America: My Time

Chapter 681 Strong Counterattack
Chapter 671 Powerful Counterattack

With John's order, news spread that Princess Yachts and Western Energy's refinery were for sale. Western Energy immediately approached American oil giants like ExxonMobil, asking if they were interested in taking over. They also inquired about Princess Yachts with Sony. Even the old man Akio Morita was somewhat tempted, after all, Princess Yachts had a considerable number of sales in Japan, and if handled properly, it would definitely not lose money.

At that time, no Japanese person thought that Japan's economy would have problems, and Akio Morita was no exception. Otherwise, this guy would not have collaborated with others to write a book on Japan saying no. Now that Japan's economy is growing rapidly, this old guy has become arrogant and has some ideas.

It wasn't just Akio Morita who thought this way; other bigwigs in Japan shared the same idea. The reason is simple: Japan's economy is their source of confidence. John's high-value sale of many mines made them even more arrogant, making them believe that it wouldn't be long before Japan could control its own resources and no longer be held hostage by major mining giants.

The idea was good, but as the economy changes, these guys in Japan will realize how foolish their current thinking is. Not only has Quantum Mining sold off a lot of mines, but other mining giants have also sold off some largely unprofitable mines. This has made Japan increasingly convinced that its choices were correct, and that it could have said no.

As the conflict between John and Britain intensifies, many countries are watching this confrontation closely, especially Europe, which is paying close attention to it. They do not want to see the British lose and have to compromise, as that would mean they can no longer suppress John's plans in Europe. However, the current situation is even more disappointing for them.

When John's operation resumed, the British became even more nervous. Western Energy was about to completely withdraw from Britain, abandoning all its original plans. This was a significant blow to Britain. Moreover, the sale of Princess Yachts surprised them, as Princess Yachts originally had other plans, all of which had now been halted.

“How could this happen? This is the guarantee you made to me. If this continues, the consequences will be uncontrollable. First, there was the sale of Leyland trucks, now it's Western Energy selling the refinery, and then Princess Yachts. What will be next? Rolls-Royce or Short Brothers?” The lord of Downing Street was now roaring at his subordinates. Things were getting more and more out of their control. They originally thought they could sit down and talk, but unfortunately, John completely ignored them. Even the White House's intervention had no effect, especially regarding Pan Am, where the disputes were even more intense.

“We didn’t want this either, but the other party clearly didn’t want to waste any more time and energy. Originally, Western Energy’s goal was that they could control a portion of the assets after our privatization. Now that they see no hope, they’ve chosen to back down. Also, the rejection of their cooperation in the North Sea oil fields has made them unwilling to waste any more time. In comparison, Ireland is more sincere, as is Norway. So Western Energy’s decision to withdraw completely at this time is also based on their own considerations.”

“I don’t want to hear any of this. All I know is that our reputation is in even greater crisis. If this drags on any longer, it will be even more detrimental to us. The complete withdrawal of Western Energy will touch the nerves of many investors. Even a multinational giant like Western Energy no longer trusts us. How many companies do you think will still be willing to invest in us? Even our privatization process will be severely affected. This matter must be resolved as soon as possible. We can’t let it drag on any longer. We don’t have time.”

As the master of Downing Street, he naturally understands the danger of the current situation, and he also understands that John probably no longer has the patience to continue fighting with them. Otherwise, he would not have chosen to continue to take action at this time and would not have allowed Western Energy to completely withdraw from Britain. The impact behind this is not small and is a consequence that Britain cannot afford. If this continues, there will be more changes for Gulfstream Aerospace and Bentley Group.

In San Francisco, Akio Morita, the old man, appeared before John regarding the Princess Yacht incident. John's current conflict with Britain has given the old man some ideas, and he wants more cooperation with John, especially in the gaming industry. Now, with the Christmas battle over, Morita has realized that they overestimated their abilities. In the gaming field, Japan still has many shortcomings, at least lacking the vastness of the gaming world. Even though their game consoles have better performance, there's still a significant gap in soft power. This has led Morita to set his sights on John's games.

