America: My Time

Chapter 549 Mutual Compromise

Chapter 549 Mutual Compromise
John flatly refused Rockefeller's exorbitant demands, showing no mercy whatsoever. The old man's requests were outrageous. Hurricane Investment now held significant stakes in many of their core businesses; giving them up so easily would be a huge joke. John had worked so hard to acquire them at rock-bottom prices; how could he possibly let them go so easily? It wasn't John begging these guys now; they were begging John. John wasn't about to suffer a loss in such a deal.

“Indeed, Rockefeller’s demands are a bit excessive. I think it would be fine as long as John gives up his shares in the military industry. After all, a transaction should be reciprocal; it can’t be just one party paying the price. We all have to bear some of the cost. Besides, such a demand is not a big deal for John. He certainly doesn’t lack these technologies; he’s acquired quite a bit of technology from the Russians!” At this moment, Morgan finally stood up and firmly sided with John.

"That damned bastard Morgan, of course you agreed, because this little fox doesn't hold many of your Morgan shares, yet we've all been significantly affected!" Those old men on John's side were inwardly cursing Morgan's shamelessness and betrayal, but they had to think carefully. They knew John had obtained many valuable things from the Russians, including some civilian technologies. Given time, his steel mill could master these technologies, a fact they couldn't ignore.

“We have too few military enterprises, and many of our other core enterprises are also controlled by him. At least we need to hand over our shares in the oil and petrochemical industries, otherwise we will not feel at ease!” Rockefeller’s words resonated with many people. Although the price of oil was low, it was a core asset that no one was willing to give up. Energy was an issue that they had always attached great importance to.

"Sure, but I have a condition. Since you're asking me to give up this stock, I need compensation in terms of electricity and gas. Western Energy needs to acquire electricity and gas companies on the East and West coasts! To boost the stock market and restore confidence in the United States, we need larger investment projects, and gas and electricity are one of the best options!"

At this point, John directly brought in the White House, which was the political achievement they had been hoping for the most. No one could resist such a temptation, so the White House had no choice but to stand on John's side, since the other party had offered such a great deal.

Faced with such changes, the old men like Rockefeller felt extremely heavy-hearted. Now the White House had also sided with John, the little fox, and with Morgan causing trouble and supporting John's expansion, how could the old men like Rockefeller not feel pressured? However, they could not accept retreating like this, because John still held more stock, and even had a financial erosion effect on them. Although the number of shares was not large, it was enough to enter the board of directors and have an impact on them.

"Okay, but we need you to give up your encroachment on our financial industry. I believe no one on Wall Street wants to see their bank controlled by Hurricane Investment!" At this point, Rockefeller pulled Wall Street into the picture. With Hurricane Investment's terrifying power, no financier on Wall Street wanted to be controlled by Hurricane Investment, or even give Hurricane Investment such an opportunity. If Hurricane Investment became a member of the board of directors, they might gradually kick them out at any time.

When Rockefeller pulled the entire Wall Street onto his chariot, Morgan had to think carefully and dared not make a decision lightly, after all, one wrong move and Morgan would become the public enemy of Wall Street.

John naturally understood Morgan's concerns. He himself couldn't withstand an attack from the entire Wall Street, although the possibility was small, John still had to be cautious. He could only nod and say, "I have no problem. I have never thought of attacking my Wall Street counterparts. Since Mr. Rockefeller has said so, I naturally agree. But I need an equivalent price. I need the acquisition of the knife company. I haven't made a choice yet."

Time and again they clashed, time and again they pulled each other apart. Each time, everyone was desperately fighting for their interests. After a fierce struggle, they gradually reached an agreement. This time, with the White House as witness, no one would break the agreement. If Yao had, he would have been attacked by everyone. On such an important matter, anyone who dared to go back on their word would have become everyone's enemy.

“John, you are keen to take Quantum Mining to the next level in the steel industry, but doing so is quite risky, and this is not a direction that Quantum Mining is familiar with!” After the negotiations ended, John sat down with Morgan again.

