America: My Time

Chapter 811 Favors and Ties
Chapter 801 Favors and Ties

Mitsui's greed didn't affect the others. John, far away in Taiwan, was also aware of the situation in Tokyo. The smooth progress in China only made those guys more nervous and greedy. Of course, this was also inseparable from the changing situation; at least oil prices hadn't fallen but continued to rise, making them uneasy.

Although Taiwan wanted to prepare a reception for John, John had no interest in doing so. He had many other things to take care of and saw no need for it. After arriving in Taiwan, John directly contacted the authorities to inquire about their situation and made his stance clear: he would do everything in his power to help Taiwan overcome its difficulties, as Taiwan was a major client of his, and he had long-term supply contracts with Taiwan for oil and gas in Southeast Asia.

Many people were initially dissatisfied with John's failure to come to Taiwan immediately, feeling that he didn't value them. However, after receiving John's call, they no longer had such thoughts. They knew that even Japan hadn't received such a promise, but Taiwan had. This was not just the treatment that a business partner should receive. So, these guys all breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that for a long time they wouldn't have to worry about their energy needs.

"It's unbelievable that we received such a promise without doing anything. Everyone says Mr. John is dissatisfied with us, but that's just those guys being self-righteous. It's not that Mr. John is dissatisfied with us, but that he doesn't want to waste his time on these boring parties. Who said that Mr. John's refusal of parties means he doesn't want to help us? Now they can all shut up. We will never allow such voices to be heard again. Also, warn everyone not to cause us any trouble, or they will have to bear the consequences themselves."

“That’s right. Mr. John has expressed his goodwill towards us, and we can’t just ignore it. Whether it’s a business or an official organization, we should provide ASUS personal computers whenever needed. We should give Mr. John’s businesses in Taiwan the green light and absolutely no obstruction. Whoever causes a problem will have to bear the consequences.”

“That makes sense. We can’t let what happened before happen again, and we can’t let Mr. John know about those guys’ stupid remarks. Although Mr. John won’t be staying in Taiwan for long, his safety must be guaranteed. Warn those guys to behave themselves. If anyone dares to cause trouble, they will pay the price.”

After sensing John's goodwill, Taiwan made many arrangements, resulting in more orders for ASUS personal computers. Most of these orders came from official sources, including businesses and schools, which also made corresponding decisions. As a result, ASUS's orders surged once again.

"Indeed, the world of business isn't all about fighting and killing, but about human relationships. We gave Taiwan the best support and received our return. Now ASUS has finally grown up and can be further split up. However, we must be cautious and careful not to cause chaos within ourselves!" Upon receiving the message from ASUS, John couldn't help but sigh. With this situation, he would have more reasons to explain himself and could also sell Chinese oil to Taiwan.

"Boss, should we also sell the oil reserves at our refinery here?"

"Sell it. We'll sell it to them if they need it. After all, they have a lot of power right now, and we have a lot of reserves. We also have some shortage of funds. It's important to sell this part of the oil to help our own development. We must keep the retail market under our own control, or we'll be held hostage by others."

Although somewhat shocked by their boss's arrangements, the refinery's management personnel, as subordinates, had no complaints. Moreover, with the restructuring of Western Energy taking time, they had to be even more cautious.

Just as John was focusing on the situation with ASUS, he received an invitation from Middle Eastern tycoons. These guys wanted to talk to John because Saddam Hussein had become even more aggressive, putting them under increasing pressure. They desperately needed more power, and they had set their sights on Jaguar Security Company. Of course, this was only the stated reason; there were other ulterior motives. After all, John possessed many valuable assets, assets that were useful to them.

"These nouveau riche invited me at this time, so they probably have something more important to do. It seems they were terrified by Saddam Hussein. No wonder they are cowardly; their soldiers are a bunch of guys with little fighting ability, far inferior to Saddam's soldiers. Although it's a bit dangerous at this time, I can't refuse, and the danger isn't that great."

