What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 299 Shorting Oil
Realizing his luck was on the rise, Tang Wen decided to take a gamble.

[Open super supply box*8]

[Acquired: Tier IX American aircraft carrier battleship "Kirsage"]

[Received: 3000 Gold Coins]

[Acquired: Tier VIII Japanese carrier "Kaga", Tier X Japanese commander Nozatoshi]

[Received: 4 x 800% Profit Boost Cards]

[Received: 1500 Gold Coins]

[Acquired: Tier X American battleship "Wisconsin"]

[Obtained: Tier X Soviet battleship "Glorious"]

[Acquired: British Tier VIII cruiser "Cheshire", British Tier X captain Thor Kirk]

Five ships, a very high drop rate.

The Kearsarge was a wildly imaginative creation. Its basic hull was based on Project 1058, which the Russians had ordered from the United States. It carried a total of four triple-mounted 406mm guns and also had an aircraft deck, with a displacement of only 70,000 tons.

Because the hull is too compact, the design uses a catapult at the stern to launch fixed-wing aircraft, and the flight deck in the middle is only responsible for landing and not for takeoff. In short, it is extremely unconventional and can be considered a fantasy-like aircraft battleship in reality.

Kaga, trash, skip him.

Wisconsin?! I'm in Wisconsin, so what did Old Mi fish out?
Putting all these factors aside, it's just an ordinary Iowa-class cruiser.

The Glorious, the first battleship in the Big Brother's pre-war Project 24, ultimately remained only on paper. It had a displacement of 80,000 tons, 280,000 horsepower but a speed of only 29.3 knots, and was equipped with three triple 406mm main guns.

Now that we're bringing this up, I wonder if anyone even remembers this plan anymore.

Cheshire, a British heavy cruiser armed with six 234mm guns, will be skipped.

After looking around, I found that the Kaga is a gold coin ship. If I go and salvage the real Kaga in the sea, I can exchange it for some gold coins. The rest are just cargo that takes up space in the dock.

Of course, the Kearsarge and Hildebrand, as the only two aviation battleships/cruisers, could perhaps be brought out for public viewing.

Disappointed, Tang Wen exited the page and began arranging the new ship's destination:

With its powerful engine, the U4501 was ready to take advantage of the holiday, so Tang Wen was dispatched directly to the Atlantic Ocean to prepare for a ghostly adventure.

With the fuel consumption reduction provided by a level 10 captain, the U4501 submarine has a maximum range of 4.8 kilometers, which is even enough to circle the Earth.

Taking the South Pacific route is enough to ensure that we can enter the Atlantic Ocean without anyone noticing.

As for Bumblebee, after returning to town with Tang Wen, it took a liking to the BMW 7 Series. After scanning it, it transformed into an identical car and quietly parked in the yard.

……

People started coming over early in the morning to offer their New Year's greetings.

May Mr. Tang have a prosperous New Year!

This is a supplier for the scenic area; they sent a whole bunch of random stuff.

"May everything go smoothly for Boss Tang!"

This is the association's boat owner; he brought a few free-range chickens with him—good stuff.

"Xiao Tang will come to the village for dinner tonight."

Chen Yonggui greeted him and gave him a handful of five-finger peaches he had dug up from the mountain, which would be perfect for stewing chicken.

"Tang Wen!"

This is Guo Panpan, she... she brought a child with her.

Tang Wen couldn't help but glance sideways. Although he knew that college students were very mature these days, he didn't expect them to be this familiar.

"This is my cousin, quick, call him brother!"

Seeing the little brat Tang Wen, who was still snotting from his nose, a surge of malice rose within him. He took out a silver coin and quickly clenched his fist:
"Guess whether I put it in my left or right hand, and you can have it if you guess right."

The little kid saw it clearly: "Left hand!"

He stretched out his hand; nothing was there. "That's his right hand!"

I stretched it out again, but still nothing.

The child's brain seemed to freeze, about to unleash his innate skill. Seeing this, Tang Wen simultaneously clenched his fist and opened it again, revealing a silver coin in each palm.
"Ta-da, you guessed it all."

The little boy was about to run off to show off his two shiny silver coins to his friends when Guo Panpan, still wondering about Tang Wen's methods, was afraid he would lose such a precious item, so she quickly chased after him.

Tang Wen watched this scene with emotion. The New Year's atmosphere now is truly festive. Although the Spring Festival Gala is a rebroadcast, it is still much more interesting than it will be decades later.

Just then, an Elantra taxi stopped in front of him.

Tang Wen realized that they weren't there to give gifts, but to ask for money.

"Hello, Mr. Tang."

Levi's got out of the car with his assistant.

……

"$20 billion is an impossible price; it's even lower than the McDonnell Douglas 82."

Levi continued:

"The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 is a small regional jet that can only carry less than 200 people, but the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a wide-body ocean passenger plane that can carry nearly 400 people, so even 50 million US dollars is reasonable."

Tang Wen remained completely calm:

"The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and DC-10 are almost the same aircraft. Now it is nicknamed the 'air killer.' I don't think any airlines will buy it even if you lower the price."

Of course, even if Geiger imports it, the landing gear and door systems will need to be resolved before it can be put into service... Let me refill Mr. Li's jasmine latte.

Seeing that Levi's glass was finished in no time, Tang Wen felt a little sorry for him, as his reserves were running low.

"McDonnell Douglas believes that $35 billion is a suitable figure, $3500 million per aircraft, and the licensing for imitation is considered a gift from us. Then we will expand our factory in Shanghai to assemble the McDonnell Douglas 11."

"no!"

Tang Wen: "The factory must be located here, or anywhere within 200 kilometers, but not in Shanghai."

$35 billion is an unacceptable figure; that's a whopping 100 aircraft!

His refusal was so decisive; if this happened in Shanghai, wouldn't it have been like doing someone else's bidding?

Levi's wasn't surprised by this, he simply said:
"This will require additional money and time, and is expected to cost an additional $100 million."

Levi then relayed Robert's conditions, which required a $100 million deposit and proof by March that Geiger had sufficient funds to make the payment publicly.

Tang Wen fell into thought. This meant that the merger process between McDonnell Douglas and Boeing was about to get on track, which was why they were making such a urgency.

It's not that we can't come up with $100 million, but it would be very difficult to do so within a month, even if we used oil to pay off the debt.

“Li, we all know that such a big deal requires the approval of your Congress. Before that, Gaikin cannot pay any deposit, otherwise it will be a waste of our money.”

Levi didn't say anything. He knew that the request was actually somewhat unreasonable; one hundred million dollars was no small sum.

He settled for second best:

"How about this: let international experts assess your oil field reserves and extraction capacity, and then use futures or equity as collateral."

For example, we might agree on a futures contract three months from now, and if the equipment and personnel arrive in three months, then we'll proceed with physical delivery.

"Well……"

Tang Wen pondered the feasibility of this, and suddenly realized a problem:
With the financial crisis looming, oil prices will undoubtedly fall accordingly.

If we really use futures to hold McDonnell Douglas in place, wouldn't the other side lose a fortune?
No, no, it's not that simple.

Old Mi's companies are masters at manipulating stock prices, Tang Wen thought, and after a while, he slowly said:
"No, McDonnell Douglas can indeed get a $1 million deposit, or even more, but it won't be from me."

Levi looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Tang Wen: "Has McDonnell Douglas started shorting oil?"

(End of this chapter)