"Indeed, this isn't a direction Quantum Mining is familiar with, but Quantum Mining must transform, otherwise it will easily fall into crisis. Only by developing in multiple directions can it have a greater chance of survival when the industry is in a downturn. Cutting tools and special metals are one of Quantum Mining's development directions. However, although an agreement was reached with these old guys this time, the price to pay was not small. After some debate, there are only a few companies left that I can control. These old guys are too powerful!" Now John only has a few food companies left. The stocks of giants in the food industry such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi will be released one by one after the market recovers. Although this will still make a lot of money, it is getting further and further away from John's plan. Originally, John wanted to gradually erode these companies and obtain the technology he wanted. Now all of this has been shattered, and the opportunity is slipping away from him.

"You have to give up something to gain something. If you can't meet the demands of these old guys, you won't be able to succeed even if you want to acquire them. After all, those old guys won't watch you continue to expand and become an even more formidable opponent to them."

“I know, but that’s not a reason for me to back down. They’re the ones in a hurry now, not me. I can choose to invest in the US, provided I can get the development I want. Otherwise, I can invest overseas. There are plenty of knife-related issues in Europe, not to mention other industries. I’ll have to rely on Morgan for a lot of things from now on. You know how much time and effort such acquisitions take!”

John's words were exactly what Morgan wanted. Despite the promises John had made to Morgan, he was still a little worried that John might change his mind. Such a large acquisition was the envy of many!
"No problem, Morgan has the capability to complete this acquisition and will not let you down!" At this moment, the Morgan tycoon did not hesitate and made a promise directly. If Morgan could not make a decision at this point, it would be too foolish. If they could not seize the opportunity presented to them, they would not be worthy of everyone's trust.

"I also believe that Morgan can accomplish everything, but now I need to wait for their actions, and wait to get what I want, especially the arms export rights. There can be no problems with that. If successful, I still need to go to the Middle East to have a talk with the tycoons. The betrayal of those guys in Japan will have a slight impact on Hughes Aerospace's funding. I need to discuss this with the tycoons. The betrayal of those guys in Japan has disrupted many of my plans."

“John, those guys in Japan are not trustworthy. They’ve all become arrogant. You need to be prepared. Those guys won’t give up easily. Quantum Mining is of immeasurable importance to them. As long as there’s a glimmer of hope, they won’t give up. You have too many loans over there!”

"I knew that, so I was prepared. Standard Chartered Bank and Neon Investment Company did not dare to make any rash moves with their funds, leaving room for maneuver and not giving them a chance to scheme against me. As long as these bastards are not given a chance, no matter how many ideas they have, they can only watch helplessly. I have already made arrangements. Under the appropriate circumstances, I will prioritize the disposal of Mandarin Oriental Group's many properties in Japan to repay that huge loan. As long as I repay more than half of the loan, reduce my own pressure, reduce the crisis, and reduce the overall debt of the company to a safe range, everything will be under control."

Morgan was well aware of the scale of John's investments in Japan, which had multiplied several times over. Therefore, it wouldn't be difficult for John to use the loan to offset the financial burden. The sale of real estate by the Mandarin Oriental Group alone could repay a significant portion of the loan, given that Japanese property prices were constantly rising with no sign of stopping.

Putting the sale of its Japanese assets out in the open is not only a warning to Japan, but also to those old fogies in the US, telling them not to play any tricks and that it has the capacity to pay off the huge loans, as it is not worried about them. The expansion of the Mandarin Oriental Group in the US is also part of the plan. With the dollar depreciating, it would be foolish not to accelerate investment now, just like its previous investment in Japan.

When they saw John and Morgan sitting together again, many people felt a little uncomfortable. They all wanted to go and talk to the two of them, but unfortunately, they didn't have the chance.

After John and his group left, the White House held a heated discussion about the issue of arms export rights. Although they verbally agreed to John's proposal, it would not be easy to actually do it. It would require more communication and at least the approval of all parties. This would take time and discussion.

Time is of the essence for the White House. They don't know which way the situation will go, but one thing they understand is that they need to be fully prepared at all times, at least not let those oil tyrants affect them, and not let things get out of their control!
(End of this chapter)