America: My Time

Chapter 1079 The Tycoon's Visit
Chapter 1069 The Tycoon's Visit
“Mr. John, you really don’t need to send anyone to explain things to us. We’re not stupid. We can tell who the enemy is and who the friend is. We know the situation in Somalia better than anyone else. Most importantly, we’ve been using Black Hawk helicopters for a long time, so we know their performance. We won’t be misled by those with ulterior motives!”

“Prince, from a personal perspective, I really don’t need to do this. I believe in our friendship. But from a business perspective, this is something we have to do. After all, the Middle East is a major client of ours. We have to think about our clients and we can’t let them have any worries, especially since this is a conspiracy deliberately orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives. We need to do a good job of explaining things to them to prevent a crisis from affecting our relationship. You may understand, but many people in the civilian market probably won’t. So, explaining things to our clients is something Gulfstream Aerospace has to do.”

John paused here, then continued, "The enemy's plot isn't just about suppressing Gulfstream Aerospace; it's also about damaging our friendship, and I even worry they might try to sabotage our cooperation. If their scheme succeeds and orders are cancelled in the Middle East, what do you think the consequences would be? Even if I can understand your situation, Gulfstream Aerospace itself won't accept it. Although I'm the owner of Gulfstream Aerospace, I also have to consider the feelings of my employees. If that happens, the problem will be serious. Gulfstream Aerospace's cooperation isn't just about helicopters; there are other important collaborations, such as fighter jets, drones, and satellite navigation!"

“We understand the importance of this matter, which is why we arranged for me to come to China to discuss countermeasures with you. These guys are too insidious; they have absolutely no bottom line. We are also worried that problems may arise in other collaborations!”

"Many people have made a move this time, and for different reasons. They all have their own interests to pursue. Those bastards at Boeing are among them. They want Gulfstream Aerospace's orders. I'm afraid those guys from Ethiopia want Gulfstream Aerospace to abandon its cooperation with various Middle Eastern parties, especially in fighter jets, satellite navigation, and even supplies. I think these guys may have already seen through our plans."

"We had the same concerns, but fortunately those guys had no reason to stop us, and even if they did, it wouldn't make a difference. Everything is proceeding smoothly, but the casualties over there are quite high, and they need more of our help!"

"There's no other way. Only in this way can we keep those guys bleeding, keep them mired in war, and prevent them from developing their own economies. In fact, the last two Middle East conflicts exposed their weaknesses. Unfortunately, you didn't seize the opportunity, or rather, you didn't persist. Their biggest problem is that they lack war potential. They can only fight quickly. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for them. Especially in 1973, if you could have persisted a little longer, they would have been the ones to fall. Now, as long as the conflict doesn't end and the other side doesn't digest their 'victories,' we can keep making them bleed. Victory comes at a price."

"But some people are worried that it will attract the help of the United States, and now the United States is putting pressure on us to end this conflict!"

"That was just Zipperton's decision. You now have enough media coverage to report all of this. Public opinion is very important. Of course, if you insist on ending this, I have nothing to say. You can't just stop supplying the other side, can you? With your financial resources and the help of satellite navigation, you can't possibly come away empty-handed! Even if you really want to end this conflict, you have to make the other side bleed enough and pay a greater price. Otherwise, it won't be long before they recover and start another conflict. You should know better than me how greedy those guys are."

At this point, John smiled calmly and shook his head. In his view, the prince's appearance was a statement; those guys in the Middle East wanted to give up again, and had been persuaded once more! If these guys really wanted to do that, John wouldn't stop them. After all, it was their own choice, and as an outsider, John couldn't say much. He had done what he could; whether they could persevere and whether they were willing to make the sacrifices was their own business!
Seeing the prince's thoughtful expression, John smiled calmly and said, "As an outsider, I shouldn't say much about this matter. Only you can decide for yourselves. I can only offer some help within my power. I also want to thank the prince for his help this time; otherwise, the sales of the Saint Cloth wouldn't have been so good, and we wouldn't have received such a large order."

