The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 383



Only Krnovel

383. War and war (3)

Arrived at Washington Airport.

As always, David greeted me, and we quickly got into the bulletproof vehicle and chatted.

“It looks like the White House is in trouble. They even requested an SOS from Taewoong Group.”

“It is said that Taewu Group is one of the few groups that requested SOS. I think Taewu Group asked for our help because it has invested in the shale gas business from a long time ago.”

You can’t entrust the shale business to just anyone.

Shale gas was a resource responsible for America’s future, and it had to be an American company or with the help of a trustworthy company.

Among overseas companies, there is probably no one more trustworthy than Taewoo Group.

Even the former U.S. president provided a guarantee, and a huge amount of money was invested in Texas shale gas development.

“I heard from the U.S. ambassador that the situation with the shale companies is more serious than previously known. How serious is it?”

“Not only shale companies but also oil companies are in turmoil. It is no exaggeration to say that only oil companies are experiencing the Lehman crisis once again.”

Less than half a year has passed since the oil war began.

However, when the situation progressed like this, not only the shale companies but also the White House must have been shocked.

“You wouldn’t have guessed that I would collapse in less than six months.”

“I would have believed that even if the era of low oil prices arrived, I would be able to hold on. But oil prices fell much faster than I expected. Moreover, I would not have been able to hold on as oil prices continued to fall.”

“If you go and see what kind of items the White House has prepared for sale, you will know.”

“They said there were a lot of good items for sale. And there was talk that they could even get products that weren’t for sale.”

In fact, you could make a profit by buying any property now.

Even if the U.S. government provided only a certain amount of debt relief, we could have more than doubled the amount in a few years.

But just doubling the sales wasn’t enough to satisfy me.

“Shopping might be fun. But how is things going with the Saudi royal family?”

“Information is pouring in from a variety of sources. We are receiving information from politicians, businessmen and even former employees of the royal family.”

David’s connections were beyond imagination.

He had over 20 employees who created personal network management schedules.

David was leading an organization of 200 people, including employees who managed gift preparation, family events, etc., as well as employees who worked as lobbyists.

In particular, the lobbyist who followed him also had a personal organization.

If you add up all those numbers, it would seem that more people were working under David than most companies.

“You know you have to move without being too obvious, right?”

“Boss! I’ve been living this life my whole life. Would you make such a basic mistake?”

“I’m just saying this just in case. But you must be very busy these days. You have to work with the White House, the Saudi royal family, and Robo Nordisk at the same time, so even two bodies won’t be enough.”

“I’m having a lot of fun. Working with Robo Nordisk was especially fun. We installed 30% of the board of directors as our own, and succeeded in appeasing 20% ​​of the existing board of directors.”

Prey mistaken for a wild animal.

Robo Nordisk was blatantly targeting Centrians and artificial intelligence.

While they were doing that, we had already penetrated deep into Robo Nordisk.

“If the majority of the board members speak with one voice, we can easily get them to abandon the new drug.”

“The bite is already coming. Skepticism about new drugs is slowly raising its head, and there is even talk of reducing the number of people involved in new drugs.”

“I guess I’ll have to visit Denmark sometime soon.”

“I will make sure to do the preliminary work before the boss goes to Denmark, so he can go and get the approval rights for the new drug.”

While we were talking, we arrived at the hotel.

I took enough rest during the day to adapt to jet lag.

Shopping is a task that requires more energy than you might think.

It’s not like you fall asleep for no reason after visiting a department store.

Plus, since I was shopping at the White House instead of the department store, I had to recharge my stamina even more.

* * *

next day.

A car sent by the White House waited for me in front of the hotel early in the morning.

A black bulletproof vehicle and dozens of bodyguards took a complex route and escorted me to the White House.

I was starting to feel tired before I even started shopping.

When I arrived at the White House and saw President Obama waiting for me, my fatigue went away.

“I’m sorry for contacting you so suddenly. How have you been?”

“Thanks to the President, I am doing well. It is truly an honor to be able to meet you like this.”

I greeted President Obama with the utmost courtesy.

President Obama, who does not like ostentation, waved his hand.

“Let’s not be too formal between us. I understand that I heard the general idea from the American ambassador.”

“We’ve heard that many shale gas companies are at risk of bankruptcy.”

“It is expected that the low oil price situation will continue for a long time. Reports are pouring in that if the current situation lasts for just one year, more than 30% of shale companies will go bankrupt, and if it lasts for more than two years, more than 60% of companies will go bankrupt. ”

Shale was an industry on which America’s future depended.

So the U.S. government had to step in and take on the risks of shale companies.