"John, Sony is ready to acquire Princess Yachts, but I think we can take it a step further in the gaming field!"

"Mr. Morita, I'm afraid I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. The game collaboration is difficult to proceed. It's not that I don't want to cooperate, but time doesn't allow it. The game needs more time to complete, and you should also know that those old guys won't give us this opportunity to cooperate. To be honest, I've already been summoned by the White House, and I believe other game companies will be summoned as well. If you're really interested, I can sell my game company in the UK to you; it's just a small token of my appreciation!" When John said this much, Akio Morita naturally understood what was going on. Clearly, the failure of Game World had displeased these guys in the US, so they used such despicable means to cut off their possibility of cooperation with other game companies at the root. However, he was still very happy that John was willing to sell his game company in the UK. Although this old fox understood John's confrontation with the British, he also knew that John didn't necessarily need to sell the game company to him; Game World was more willing to take it over. In the game industry, no one dared to underestimate this little fox, John.

"This is truly disappointing. I didn't expect these guys to do something like this, to do such a thing in normal business competition. However, it's nothing serious. Acquiring a British game company is a good thing."

"I'm glad Mr. Morita understands. I'm also helpless. As you know, my great battle with the British has already begun, and I don't have much time or energy to focus on this game. To deal with this crisis, Tsutaya and the companies that make up those karaoke bars and izakayas will be sold. If you are interested, then you should act quickly. Whoever sells it will still have the display screen. If Sony is interested, it's not a problem. I also believe that you won't haggle with me over the price."

With Japanese real estate prices continuing to rise, a swift and decisive move is the best option for a bigwig like Akio Morita. After all, the longer it drags on, the more John's assets will appreciate, and the greater the cost he will pay.

If John's initial explanation had left some people with a slight unease, now no one would think there was a problem. Everyone knew about the rivalry between John and the Englishman, which had attracted many onlookers. Everyone wanted to know if the Englishman could suppress this little fox, John.

However, judging from the current situation, it is clear that the British are unlikely to succeed. After all, John's methods are too crazy. He directly sold the oil refinery, Western Energy completely withdrew its investment from Britain, and Bentley Motors Group also decisively transferred a large part of its production and R&D, either back to the United States or to Northern Europe. These crazy moves have made everyone tremble with fear. This is no longer a game, but a crazy break.

A closer look at John's investments in Britain reveals that all the agreements with the British have been terminated, and even Bentley's European production center is to be relocated. Under these circumstances, everyone knows that John will suffer huge losses, and the British will also face a terrible blow. If even a bigwig like John suffers such losses, who will dare to invest in Britain in the future? Who wouldn't be afraid that the British will betray them after using them? If their reputation is ruined, it will be a joke for the British to develop and attract investment again. No one will trust them anymore!
Akio Morita nodded and said, "Okay, let me know whenever you want to sell these assets of Tsutaya. I will do an investigation when I get back and give you the best price. I will make sure you don't lose out!"

“Mr. Morita, I wouldn’t have said that if I didn’t trust you. I’ll make the preparations and let you know if there are any problems. However, I may not be able to go to Tokyo to sign the contract with you. After all, you’ve seen the current situation. I’m afraid the contest with the British won’t end anytime soon, and I can’t leave the United States either.”

“I understand that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in San Francisco. It’s precisely because I understand your current difficulties that I’ve taken the initiative to come and discuss this with you. The game issue is nothing. Since there’s pressure in the US, let’s leave it at that. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future. If you have any other businesses that you want to sell, feel free to contact me. Perhaps Sony is interested.”

“Definitely. If the situation in Britain continues to deteriorate, there might be other opportunities for cooperation. It's just that Sony doesn't manufacture cars, otherwise I would have directly approached you for cooperation with Leyland Trucks!” John shook his head as he spoke, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes. This was the bait John had set for Akio Morita. Sony indeed didn't have a car manufacturing industry, but the Mitsui Group owned Toyota, and could acquire such a car brand. If the other party was interested, there might be some small collaborations, putting even more pressure on those British.

(End of this chapter)