America: My Time

Chapter 418 A Crazy Deal

Chapter 418 A Crazy Deal
Either don't make a move, or make a move and it must be successful. Before the formal showdown, you must hold 50% of the shares; otherwise, it will be difficult to complete the acquisition at minimal cost. Standard Chartered Bank is crucial to your future development and your conglomerate's plans; this is an acquisition you cannot afford to fail at.

But John has already taken action with all the companies he can, which is the maximum he can go. Continuing further risks exposure. In this situation, he needs to make other arrangements and get his agents moving, but they need to be dispersed so as not to attract Standard Chartered's attention. Moreover, British investors don't hold many shares in Standard Chartered. As long as he doesn't get exposed, he can acquire more shares. There's not much time left, so he has to speed things up.

As John continued his investment in Standard Chartered, the Morgan tycoon sighed: "Jimmy, have you found out what we're looking for? Where did that little fox John's money go? What is he planning?"

"We've found out some details, but we don't know the specifics yet. The funds are in Europe, or more precisely, in Britain. It seems like they're planning an acquisition in Britain. Moreover, John's group still has quite a few people traveling around Europe, gathering information on various industries. It looks like they're planning to make a big splash in Europe!"

"Europe? Could he be eyeing Europe? Those Europeans have been advocating for the European Monetary System all along. Could this little fox have found a loophole and is planning a big move?" In an instant, Morgan Stanley thought of the European Monetary System, a problem that had always been a headache for the Americans and a situation they didn't want to see.

"I don't know, but one thing is certain: John, that little fox, is eyeing East Germany. He's acquired a lot of talent from East Germany and done a lot of trade with them, especially in grain and meat. He's even established contact with the Russians. What's most puzzling is that he's actually accepting East German currency!"

"Wasn't his trade blocked by West Germany? And where did that little John get his resources? Have you found out? This is no small matter. For this little fox to act like this, he must have made a considerable gain!"

"Indeed, he has now lured away most of the technical personnel from East Germany's Zeiss, although they are only retired. However, he has started a new business in Taiwan and has made great gains. Now ASML no longer needs optical lenses from West Germany, and Taiwan has the production capacity. Not only in this area, but he has also obtained the technology he wanted from East Germany in the steel industry and has begun to carry out steel transformation in China. Now many technologies from East Germany have fallen into the hands of this little fox, even machine tools."

"Are you sure? Machine tools are no small matter. How did he manage to do that? How could those guys in East Germany hand over such technology?"

"It wasn't just technology; that little fox also acquired more machine tools through the trade. These machine tools were all shipped to China, and a large portion of them went to Taiwan. Even we in the United States have such machine tools. Trading grain for machine tools, trading technology—he's gone mad. Were those guys in East Germany also mad? Where did his grain come from?"

"This little fox has vast farms in Australia and South America, and the Australian shipping company he acquired has started frantically transporting these grains and meats to Europe, and even directly trading them with the Russians through Asia. The shipping company's business is booming right now. However, he doesn't take money from the Russians; he only barters them. He even has his own office in East Germany to handle these transactions. As for how much the guys in West Germany object, it's useless; West Germany itself is doing it."

"Technology? It seems this little fox has its eye on East German technology. They're even resorting to such primitive barter methods. Is this how they trade with the Russians in Asia?" At this moment, Morgan quickly understood John's intention, but he was uneasy about the situation because it would affect everyone's plan—the plan to eliminate the Russians.

"That's true, except he's buying caviar, crude oil, timber, and even steel. These kinds of transactions bring his shipping company amazing profits, which many people envy, but not everyone can do what he does!"

"Jimmy, do you think John's actions might affect our overall plan against the Russians, or give them a chance to catch their breath?" The situation in Russia is currently attracting a lot of attention, especially since the Russian economy is in dire straits. This makes Morgan worry that John's actions might give the Russians a chance to recover.

