He is Already a Tycoon at a Young Age! - Chapter 75



Only Krnovel

Episode 75 – Attracting Sharks

“The most important thing is to keep the line.”

“Seo, Seon?”

“If we ask an outrageous price, Ford will back out of the deal. He’s not stupid.”

“Are you asking me to find the right book, the right line?”

“A moderate amount is enough. That amount alone would be enormous anyway. It would be enough as basic capital to build a factory.”

“That, that too, is when Ford is thinking of taking over.”

Richter wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

“If that person doesn’t come forward…”

“You must have noticed that they are buying so many stocks. They will take action soon.”

Ford Motors.

The company that bears Henry Ford’s own name.

He is a nobleman who continued to act as a king even after passing the company down to his son.

He was so obsessed with the Model T that he fought with his son over every little thing he did to develop a new model.

‘In the end, my son died first from stress-related stomach cancer.’

A man who bought Ford stocks using his son wouldn’t just give up.

“What do you think is the most important thing to understand someone’s true feelings?”

“Really? I don’t know.”

“Actions speak louder than words. Words can be lied to, but actions cannot.”

Some pastors preach that adultery is an unforgivable sin, but then commit adultery with female believers themselves.

If you look at someone’s actions, you can tell their hidden true feelings.

Same goes for Ford.

“There’s no way he’d give up his company. All we have to do is take a moderate amount of profit.”

Should I call it pocket money?

“The best business is to buy low and sell high. We’re going to sell what we bought cheaply. How much have we bought so far?”

“It’s getting close to 8 percent. According to Article 12 of Ford’s Articles of Incorporation, those with at least 8 percent of the shares can participate in the composition of the board of directors.”

“You collected it faster than I thought.”

Even if shareholders are panicking, it seems too fast.

Did something else happen?

“Joe, Joseph raised over 4% by himself. It was really amazing how he could threaten people while speaking softly. I didn’t know he was such a scary person.”

“Joseph… he does have a competitive spirit. But sometimes he goes too far, which is a problem.”

It seems like they’ve also given up on the smuggling business.

I guess I’ll have to continue to manage it consistently in the future.

“Then it’s time to start preparing for the next step.”

“So, what’s the next step?”

“If Ford catches on to what’s going on, he’ll come up with a new strategy. He’ll try to get the rest of the stock as quickly as possible.”

We cannot afford to let Ford gain a significant stake.

I’ll have to make them kneel before me and ask me to sell them 8%.

“We’ve already invested all our cash. If Morgan Cho and his side receive more investment, that’s fine…”

“Think about it. We’re not the only players in this game.”

“P, player?”

“The stock market is full of sharks. We take advantage of them.”

This is especially true in this day and age.

The stock market laws were so lax that they could not even function as a fence.

A time when it was not illegal for a CEO to short his own company and make money using inside information.

“You only need a little bit of blood to attract sharks.”

Using other people’s money instead of my own. What could be simpler than this?

“One drop of blood would be enough.”

＊＊＊

April 1921.

The news that Adolf Hitler was founding an automobile company created a stir in the press.

The same goes for the Harding administration.

The newly formed government announced it would work with the state of Detroit to expedite the approval process.

“Authorities expect that at least 20,000 direct jobs will be created.”

“Adolf Hitler, Chairman of the Hitler Company, announces that the financing of the factory is proceeding without any problems…”

As the Ford family announced that they would start a new company, public interest only grew as Hitler made the same announcement.

The same goes for newspapers.

Reporters scoured the Hitler Company and its factory grounds in Detroit, desperately trying to find news.

“So, did you figure out what model it is? What does it look like?”

“It could be an electric car. Isn’t that Hitler also close to Edison and Tesla?”

“Electric cars? You’re making something that smells and stops at random?”

“Who knows? We might even be able to build a car that floats in the sky.”

Amidst all the rumors, a reporter affiliated with the Hearst family released exclusive photos.

Dozens of Model T cars parked in a warehouse on the factory grounds.

They were all Ford Motors cars.

“Why did Hitler collect so many Model T cars?”

“Aren’t you trying to copy the Model T?”

“No, according to the New York World, Hitler is considering license production.”

“License production?”

“Wasn’t Hitler from Germany? He was going to learn the system here and then export it to Germany or set up a production base there.”

“Well, if you want to build up your technology, licensed production wouldn’t be a bad idea. It would also be easy to export to Germany.”

“Then doesn’t Ford Motors get a license fee? And stocks… I have to go to the stock exchange for a bit.”

“I also suddenly have something urgent come up, so I need to go out for a bit…”

As rumor after rumor continued, Ford Motors’ stock began to soar again.

Neither Hitler nor Ford Motors made an official announcement.

But the photos of the Model T that were released were enough to get the public excited.

