America: My Time

Chapter 395 Warning
Chapter 395 Warning

"It would be best if you didn't have such thoughts. If you did, then you must bear the consequences. Although I am young, I will not allow anyone to trample on the rules. I believe that none of you here want to see such a situation arise, nor do you want to see the United States fall into chaos again. Don't think that I am easy to bully just because I am young. I don't owe you anything, and I have no reason to accept your ridiculous proposal. Whatever your thoughts or plans are, go ahead and implement them yourselves. Don't expect me to pay the price for you. Moreover, your foolish decision is destined to be fruitless!"

"Why, Mr. John, would you think that!"

"Hmph, it's simple. You underestimated those Japanese guys. Do you think they wouldn't have thought of what you could? Or do you think they're dumber than you? They've managed to defeat their American counterparts so decisively, surely they know you're up to something? Stop with your petty tricks. If you want to deal with Japan, you need to rely on strength, not these laughable schemes. There are no secrets in this world. Who knows, one day, some of you here might betray everything for your own benefit?" John sneered repeatedly as he said this.

Guarantee? No one dared to stand up and guarantee that the meeting wouldn't be leaked. Human nature is unpredictable; these guys are capable of anything for profit. Under these circumstances, many people felt a heavy weight on their hearts. They originally wanted John to help them, but now they had to face all sorts of pressure.

If someone were to actually do this and leak this conversation to the Japanese, the consequences would be dire. At this moment, even the president's eyes showed a hint of worry, because the United States was in discussions with Japan and other countries. If this conversation were leaked, the consequences would be severe, and those guys in Japan might not act according to the White House's plan.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have invited that little John, and I shouldn't have agreed to those old foxes' conditions. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in this awkward situation now." President Reagan was extremely frustrated at the moment, but all of this had already happened, leaving him in a dilemma.

Even Morgan, the bigwig, was unwilling to offer any advice at this point. His mood was heavy. This hadn't really been his problem, and he had no idea these guys would dare to expect John to pay such a price for them. It was clear the White House had become too arrogant after their re-election. Whatever agreements they had with those old guys, such a proposal shouldn't have come from their mouths, much less from the President. What were they doing? This was trampling on the rules. Did they really think John was easy to bully? If this matter reached the public eye, the White House would immediately face a credibility crisis, and the United States would be plunged into great turmoil. Countless people would stand up against the White House—this was no simple matter.

However, as the owner of the White House, Regan was an old man who had experienced countless storms. Although he had not considered that John would refuse, nor had he prepared a contingency plan, this matter was not difficult for him. After a slight pause, he smiled calmly and said, "Mr. John, we understand your choice. It was our fault for not doing our job well. On behalf of everyone in the White House, I apologize to you. You are right. We were too presumptuous. What we could think of, the other party could also think of."

"It's good that the President understands. I don't know what your plans are, but I can sense your contempt for Japan. Perhaps you think Japan is just a little brother of the United States, and you can do whatever you want. But have you considered the consequences of doing so? They're not stupid. They won't wait for you to scheme against them. Strength is the only way to win. Tariffs and other tricks won't work. Power is relative. Unless you want the United States to fall into hyperinflation again. I don't think Mr. Paul would make such a choice. You've been suppressing inflation all along."

“Yes, I do disagree. Raising tariffs means the cost of living in the United States will increase, which will lead to disaster. As Mr. John once said, we should not act rashly before we find alternatives. That is the situation we are in now. We just hope that you can pay more attention to the development of the United States and create more jobs for the country.”

"Heh, Mr. Paul, you're not going to bring up the shipping company issue again, are you? You're not going to plead for the American shipyards, are you? I've said it's impossible. I won't sacrifice my own interests. Their inability to do so is their own problem, it has nothing to do with me. I'm not going to turn down cheap ships and buy those ridiculously expensive American ships. Besides, Japan can give me the lowest interest rate loan, which is something the American shipyards can't do. As for jobs, I've been working hard. Isn't the Gulfstream 'Fokker' aircraft production line creating jobs? And the expansion of 7-Eleven has also created many jobs. I think I've done a great job! If anyone continues to bring this up in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless and exposing everything to the public so everyone can judge."

