America: My Time

Chapter 679 John's Change

Chapter 669 John's Change
"Haha, good, that's good. It's good that you're prepared. You have to be ruthless to the enemy. If you're not ruthless, the other side will think you're easy to bully. Sometimes, if you have too many concerns, others will think you're weak and easy to bully. When it's time to strike, strike. Don't be sad about the losses in front of you. Be ruthless to the enemy, and be ruthless to yourself! The word 'willing to give' is very important. You have to give to receive!"

Upon hearing his father's words, John nodded thoughtfully. In his struggle with the British, he had indeed been a little too soft-hearted and hadn't gone all out. Perhaps he should have been more ruthless, just like the Japanese. He had always been hesitant and wanted to extract more benefits from them, but unknowingly he had given them more opportunities. That's why those guys tested him time and time again.

"Alright, get some rest. Don't think too much. When you're fearless, even if you don't have many chips in your hand, your enemies will have to be wary. The British aren't as powerful as you think!"

Watching his father's retreating figure, John nodded. He had indeed overthought things. The Englishmen weren't that powerful, and he wasn't weak either. If he had retaliated cleanly and decisively, perhaps this whole conflict would have ended long ago. Being ruthless to himself was also being ruthless to his enemies. As he thought this, a crazed glint appeared in John's eyes. He had understood.

Is money important? It's important in some ways, and not so important in others. And at John's level, money is no longer the primary factor; it's resources, benefits, and even equality. Since the British have already crossed the river and burned the bridge, they need to be taught a harsh lesson, to let them know what pain is. After this exchange, John understood many things.

As a new day began, John started his new job. One offshore company after another appeared, and these offshore companies gained another share. John began to redistribute his overseas assets and also made advance arrangements for the allocation of shares in many companies. Now is not the time when the United States is most aggressive in its financial regulations, and it is the perfect time to transfer assets overseas and to these offshore companies!
Soon, the companies John was preparing to list underwent changes. His charitable foundations, personal foundations, and family foundations all began to change, as did offshore companies, and the changes were even more significant for banks.

John's changes soon caught the attention of the older generation, but they all understood what was going on, as all families had gone through similar experiences. They were more concerned with the news of John's company going public than with John's transfer of assets. Even if someone wanted to investigate, John's think tank personnel would have no problem with it.

"Are you sure John, that little fox, is going public again?" By this time, the old guys had quickly received Morgan's news. Countless old guys were eyeing the assets in John's hands. They watched as the originally insignificant companies rapidly grew and expanded under John's leadership. Who wouldn't be shocked? Who wouldn't have thought about it? It's just that John, that little fox, had never given them a chance. Now that he was going public again, many people were tempted.

"That's right, news from Morgan Stanley has spread. They'll be working on listing 7-Eleven next. We've all received this news, so it shouldn't be wrong. I've also heard that Morgan Stanley is accelerating the process internally. Not only 7-Eleven, but also the retail division of the Forever Group is considering going public!"

"Interesting. This little fox chose to go public at this time, and not just with one company, but with funds also involved. What is he planning? Is he going to share the profits, or something else? Is his confrontation with the British still going on?"

"No, it's still a tug-of-war, especially regarding Pan Am. They're arguing endlessly. Pan Am accuses the British of causing the crash by blaming airport management issues and demands compensation, but the British are unwilling to accept it. Now, with the Western Energy issue on the table, John's companies are becoming more and more active. If the British keep insisting, they might completely withdraw from Britain. Those who can move are starting to prepare."

"Madman, this little fox is too crazy. He's going to break with the British. It seems his reaction this time is too much. If this continues, the British will be in big trouble. No wonder we received requests for help from those British guys. It seems John is going to have a showdown with them. What's the White House saying? What's their reaction?"