John quickly changed the subject. After all, many things weren't his decision. With so many years of cooperation, the Middle Eastern tycoons should be well-prepared, and if a larger conflict were to erupt, they would have the capability to counter it. Besides, that was unlikely; the West didn't want war. Having finally defeated Russia, everyone needed time to recover and needed cheap energy to develop their economies. They couldn't possibly see a major war break out. Even if those guys in Belgium had such ideas, the US wouldn't agree. Energy was the Middle Eastern tycoons' most powerful weapon!
John was well aware of how crazy the energy market would become, so he couldn't rely entirely on Middle Eastern tycoons. That's why he kept strengthening his own energy portfolio, whether in Europe, the Americas, or even Australia and Asia. After completing the previous restructuring, John increased his investment in this area. Only oil fields under his own control were truly valuable. Many people were eyeing cooperation with Middle Eastern tycoons, but John had no such ambitions; instead, he was eyeing Russia.

Russia's situation is also far from ideal. John has many collaborations with Russia. Wall Street and Europeans are eyeing Russia's European assets, while John is eyeing resources in Asia. Comparatively, the competition here is much less intense, and the costs are lower. With Wall Street figures leading the charge and Leo Vanta involved, John remains largely unnoticed. Moreover, John has been conducting normal transactions with Russia, continuing the barter system. This is because John has a larger plan: to extract more benefits from Russia. Compared to Leo Vanta, John is more cautious and doesn't have such insane ambitions. $27.5 trillion in assets—that's insane and foolish.

John doesn't want dollars; he wants precious financial assets like gold and silver, as well as resources. Right now, John only hasn't made a move against Da Mao yet because he doesn't want to take the initiative. Instead, he wants Da Mao to come to him. That way, no matter what happens in the future, it won't concern him. He'll be invited, not the one who actively enters the game!

At this point, John also believed that the Middle Eastern tycoons had also noticed this, because they were very dependent on him, so they must want to get rid of this dependence. Perhaps before long, the Middle Eastern tycoons would make other changes and take the initiative to cooperate with Boeing, or even with the Europeans. As for the navigation issue, perhaps the same thing would happen!

John understands human nature. While he's currently doing his utmost to help the Middle Eastern tycoons, their true intentions are hard to predict. Things might not seem too bad for the next few years, but in a few more, everything will change. The Middle Eastern tycoons don't want to be completely dependent on John, and John doesn't want Bentley Motors and Gulfstream Aerospace to be completely reliant on them either. Therefore, both groups are constantly undergoing transformation.

As for the energy issue, it goes without saying that John doesn't want his lifeline to be in the hands of others. Currently, Western Energy's refineries rely on crude oil from the Middle East, but this situation cannot continue indefinitely. John was initially worried about funding, but this problem was resolved after establishing partnerships with Japanese banks.

Whether it's Middle Eastern tycoons or guys like Japan and Russia, John doesn't want to actively seek cooperation. Instead, he waits for them to come to him, so he can have a legitimate reason to walk away unscathed without bearing any infamy, just like his cooperation with Russia.

When John discussed the figurines, the prince tacitly consulted with him extensively on the matter. It must be said that Middle Eastern tycoons are indeed wealthy; for them, price is irrelevant—they only care about quality. To fulfill the tycoon's order, John had to postpone his own collecting plans. The offer was too much, forcing John to compromise; after all, as long as it's profitable, it's not a big deal.

Beyond these minor matters, John is also in discussions with him regarding other collaborations. John now wants to get involved in Middle Eastern food supplies, given the potential changes in future military cooperation; diversification is the best option. The prince, of course, did not refuse these 'minor' requests.

Although John had previously been involved in many Middle Eastern supply projects, his share was limited at that time, and his strength was also limited. But now things are different. Having completed the layout of his global farms, John is naturally eager to cooperate more with Middle Eastern tycoons. Moreover, this cooperation is beneficial to both of them. At least this cooperation can dispel many people's concerns!

(End of this chapter)