America: My Time

Chapter 677 Cruel people
Chapter 667 Ruthless Person

Only by hurting the other side can they ensure that their own interests are not affected and that they will not face such provocation again in Europe. Although the British used oil and capital as a shield, John did not agree with it. Therefore, in the face of such an insincere reconciliation, which is only a superficial easing, the necessary means are still in place.

"Are you serious? John sold Leyland vans?" Morgan was shocked when he heard the news. It was terrifying. John had played a brilliant move. He had thought it was just a way to threaten the British and put pressure on them, but he never expected that John would actually sell it. Bentley Motors had taken a crazy step.

"Yes, it was indeed sold to Renault. Although I don't know the exact price, it has definitely been sold. It seems that John is serious and doesn't want to continue fighting with the British anymore. It's crazy. You know, Leyland Trucks has worked hard to develop and has a considerable market share. Now they're giving it up. This move is insane."

"Originally, everyone thought John was just putting on an act and wouldn't really go all out with the British. Even the British themselves thought so, which is why they've been so arrogant and haven't responded actively. Now they're in big trouble, and not just a little. If Bentley's European production center in Britain stops production, the problem will spiral out of control, and the entire Bentley Motors Group may have to relocate. What is Bentley Motors Group doing now?"

"Bentley Motors acquired the Finnish company Sisu Trucks, seemingly intending to transfer its heavy truck assets to Northern Europe. In this acquisition, they completed everything with lightning speed, before anyone could react. It seems that John is about to abandon Britain and turn to Northern Europe."

"What do you mean by that?" Morgan frowned upon hearing Jimmy's words. This was not the situation he wanted to see. Although there was a lot of conflict between John and the Englishman, it hadn't reached this point. If they were to completely fall out, it would be a big problem, as this was no small matter.

"Western Energy has reached a cooperation agreement with Norway on oil fields in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea, completely abandoning its cooperation with the British. This has a great impact on the British. I heard that Western Energy intends to give up its refinery in the UK and is showing signs of a complete withdrawal from the UK, which has shocked many people."

"He's gone mad! Is this little fox crazy? How could he make such a decision? Doesn't he know what kind of impact this will have? If there's a complete retreat, won't other industries gradually withdraw from Britain as well?" At this moment, Morgan was shocked by John's grand gesture, and he couldn't understand John's thinking.

No one knows what John is thinking now. On the surface, there seems to be no more quarreling with the British, and everything seems to have calmed down. But who could have imagined that John has done so much in such a short time? If John were to completely withdraw his investment from Britain, it would have a huge impact on the entire country.

"Boss, shouldn't we talk to John? His crazy actions are having a huge impact. I'm sure it won't be long before even the White House gets involved—that's a real business!"

"What can we say to John? Bentley Motors isn't publicly listed, so we have no reason to speak. Besides, the White House hasn't intervened. Why are we in such a hurry? It's not us who's anxious; it's the British. They should have considered the consequences when they were scheming against John. John did give them chances, but they didn't respond promptly, especially regarding Pan Am, where they were constantly stalling. Now, they're finally getting their comeuppance. As for Gulfstream Aerospace, what are they doing? Has anything changed?"

Compared to Bentley Motors, Gulfstream Aerospace is also a major investment, the manufacturing of large aircraft. This is an investment that the British are very much looking forward to. If this investment also falls through, things will be troublesome. Who knows, John might really intend to withdraw all his investment from Britain, at least in the industrial sector, which is not a good thing.

"I don't know, there's no result yet, but there are rumors that Gulfstream Aerospace is preparing to relinquish its controlling stake in Rolls-Royce!"

"It seems John is serious this time. The British have crossed his bottom line. If he doesn't get a satisfactory explanation, the British might face a credibility crisis. The outside world won't see John's complete withdrawal of investment as voluntary; they'll only think it was coerced by the British. Once such suspicion arises, the British will be in serious trouble. No one will dare to invest in Britain in the future, and their privatization process will also be affected." "Really? Anyone with eyes can see this is John's own doing. How can you say it was coerced by the British?"

