductor investments clearly favor Taiwan. He's also wary of those guys from Japan!"

“Jimmy, you’ve had the most contact with that little fox John. What do you think he’ll do to expand after the funding? I don’t think he’ll just sit back and digest the previous acquisitions. With such a large sum of money in hand, he can’t just leave it there. Do you think he might make a big investment in aviation?”

“Boss, I think it’s impossible for now. He doesn’t have the ability to control the airlines in the US yet. If he expands so rapidly, it will only get him into a quagmire. If he has to expand in this area, I think he will prefer overseas acquisitions. He is clearly reducing his investment in the US now. If I had to choose, I think this guy will make big moves in the mining industry and continue to improve himself in the semiconductor field.”

"Tell me your reasons?"

"We all know that in the mining sector, this little fox has invested a large sum of money and can't just be doing prospecting. I think he will definitely launch an acquisition, but I don't know who his target is. If it weren't for the previous storm, he might have chosen to acquire mining companies in the United States, but now that's almost impossible. I think his activities in Canada will be significant, after all, it's the closest to the United States. As for semiconductors, he has been constantly improving himself. In Taiwan, he not only has foundries but also packaging plants, and if he continues to develop, I think R&D and production will not be a problem!"

"As for media and entertainment, do you think he will continue to expand? The all-out war with Warner has caused him considerable losses. I believe Legendary Entertainment's revenue and expenditure will not be ideal this year. As the number one media giant in the United States, will he continue to expand? Europe is his weakness. Is it possible that he will expand in Europe?"

"Boss, I have some news, I don't know if it's true or not. At Bell Labs, they have a plan, a satellite networking plan, to use five or six communication satellites to form a global satellite communication network. I think if this little fox really wants to expand in the media and entertainment field, he will choose this path. Once he succeeds, his influence will be worldwide."

"Satellite networking is beyond the capabilities of Legendary Entertainment; their financial resources can't support it!"

"Boss, Legendary Entertainment simply can't do it. But if we add Phoenix Media and Bell Labs, they have the capability. If they succeed, they'll have a trump card, allowing them to share the resources of the two major media and entertainment groups. Phoenix Media has three television stations in Asia, and Legendary Entertainment, along with NBC in the US and other stations, certainly has the need. That's what we need to focus on. If they really accomplish such a feat, Legendary Entertainment's influence will be far greater than it is now; it will experience even more growth. Perhaps we should prepare for NBC's relisting!"

(End of this chapter)