Chapter 245 Conquering the Blue Sky

The atmosphere in the living room fell silent. Was this a little too frank, or did both parties get the wrong script? William Durant didn't know what to say, and smiled bitterly, "What can I say? It seems that everything I want to say has been said by you, William."

"Honesty is necessary. I have always been very honest. We have a very broad basis for cooperation, don't we, Mr. Durant?" Sheffield lied with a red face. In fact, the so-called whether a certain nation is very honest is a false proposition. If he was facing Rockefeller and Morgan, he would definitely hypocritically take Liuwei Dihuang Pills every day, but there was no need to do so when facing ordinary people.

Even if Sheffield keeps repeating the Three Character Classic every day, there are still people who flatter him, indicating that this is the true nature of the big boss.

As for the basis of the cooperation between the two parties, it stems from the fact that William Durant is currently engaged in the carriage manufacturing industry. As the most successful carriage merchant in the United States, William Durant naturally has his value.

For example, a sales network that covers almost the entire country. Since you can sell horse-drawn carriages, you can also buy cars. If the sales network belonging to William Durant is directly transferred to Sheffield, then Sheffield will not have to waste time establishing a new sales network. Using the original sales network belonging to William Durant, the cars manufactured can be sold all over the country in an instant.

This can save at least a year and a half of time, and there is no need to invest money in duplicate construction. The main reason is that the sales team is already there and no longer needs to be trained, which saves time and energy.

Otherwise, why would many large companies choose to directly acquire other companies, rather than doing their own R&D like when they started? There are two types of acquisitions: one is swallowing, and the other is accepting. Jack Ma's acquisition was swallowing, kicking out the founder and letting him go, and adjusting the acquired business to focus on e-commerce traffic.

Corporate empires are another type, holding shares but not interfering with allies, and building broad alliances. Sheffield tends to the latter, giving William Durant a chance to join if he can't beat him, imitating the basketball superstar of the same name in later generations.

"I don't want to kill all these industry pioneers, because a new industry needs a lot of people to join. Only these spontaneously gathered talents can have a huge driving force for this industry, just like Mr. Ford in front of us." When Sheffield said this, he set his sights on the original automobile king with a very gentle attitude.

"Mr. William, it only took you one month to become the automobile king recognized by the citizens, while others have taken at least ten years to achieve the same status in their industry, but it only took you one month." Ford didn't know why, but he always felt that the attitude of the person opposite him was a little strange.

"Times are advancing, each generation is stronger than the previous one, and the new industries in the future may be even more so." Sheffield spread his hands. If the fairy world were to make an analogy, he would be like someone who had robbed Ford of its fortune, and he had not yet stood on the cause and effect. Under such circumstances, when the two met, he naturally smiled and said, "You can even design your own car and name it. Of course, Ford Motor already belongs to United, so don't have the urge to sue. So far, except for the lawsuit with Morgan, which has no result, the legal department of United has basically won every battle."

The lawsuit between Sheffield United and Morgan focused on radio and telephone patents. Sheffield failed to replicate its success in stealing alternating current, and Morgan did not give in on this point. Because there was more than one person claiming to be the inventor of the radio and telephone patents, United and Morgan each insisted on their own opinions and were unwilling to give up their dominance in this field. They invested money to establish a company and set up a base before the lawsuit was resolved.

So far, there is still no result regarding the relationship with Morgan. It is in the middle of a long litigation and counter-lawsuit, and neither side is willing to let go. On this issue, the tycoon also shows a rogue attitude. He would rather not acknowledge the existence of the patent than let the patent held by the other party become a constraint on himself.

Sheffield was just lazy and used the names of Cadillac and Ford directly, but after he used them, the name belonged to the joint company and was protected by law. If Ford had any objection to this, it could only watch helplessly.

Although there are some hooligans, federal law is sacred and inviolable. At least Ford is certainly not qualified to violate it now. So this is a fact. There are so many people named Ford. Why should you claim ownership of a car just because its name coincides with yours?

William Durant finally accepted Sheffield's invitation and became an agent of United Motors Corporation, using his own sales network to sell Ford cars. As for how to merge and what the conditions are, they can discuss it later.

The first meeting was very pleasant. William Durant expressed his willingness to invite Detroit's automobile pioneers to come to Houston to show their talents, and complimented them, "Mr. William is so young, and he has achieved such success in his career and life."

