America: My Time

Chapter 860 Escape intact
Chapter 830 A safe retreat
While John was making arrangements, Hurricane Investment's entry into the fray gradually made those on Wall Street wary. Unfortunately, by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late. Morgan had already extricated himself. At this point, Hurricane Investment had successfully helped Morgan escape. Meanwhile, news broke that Morgan had abandoned its acquisition of President Lines, and the stock price instantly plummeted. They had indeed thwarted John's plan, but they had paid a heavy price, their stocks stuck in their hands. Only then did they realize that Morgan had already made a clean getaway. Only then did they understand why Hurricane Investment had entered the fray—it wasn't to assist Morgan in completing the acquisition, but to help Morgan exit unscathed.

They had initially assumed Morgan held a substantial stake, but it turned out they were mistaken. The invited investors were all incredibly greedy and unwilling to sell their shares directly to Morgan; they all wanted more benefits. So, it was all just a verbal agreement. They planned to demand exorbitant prices when the old guard, like Rockefeller, made their move. But now they had failed. Morgan had abandoned the acquisition, and Hurricane Capital had withdrawn. This dramatic turn of events left them stunned, disappointed, and utterly devastated.

Soon, even more despairing news arrived: Australian shipping had acquired Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation in Taiwan. This was something Rockefeller and his ilk hadn't anticipated. The acquisition meant their plan had failed, and it also gave John more excuses: it wasn't that he didn't want to invest in the US, but that someone else didn't want him to invest there, leaving him no choice but to go overseas.

"What a clever tactic, what a cunning scheme! It seems that all of this is under the control of this little fox, John. He had already taken over Yangming Marine Transport Corporation long ago, but he kept it a secret from outsiders. He had been waiting for this day. This time, he once again brought those old guys like Rockefeller to the forefront, letting everyone see their true colors. At this point, neither the White House nor anyone else dared to bring up the fact that John was not investing in the United States, because Rockefeller was blocking his way from investing."

“Boss, I don’t understand why John would want to acquire President Lines when he already controls Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation. It’s completely unnecessary, given that he already has world-class ships!”

"He didn't want to give anyone leverage or cause for gossip. By acquiring the President Line, he naturally silenced the Americans. If the acquisition failed and he was targeted, that wasn't his problem. He wouldn't pursue any more acquisitions of American shipping companies. The reason is simple: someone was trying to sabotage him, preventing him from acquiring or investing. I even suspect that this guy anticipated the acquisition would fail from the very beginning!"

"No way, if Rockefeller hadn't intervened, we would have already completed the acquisition. At least those guys had agreed to the acquisition terms before they were exposed, and they were determined to sell everything." Jimmy was somewhat incredulous at his boss's statement, after all, he didn't think John would have such intentions.

"Perhaps, but Rockefeller has really lost face this time, and it's become his biggest stain. Now, this little fox John no longer needs to care about the US's opinion or other people's views. Perhaps he will soon accelerate his expansion, and may even open a shipping company in China. After all, he controls quite a few ports there. Looking at his previous expansion, his global port network, you can see how shrewd this guy is. Rockefeller's attempt to sabotage him is just wishful thinking. He hasn't grasped the situation, nor has he understood how many ports Quantum Mining and Western Energy control. Before long, a shipping giant will be born, and their consolidation will begin."

Upon hearing this, Jimmy nodded. Morgan had gone to great lengths to obtain John's knowledge of shipping, as he had acquired John's global port network, which was almost all over the world. This tactic and cunning made Jimmy gasp. Although the integration had not yet begun, an industry giant was about to emerge.

The splitting and integration began quickly, but this time the situation was a bit unexpected. Quantum Mining and Western Energy did not split their shipping operations, but kept them. They only split the ports that were located all over the world, and they were all container ports. This situation was unexpected.

"Hehe, those old guys don't really think I'd dismantle Quantum Mining and Western Energy's shipping operations, do they? They're overthinking it. I'm not that stupid. Without our own shipping, Quantum Mining and Western Energy will be at the mercy of others, even Australian shipping. All I've ever wanted is a global port network, to control the major ports, nothing more. Only by controlling the ports can we gradually expand our shipping scale."