And since part of the cause of the low oil price era was the responsibility of the U.S. government, it would not be possible to just sit back and watch.

“Do you plan to provide support from the government like in the Lehman incident?”

“We are planning to provide stronger support. The Lehman incident can be said to be a reckless atrocity by a financial company, but this incident is an unfortunate incident that occurred due to a power struggle with OPEC.”

“Even if the U.S. government steps forward, it cannot support all shale companies.”

“That’s why we invited Chairman Kim. Could you take over the shale company?”

Best situation.

If I take the initiative and hope to acquire a shale company, I will be in B’s position.

However, if the U.S. government takes the initiative to request an acquisition, I will be able to negotiate from Party A’s perspective.

“We are already investing heavily in the shale industry.”

“I know very well. I know that the Taewo Group is investing more than any other overseas company. But now, we need an acquisition, not an investment.”

“I understand that there are quite a few foreign companies targeting shale companies.”

“We cannot entrust the industry that will lead America’s future to just anyone. We can trust Taewoo Group and Chairman Kim, so we can make this proposal.”

This is how the trust built up with the United States has worked.

This optimal situation was able to happen because they poured a huge amount of lobbying money, acquired American companies, and maintained them well.

“Hmm, I can help you in two ways. One is to acquire a shale company within the Taew Group’s free funds. In that case, we will only be able to acquire a small to medium-sized shale company.”

“Is there another way?”

“There is also a way for Taewoo Group to take over a large company by forming a consortium or alliance.”

President Obama showed great interest.

He was satisfied with the fact that I was taking a positive step, and his expression brightened when I revealed that I was willing to acquire a large company.

“It’s good to form a consortium, but I can’t trust foreign groups except Taewo Group.”

“So, we plan to limit the companies participating in the consortium to only American companies. We plan to create a consortium centered around Wall Street financial companies, US-based banks, and US IT companies.”

“If it’s an American company, it won’t be a problem. How much can the amount be?”

“The amount is important, but what is more important is that the number of companies participating can vary depending on which company is acquired.”

Unless you can eat the whole pie.

I had to aim for the most delicious piece with fruit on it.

“Which company do you want to acquire?”

“We want to acquire Hess and Cheshire Peak. We also want to increase our liquidity by acquiring some of the oil company’s assets.”

“Cheshire Peak is a shale company, but isn’t Hess an offshore oil company rather than a shale company?”

“We can recruit more participating companies by opening an oil business consortium than a shale company consortium. And I understand that it is difficult not only for shale companies but also oil companies.”

President Obama nods.

He knew that the stock prices of oil companies were falling and their debt ratios were increasing due to the oil war.

“It’s not a bad condition.”

“It is difficult for a shale company to survive alone. Only by joining together with a sound oil company can it take root.”

“Depending on the amount of the consortium, we may be able to help the U.S. government lead the acquisition of Hess and Cheshire Peak, including the acquisition of assets held by oil companies.”

Should the U.S. government act on a small amount of money?

Only when the minimum amount is met will the U.S. government have a justification to move.

“Taewoo Group alone plans to invest $25 billion. If we form a consortium, we think it will be possible to raise at least $50 billion.”

“It will be raining rain on the shale industry. The U.S. government will take responsibility and help Chairman Kim acquire the companies and shares he wants.”

At least $50 billion.

The enormous amount of 60 trillion won was enough to justify moving the U.S. government.

It was a mutually beneficial negotiation, as the U.S. government was able to save 60 trillion won in support thanks to us.

“It takes at least one to two months to form a consortium. It will not be until early next year, but full-fledged acquisition negotiations will be possible.”

“Please, as soon as possible. If there is anything the U.S. government can do to help, just let us know.”

Time was on our side.

Next month, the price of crude oil would fall to $60.

By early next year, the price of crude oil was expected to fall to the $40 level.

So, as time passed, the financial condition of the oil company worsened, and we were able to negotiate the acquisition in a more favorable situation.

Still, I couldn’t just waste time.

In the first half of next year, the price of crude oil could rise slightly, so acquisition negotiations had to be conducted at the optimal timing.

“First, I will send you a list of companies and assets we would like to acquire through David.”

“While the consortium is being created, the White House will first contact companies. The moment the consortium is completed, we will allow you to acquire the company and its shares.”

I talked with President Obama for over an hour.

It was rare for a foreign president on a state visit to have such a long conversation.

There were many cases where we only talked for less than a minute, and no matter how long it was, it never lasted longer than an hour.

The chairman of a group talks to the US president for an hour?

If this was officially known, the media would be in an uproar.

Fortunately, this meeting was unofficial, but it also proved that Taewoo Group’s presence had grown.