"That's for sure. You think this is John's own doing because you know something about it, but what will people who don't know the situation think? Do you think anyone would be foolish enough to withdraw their investment and let years of hard work go to waste? That's where John's ruthlessness lies, leaving the British with no chance to explain and only able to endure the doubts from the outside world. If this continues, it won't be as simple as it is now. First Bentley sold Leyland trucks, then abandoned Rolls-Royce, then shut down the European production center, and then sold the oil refinery. Who do you think would believe that this was John's own choice?"

A ruthless person can't stand firm. John understood how many people were plotting against him in the shadows, and he was also aware of the greedy ambitions behind the British investment. Since the British were unwilling to give up these assets, he would return them to them, and they would bear the consequences themselves. Although the British investment was very helpful to his plans, it didn't mean John had to be fixated on Britain. Without a favorable environment, even the best human resources weren't worth investing in.

John originally chose England as his primary investment destination because of its abundant human resources. However, the problems with the British have become too serious, forcing John to take this counterattack. If these greedy individuals aren't taught a lesson, things will only escalate. If the sale of Leyland Wagons hadn't occurred, the British might not have taken John's counterattack seriously, perhaps even viewing it as mere bluff. But now they have to take it seriously; any further sales would have dire consequences.

This will be the final showdown. Whoever can't hold on any longer will pay a heavy price. It's clear that the British are already at their breaking point. John's methods have been too ruthless; he's willing to suffer losses to teach the British a lesson and show them his resolve. Under these circumstances, the British will have to compromise unless they disregard their own economy.

Faced with a ruthless man like John, they had no choice but to compromise. If things continued, their troubles would only escalate, ultimately leading to greater losses and setbacks. The British were also under immense internal pressure. Those who had shifted the blame to the oil giants were starting to panic. They might have schemed against John, but once this storm subsided, they too would face his repercussions. After all, John's losses this time were enormous; they hadn't expected him to be so ruthless, leaving them no way out. Were Bentley's losses significant? Indeed, they were substantial, and someone needed to take responsibility.

It's impossible to expect the British government to take responsibility, so they have to bear the loss and pay the price. However, it's hard to say whether they can reach an agreement with John now. After all, Bentley Group isn't giving face to anyone, and Gulfstream Aerospace has suspended all investments and is waiting for the results. The reason is simple: there's trouble in Rolls-Royce, and that's what those guys are up to.

Since some people don't welcome Gulfstream Aerospace's controlling stake, a new arrangement is needed. Until a clear answer is given and John is satisfied with the outcome, all investments will halt. Those that can be transferred will be transferred directly; those that cannot will be put on hold for now, similar to Rolls-Royce. If the British cannot provide a reasonable explanation, these investments will likely be abandoned as well. Without Rolls-Royce, Gulfstream Aerospace's other investments in Britain will lose their value. The large aircraft project will naturally become impossible, a fact the British are well aware of.

Their arrogance puts them under immense pressure, forcing them to face a terrible disaster. If things continue like this, the British economy will plummet into another slump, and the British, already mired in a crisis of confidence, will gradually be unable to bear it any longer and will have no choice but to turn to the White House for help.

Unfortunately, the White House wasn't going to agree to their demands so easily. The British were getting closer and closer to Europe, which worried the Americans. Now that they had such a good opportunity, they naturally wanted to make good use of it. As for John's cooperation, that was easier to solve. As long as John was given enough benefits, everything was negotiable.

When John received the White House's notification requesting Bentley's cooperation with Gulfstream Aerospace, he couldn't help but sneer. This was typical of the Americans; even their allies would still try to cheat you. The British, too, would have to pay a price for reconciliation. If they weren't willing to pay any price, there would naturally be no result.

No one does anything without a profit. So, after paying such a high price to force the British to submit, how could John possibly give up such an opportunity? How could John stop until the British paid a sufficient price? How could he let these bastards go? You have to pay the price for doing wrong.

(End of this chapter)