At this point, John weighed the pros and cons and considered the level of danger. After some thought, John decided to agree to the other party's request to meet the tycoon and hear their thoughts. For these guys to be so eager to meet him, they must have their own reasons. Perhaps this was another opportunity.

While John was pondering the situation with the Middle Eastern tycoons, the Japanese were getting anxious. They knew about the situation in Taiwan; John hadn't offered any conditions or consulted with them before providing maximum support. How could they not be furious? They had also been eyeing John's oil reserves in China, which were now almost entirely in Taiwan's hands—something they couldn't accept.

Stop everything? Those guys in Japan do have that idea, but they can't do it. They don't know John is about to accept an invitation from a Middle Eastern tycoon. If they did, they'd immediately act, rushing to the Middle East to negotiate with John and secure more benefits for themselves. "Mr. Morita, you already know the situation in Taiwan. We don't have much time. Please cooperate with everyone to get the oil we want as soon as possible!" Mitsui is the most anxious. The more chemicals they control, the more oil they need, but there are hardly any transactions on the market right now.

“I have no choice. I’ve done my best. Naoko’s situation is no longer a problem. We’re just waiting for Mr. John to return to Japan. Besides, we don’t have any other options at this point. Even if we go directly to Taiwan now, it might not reach Mr. John, since he hasn’t gone to Hong Kong.”

John's investments in Hong Kong are so large that they now surpass those in Japan. Given this, how could they possibly gain John's approval without offering substantial financial support?

Those guys at Mitsui are pinning their hopes on Akio Morita, which only shows they're grasping at straws. John's disagreement won't help; they can only get the oil they want if John agrees.

After hearing Akio Morita's answer and understanding his situation, those guys had no choice but to give up on exploiting him. After all, John was no longer in Japan, and the current situation was very unfavorable to them.

"Gentlemen, we can no longer rely on Morita-san. He is currently focusing all his energy on promoting the Internet Cafe Alliance and developing their personal computers. He has no time for us. I think we should take action ourselves. We have our own influence. Relying on Akio Morita has put us in a very passive position."

"Do you know what you're saying? If we do this, what will Morita-san think? And without Morita-san's help, we probably won't get any benefits at all. Now John is getting closer to Sanwa."

"I know, and precisely because I know that we must take action ourselves, and we must win over people who can speak for us. Now, everyone, let's make our stance clear. Time waits for no one, and we don't have much time to waste!"

"I have no objection to your ideas, but I hope you will consider them carefully. Once we take this step, the problem will not only be about Morita-san, but also about other issues. We are not the only ones with these ideas now. In fact, if we change our perspective and consider it from a different angle, the situation in Taiwan is very advantageous to us. This proves that Mr. John values ​​friendship, and our cooperation with Mr. John was the earliest. This is our advantage. It's just a matter of bowing down. Toshiba can bow down."

When Toshiba made its stance clear, even those within Mitsui were shocked. It seemed that Toshiba's situation was far from ideal; otherwise, they wouldn't have made such a decision. Without the help of the American media, Toshiba's sales were under immense pressure, almost completely suppressed, so they now wanted to change everything.

Of course, Toshiba will not place its hopes on Akio Morita. They need to have their own strength, but it is hard to say how long they can hold on. The current situation is very unfavorable to them. A series of mistakes have severely damaged Toshiba, forcing them to compromise and make changes.

Within the Mitsui conglomerate, Toshiba and banks were the most affected. As the conflict between John and Mitsui emerged, cooperation with Mitsui Bank decreased, and banks turned to other banks instead. After all, Japan has more than just Mitsui. With John's reputation, he could gain the recognition of more banks, who were more willing to trust him.

Now, these guys from the Mitsui zaibatsu have also sensed the danger. They made preparations in advance, but now they are powerless to do anything because the situation is not in their hands. The current situation is very unfavorable to them. At this moment, they have all realized the crisis, but there is nothing they can do. At least for now, they have no way to do anything!

(End of this chapter)