"No, the White House hasn't reacted at all. They only contacted John once, and then there was no further movement. It seems they're determined to side with John and teach the British a lesson." "That's right. Now that the old fox is in power, he naturally wants to have a showdown with these guys. Otherwise, the British will think we're easy to bully, and they'll get closer and closer to those Europeans, not taking us seriously. They even dared to cheat John, that little fox. I have to admire their courage. But it's good this way. This is normal business behavior, and John's company is protected by the US government. It's impossible to suppress John administratively. Let John have a big battle with these British. Keep an eye on the listing of John's company. If possible, we should also take some shares. This is just the beginning. If we don't take the initiative, I'm afraid when that little fox John really wants to share the profits, we won't have anything to do. Morgan and those guys are no good. We can't let our guard down."

Such things happen in many parts of the United States. Regarding the struggle between John and the British, they are all sitting on the sidelines watching the fight, wanting to see the final outcome, whether the British can suppress John, or whether John will really withdraw all his investment from Britain.

"I heard John is interested in selling his Rolls-Royce shares. Should we compete for them? If we can gain control of Rolls-Royce, it will be beneficial for us as well." The Americans are also very interested in Rolls-Royce. After all, it is a world-class engine manufacturer. Acquiring Rolls-Royce would be a good thing for them, at least much better than letting it fall into the hands of the Europeans.

"No, we don't need to take any action. If that little fox John really wants to sell and completely withdraw his investment from Britain, he won't sell this share to the Europeans, he'll only sell it to us. Even if he doesn't have that intention, the White House will step in to make the deal for us. We just need to wait and see who gives up first. However, I don't believe the British can hold out for long. John has changed his mind and doesn't want to get entangled with these guys anymore!"

"Boss, do you think John's decision to list 7-Eleven is a way to raise funds? Many people think he has that in mind, to prepare funds to continue fighting against the British and to make up for the losses of those companies?"

"Where did you hear such stupid things? Did one of our guys say that? If so, get rid of them. We don't need idiots like that. John needs money? No one, not even a fool, would believe that. Go ask Morgan if John needs money. Go ask those banks in Japan if they'll accept John's loan. Also, take a look at the vaults of Sinolink Bank and East West Bank, and find out about Standard Chartered Bank. Only a fool would believe that John doesn't have enough funds, and that he needs to go public to raise money to deal with the British!"

"I've heard that Standard Chartered Bank is preparing to relocate its headquarters to Ireland. Although it's just a rumor and hasn't been confirmed yet, this news has shocked the entire financial world. Now everyone is wondering if John is serious about this."

"Whether they're going to get serious depends on the British decision. If they can't reach an agreement with John, it's possible that they might move the headquarters. But if they do that, it would really mean a break with the British. Right now, they're just playing a game of wits, seeing who has more leverage and who can hold out the longest."

This is the current state of affairs between John and the British, except the British are at a disadvantage, and they've been shocked by John's reaction. However, these guys don't believe John will really go all out and completely withdraw his investment from Britain; that would be too much of a loss for John. If they were to compromise like this, many multinational corporations would follow suit, and Britain would be in serious trouble. Therefore, the British can't compromise at this time, and dare not compromise. Right now, the British are just putting on a brave face, hoping that the US government will mediate and resolve this conflict.

To the average person, John's choice seemed foolish—a lone man going against a nation, which seemed irrational. But the bigwigs understood the astonishing implications behind it all. John had clearly received support from the White House in this battle, and at this point, no American corporations would bother him anymore. This wasn't just John's problem; it was a problem for the entire corporation. If John could hold out until the end and wear down the British, everything would change. Any country that wanted to target their corporation would have to consider the consequences, whether they would suffer the same fate as the British and face such a backlash. After all, the British were in a very dire situation.

At this point, let alone anyone daring to hold John back, because anyone who dared to do so would be eliminated. Even if they weren't dealt with now, they would definitely be the ones to be eliminated later. If John hadn't refrained from asking for help, those old guys would probably have been willing to give him strong support to directly overwhelm the British and let them know how powerful they were. As for their so-called allies, they were nothing. The British didn't have the strength to confront the United States right now.

(End of this chapter)