At this point, John gave a disdainful sneer. As long as he controlled the ports, he would have an advantage in this battle for maritime transport. After all, maritime transport was developing rapidly. With the help of Quantum Mining and Western Energy, they had already completed the layout of ports. All he lacked now was ships.

Just as John was mocking those old guys, Smith spoke up: "Alright, stop thinking about it. Tomorrow is Christmas, and those guys have asked you to reacquire the Presidential Steamship. Morgan will be back soon. This isn't the end of the story."

"So what? They think it's not over yet, but in my opinion it is. Even if Morgan comes forward this time, I won't accept it. Besides, I don't think Morgan will come forward. After all, Morgan was humiliated by them in this acquisition. Now they want Morgan to come forward again. Do they really think Morgan is their subordinate? They should go to those old guys like Rockefeller and let them take over. After all, if it weren't for those old guys' obstruction, none of this would have happened."

"John, are you really not going to reacquire the President Line?" "No need. It's not necessary for me right now. Instead of acquiring it, I'd rather invest in establishing a new shipping company in China. There are already plans in Europe. Whether or not it's in the US is not important, at least for me. Asia is the best in comparison. Labor costs are low, and they don't have the problems of those European and American guys!"

"So you're saying you were convinced from the beginning that the acquisition would fail and that you didn't think Morgan could fulfill your request?"

"No, I never thought that way. It's just that those old Rockefellers were too crazy. If they had acted any later, Morgan might have already completed the acquisition. Unfortunately, their sabotage caused the acquisition to fail completely. If it weren't for their sabotage, I would have been very willing to take over the President Line, but I won't now because I don't know if they've left any hidden dangers. I don't want to put myself under any risk, and Australian shipping can't afford such a risk either. For the same price, I can build a better shipping company in China. I already own a shipyard!"

John was right. He could indeed do all that for the same price, and it would also keep his shipyard afloat—a win-win situation. Why would he refuse such a good deal? The ones in a hurry now weren't him, but those old Rockefellers and the US Presidential Steamship.

"Alright, as long as you're prepared. However, you need to speed up the preparations in Oregon, otherwise it will have an impact. Those Rockefeller guys will cause trouble, after all, Calvin's influence is still not enough!"

"I know it will start soon. We'll talk about it after the New Year. If those old guys are willing to cause trouble, I don't mind having another confrontation with them to see whose methods are more clever. I don't think the donkey would dare to be my enemy at this time, or that the elephants would be willing to jump out and pull chestnuts out of the fire for them!"

After repeated clashes, as long as the donkey isn't stupid and the elephant isn't confused, they won't choose to antagonize John at this time, using Oregon to cause trouble and target John. After all, given the incident with the US president's ship, they all need to be on high alert and dare not act rashly, lest they be outmaneuvered by John.

"It's good that you know what's going on. But you should take little Martin to visit your grandfather when you have time."

“Okay, I’ll go when I have time, but not in the short term. However, I can let Naoko and Martin stay there for a while longer. I’m afraid something big will happen in the Middle East after the New Year, and I need to be prepared. There are also a lot of things to deal with in Asia. After the New Year, I will start the company’s restructuring and integration. The Forever Group and the Southern Group will be split up. I don’t want to be plotted against by those old guys again. All the companies in the United States will be spun off and then prepared for listing, so that those old guys won’t say that I’m unwilling to share profits with them.”

At this point, John couldn't help but sneer. There was no problem in the US, but forget about overseas. He wouldn't give them any chance. No matter how many ideas they had, it wouldn't matter. After all, he still needed to maintain his image in the US, but there was no need to do so overseas. After all, after the overseas companies were split and consolidated, he would only be a small shareholder.

Although everyone understands that those companies are still under their control, there's nothing they can do about it. Funds, banks, and investment companies are now the major shareholders, and they've long since become insignificant. While this might seem like self-deception, it perfectly separates them from these companies, which is its biggest advantage.

(End of this chapter)