“John, don’t get agitated. Now that we’ve reconciled, this is no longer a problem. Even if some tabloids try to sabotage things, it won’t matter. Since everyone acknowledges your status, they won’t do such things again. You can expand in the US without any impact. Everything will be within normal business competition; there will be absolutely no overstepping boundaries.” Morgan Stanley, upon receiving Paul Walker’s gaze, had no choice but to step forward again. “If that’s the case, then I have no problem. I won’t participate in your thoughts or schemes. Japan’s plans are up to individual ability; whether you get what you want depends on your strength! As for the investment, I will consider it carefully, but you all need to give me an answer about the Permian Basin as soon as possible. I don’t have that much time to waste. If you have nothing else, then I’ll take my leave!”

At this point, no one dared to ask any more questions. They all knew John's determination and that it was impossible to make him pay the price for them. So they could only remain silent and let John leave first.

The dinner ended badly; no one got what they wanted. These guys thought they could scheme against John, but they were delusional. Even Morgan sighed at the outcome. These guys were too greedy, still trying to pull off various tricks even now. For Morgan, the dinner was a mixed bag. The good thing was that John didn't cause a scene with those old guys; the bad thing was that those old guys were too greedy. And the White House clearly wasn't on the old guys' side; otherwise, they wouldn't have made those ridiculous probing remarks.

After the dinner, Morgan was far from relaxed; on the contrary, his mood became even heavier. Rockefeller and his group clearly had a plan targeting Japan and wanted to bring John into the game, which was not a good thing, at least not for Morgan.

Although John abandoned his idea of ​​a financial war and accepted the White House's mediation, the pressure on everyone has not lessened, especially for Rockefeller and his group. Whether or not to accept John's proposal and whether or not they are willing to give up the Permian Basin oil fields is a very serious matter. They need time to consider John's calculations.

After the dinner, John and Naoko felt no pressure and set off for San Francisco early the next morning. They had no intention of staying any longer, no intention of dealing with those old guys, and no intention of getting Rockefeller and the others to make a decision. They left with a carefree attitude.

As a result, after the White House dinner, the staff had no time to rest. They were all eager to know John's plans and to figure out the Permian Basin. Not only were they working so hard, but Rockefeller and the other old guys were also instructing their subordinates to conduct an in-depth investigation into the Permian Basin oil fields, to see if they had forgotten something. Otherwise, why would John, that little fox, be so crazy?

After all the effort, nothing was gained. The Permian Basin oil fields continued their decline, offering no hope and causing widespread disappointment. At this point, some couldn't help but wonder if this was John's scheme, a way to buy time and allow Western energy development to accelerate. Once the changes John had promised materialized, he could easily cancel their agreement, assuming it was their own fault for not responding promptly.

When this idea emerged, everyone had to be cautious. The pressure on the old guys like Rockefeller was even greater, because the decision-making power was in their hands, and now it was time for them to make a decision. Moreover, the oil fields here were not entirely controlled by Rockefeller; there were other oil fields as well, which required them to make a timely decision.

Faced with immense pressure and the report from the White House, these old guys were all under tremendous stress. This time, no one wanted to fail again, and no one wanted to be outmaneuvered by John. If they failed again, their situation would be dangerous. To make matters worse, Morgan had also left, and John the fox had left early in the morning, leaving them no chance to continue their discussion. This was a huge problem.

If they could renegotiate, perhaps things would take a turn for the better. But now that Morgan has left and John, the little fox, has also left, they have no choice but to accept the negotiations at the dinner party. Under these circumstances, they have no chance to regret it and can only grit their teeth and face all of this, face this pressure, and make a decision!
(End of this chapter)