"Most people in this world start from the same starting line, but I might be lucky. I was born at the finish line, and I watch those at the starting line slowly approaching me. However, a good background cannot solve all problems. Once I stay where I am, I may still be approached by others. So now is not the time to enjoy life." Sheffield looked as if he understood this kind of worry.

William Durant laughed, and the common ground between the two sides was in this laughter.

"Those guests will stay here for a few days. Austin will be exploring some emerging industries during these days." Sheffield did not let the guests leave immediately. The plane was about to have a test flight, and they should not miss any opportunity to show off.

The foundation of the United Company was much better than that of the Wright brothers. Even the two brothers' makeshift team could invent an airplane. There was no reason why Sheffield would fail.

William Durant and Ford stayed and stayed in the villa for a few days. At the same time, William Durant felt the hospitality of the host and hostess. Later, he was a little jealous of Sheffield. While walking, he said, "I wonder how much effort it took for Mr. William to find a girl like Miss Anne who was born noble and so gentle."

"Huh? That doesn't take much effort. In fact, falling in love is very simple. I just walk up to a girl and ask her directly if she wants to be with me." Sheffield seemed very surprised and laughed, "So far, I haven't been rejected."

"That's true!" William Durant laughed. For wealthy people in Sheffield, falling in love is indeed that simple and not difficult at all.

The location for the aircraft test was chosen to be an open space in the western suburbs of Austin, and it was also chosen to be held on a public holiday. For this purpose, the joint company also hired a group of people to level the land and to accommodate the spectators who came to watch the excitement and provide a more comfortable view.

Sheffield naturally did not need to crowd together with the general working masses, and this would not be conducive to the protection of the Black Gold Company's bodyguards, so a viewing platform was specially built at the test flight site to observe this test flight.

It was a sunny day with clear blue skies. The test flight site was accompanied by a breeze, which made people feel very comfortable. Austin citizens gathered from all directions to witness the miracle. They had heard that someone was going to challenge the sky and become the one who flew in the sky. Most of them came with an attitude of disbelief.

The test flight site was crowded with people at this time. For the few citizens of Austin, almost the entire city came out to see the challenge of the blue sky, and these people were waiting for the moment when it officially began.

There were two wooden-clad planes parked in the venue. At this time, Jesla, who was on the observation deck, walked behind Sheffield, lowered his head and whispered, "These two planes have undergone rigorous testing and have been test flown. There will be absolutely no problem with this public test flight."

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"It would be best if both of them were to fly into the sky at the same time, but it would also be a success if only one of them were to fly into the sky at the same time," Sheffield whispered. "Of course the former is best, as it would create a sensation and prove that nothing is accidental and that humans can conquer the sky."

"Once you succeed, if anyone else uses a similar aircraft to fly into the sky, we will sue him until he goes bankrupt." Annie clenched her fist and said excitedly, "Your career has taken a big step forward."

"How come I didn't realize that my dear Annie has the potential to become a patent troll?" Sheffield stretched out his big hand and gently pulled the girl's collagen-filled cheek, teasing, "But it's not wrong to think so. Everyone has to pay patent fees for it."

Amid the anticipation of the crowd, two pilots in leather jackets came from the other end of the runway and appeared in front of tens of thousands of Austin citizens with serious faces. Both of them had signed a contract with the United Company, and if there was an accident, the contract would take effect immediately. They were determined to die to complete a milestone flight test in human history.

Although there were tens of thousands of citizens at the test flight site, they all held their breath and watched two brave men take firm steps onto the unknown machine in the field. People were expecting them to fulfill their dream of conquering the blue sky on behalf of everyone. If successful, they would all be witnesses of history, and countless Kodak cameras were already in place, ready to record this moment.

As the propeller at the nose of the plane began to turn, the roar driven by the engine reached the ears of all the spectators. The biplane started like a car and slowly accelerated on the runway.

Finally, a sudden voice shouted, "Look at the wheels of the machine, it's off the ground!"

Wow... For a moment, the entire test flight site was in an uproar, but soon it returned to silence, as they were afraid to interrupt the scene. A few seconds later, the two planes took off one after another, flying in the air higher than the trees, and everyone was in a boiling excitement.

(End of this chapter)