"Impossible. Although John is trading with the Russians and East Germany, his capabilities are limited. It's impossible for him to shake up the overall situation, at least not with the resources he has. The grain and meat he trades are almost all from his own farms, which limits his potential. Perhaps this is John's deliberate tactic." John naturally wouldn't cross anyone's bottom line, and only by keeping the Russians and East Germany on hold could he gain more benefits. Although the trading with the Russians and East Germany hadn't been going on for very long, Australian shipping revenue had seen astonishing growth, and he had also established a fairly 'good' relationship with the Russians. As for East Germany, John was frantically poaching their retirees. Quantum mining was making amazing strides in the steel industry, and as long as it wasn't sensitive technology, it could be obtained from East Germany. Those veteran technicians were a real asset.

"It seems this little fox really intends to make a big push in the steel industry. Originally, we thought the rejection from those old guys like Rockefeller would limit Quantum Mining's development in the steel industry, but now it seems that the plan has failed, and we will also be affected to some extent. But where did he take all the Russian steel? To Japan or South Korea?"

"Neon, that little fox John has smuggled all the Russian goods to Japan. The Koreans don't have enough funds to take over John's goods, but those bastards in Japan can do it easily! There's also some astonishing news: it's said that John has built a winery in the Philippines specifically for trading with the Russians. He's even buying up liquor in China to use in trade with the Russians. The Southern Group has also made amazing profits from these transactions. They've acquired a lot of liquor companies in Europe, all of which have been used in their trade with the Russians, using the resources they get from the Russians to exchange for money in Japan."

Morgan was dumbfounded. What was going on? To cooperate with the Russians, he actually built his own distillery in the Philippines. This was insane! At this moment, Morgan finally understood why those guys in Europe hadn't stopped John, the little fox. How could they refuse such an export of alcohol?

Seeing the boss's shocked expression, Jimmy added, "Furthermore, the wines from John's wineries are also goods traded with the Russians. John even invested in a liquor factory in both South Korea and Japan, just to meet the Russians' needs."

"How much profit could such a barter transaction generate that would drive this little fox, John, so crazy?"

"I don't know. Only they know such a secret. I believe the profits must be enormous. Otherwise, John wouldn't be so crazy, not even sparing Japan, having a winery there. This shows how amazing his deal with the Russians is. Some say that the Southern Group has traded most of its various wines to the Russians. Now many European wineries are eyeing the Russians, but they don't have John's ability to absorb the resources they've obtained from the Russians!"

"Now I finally understand why John, that little fox, gave up his expansion in the United States. With such profits, why would he care about expanding in the catering industry? He uses grain at high prices to exchange for low-priced goods from the Russians, and then sells them to Japanese companies at slightly lower prices to obtain the large amount of funds he needs. Perhaps we have all underestimated the amount of capital that John, that little fox, controls. The profits from such primitive transactions are astonishing. No wonder John, that little fox, placed such a large order for ships with Japan. He has enough confidence to repay all the loans!"

Everyone knows how abundant Russia's resources are. This is just one of the transactions Morgan uncovered; there are likely many more that Morgan didn't find. Russia is currently lacking in everything, and if a trading channel can be established, the profits could be unimaginable. However, such transactions are not something that ordinary people can accomplish.

“Indeed, there are such astonishing transactions just from what we know, and there are many more that we don’t know about. John has a lot of investments in China, and perhaps these are all goods he traded with the Russians! It’s impossible for us to understand John’s transactions with the Russians in a short period of time; there are many things that are difficult for us to investigate.”

"Let him be. We don't need to worry. It's not Morgan who should be worried, but those old foxes Rockefeller and the White House. However, the White House probably won't care. After all, John knows his limits and hasn't challenged their bottom line. They have good control over food and meat, and as for alcohol, there won't be any problems."

Alcohol holds an irresistible allure for the Russians, and the trade in alcohol doesn't bring them any benefit, so no one sees it as a threat to the overall situation, and naturally, no one tries to stop John. Comparatively, European countries are quite happy to see such trade, as it generates revenue for them; at least it brings them tax revenue. This is the real reason why most European countries tacitly approve of such transactions. Through trade with Russia, John's luxury brands in Europe have gained another significant market.

(End of this chapter)