The stock exchange was suddenly abuzz with buy orders.

“Why are you making such a fuss about buying Ford stock at 30 when you wouldn’t even buy it at 20!”

“Hey, did you hear that? I heard Livermore started buying this morning too.”

“That Livermore?”

Ford Motor’s rise has become steeper with the arrival of big players.

All this happened in just one day.

“Floor! I’ve passed the floor!”

＊＊＊

“Levan contacted me to say he would think about it some more.”

“That guy will eventually give up. I can’t just sit back and take a loss.”

Ford nodded, looking at his son.

“The rest of them will contact you soon. They will try to sell them somehow when they can.”

“That was a great decision, Father. It was so easy to secure the stake.”

“Didn’t I tell you? Ford Motor Company is nothing without Ford. Those stupid shareholders who don’t know anything about running a company…”

Ford chuckled.

“Cutting workers’ wages as low as possible and raising car prices as high as possible. That’s a shortcut to ruin.”

“Then what will happen to the new company you just founded?”

“Once this acquisition is completed, we will reunite with Ford at the appropriate time, and you will be able to return to your role as president.”

“…That’s what the president says, who only has a title.”

“When you grow up enough, Ford will be your company. Don’t be swayed by the sweet talk of other guys. They’re all just trying to use you.”

“…”

After a brief silence, young Ford opened his mouth.

“Did your father hear the news? I heard that Hitler officially announced the establishment of an automobile company.”

“Yeah, I heard it yesterday too.”

Ford muttered with a thoughtful expression.

Hitler Company is a privately held company.

It was not easy to predict how large the funds would be.

Do you think there is enough money to build an automobile factory?

“Whatever that guy’s planning…”

Just then the secretary knocked on the door and came in.

“What’s going on?”

“Sir, I apologize for the interruption. I just got a call from Jack Swen.”

“Is that guy raising the white flag too? What did he say?”

“I, that..”

The secretary hesitated and looked around.

“What? Tell me quickly.”

“They say they have already sold all their stocks. David Wedd also told me that they have no more stocks.”

“what?”

Ford frowned and asked his son.

“Ezel, how much was the stake between the two of you?”

“The two of you together make three percent, Father.”

“Three percent. Three percent.”

Ford took out the shareholder register and checked it. Was someone else buying up someone else’s shares?

‘That’s probably unlikely.’

Only he and his son knew about Ford’s operation.

No fool would buy a stock that is falling towards the floor at the current price.

If another big bank or auto company had stepped in…

Even if they were thinking of buying Ford Motors, they would probably do so after the price drops further.

‘There is no fool who does not know that buying at the current price will result in a loss.’

Unless you’re crazy…

There was only one answer.

“Has anyone noticed our plan?”

His son spoke in an urgent tone.

“We need to contact the others right now and find out who sold the stocks to…”

“No, if we contact them first, the other shareholders will notice the situation. Then they will hold on tight and not sell.”

Ford frowned and muttered.

Until now, he had been in a relaxed position.

The position is to buy shares at a bargain price whenever frightened shareholders come.

But suddenly a competitor appeared.

And that too from a crazy guy who spends an enormous amount of money.

“I need to get this out to the press again.”

Ford said.

“Tell them that I’m going to start a new company as planned. I’m also announcing that I’ve secured a factory site. Then the stock price will fall even further. Whoever bought it won’t be able to hold on.”

“If you do that, you can get it at a cheaper price. First, you need to figure out who is buying the stock…”

Ezel Ford kept his mouth shut.

It was the first time in years that I had seen my father look so flustered.

“Who would be willing to shell out millions of dollars like this?”

“It would be impossible without confidence. That someone would buy it back at a high price.”

Ford muttered.

It was also impossible to secure the stocks released into the market.

Once it becomes known that they are making large purchases, prices will soar again.

“Find out quietly without telling the shareholders. Find out who bought what and for how much.”

“Let’s find out right now.”

“I, Mr. Chairman, I’m sorry, but…”

Another secretary knocked on the door and came in. Ford frowned at him.

“What is it this time?”

“I think you should read the morning paper today.”

[Adolf Hitler is reportedly considering licensing production of Ford Motors’ Model T, though the terms are still unknown…]

“What the hell is this!”

Ford, reading the front page, blurted out a curse word without realizing it.

Licensed production of the Model T?

“That’s ridiculous. There’s no way Hitler would license-produce the Model T. He would know better than anyone that it wouldn’t make any money.”

“It seems that shareholders are generally welcoming. After all, the stock price is rising…”

“Ezel.”

“Yes, father.”

“I don’t need to find out. I know who has been buying the stocks.”

Ford muttered.

He stared at Hitler in the photo.

“I ate this once.”