Chapter 371: The Arrogant Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Forces

Modern warfare is fought with logistics.

In ancient times, there were methods of taking advantage of the enemy, obtaining food locally, and fighting to support the war. But this is simply impossible in modern warfare. Ammunition and supplies are calculated by tons, and all supplies are destroyed after one battle. This is still a land battle. Naval and air battles with higher technological content are even more expensive. Modern warfare is a test of national strength and logistics.

During World War II, the United States mobilized the entire country to produce war supplies, so many companies were closed down and some supplies were occupied by the military. This is also the reason why many factories stopped production when Hardy traveled through time.

All other companies made supporting the war their top priority.

The economy has been greatly affected.

But now it’s different.

This time it was a local war in the Far East, and it was a supporting war. Unlike the United States' direct participation in the war, it was impossible for Congress to agree to mobilize the entire country to produce war supplies, let alone affect domestic economic development.

The American people would not do that.

They would not support a war in the Far East that would cost American workers money and affect their own lives and business development.

Therefore, it is impossible to mobilize the entire country to prepare the supplies this time. It is actually a very wise choice to hand over the logistics work to a few large companies.

It was also passed by President Johnson and Congress.

The provision of war supplies is a big business. Even if it is just the provision of daily necessities, it is estimated to be a business worth several billion dollars, and it is easy to make hundreds of millions from it.

Naturally, Hardy attached great importance to this business. He immediately sent a telegram to the United States, asking Andy to set up a special department in the United States to be responsible for this business and send a more professional team over.

Both parties work together.

Hardy's supermarket chain will play a huge role this time. Hardy's supermarket chain has thousands of suppliers and can place orders directly with them if anything is needed.

As for Japan, the model is similar. The team sent over classifies the materials needed by the US military and then hands them over to suitable factories. After they are completed, they are handed over to the logistics department. The logistics department is only responsible for acceptance. As long as the products meet the regulations, they will be shipped to the battlefield.

The current situation is that whoever can get the order can make money, and the seven major conglomerates have naturally set their sights on this piece of cake.

Inside the conference room of the Imperial Hotel.

A meeting of the seven major financial groups is being held.

Those who came this time were not only the business leaders who stayed in Japan, but also the heads or partners of the conglomerates who came from the country, all of whom were influential figures in the conglomerates.

The U.S. military's weapons, ammunition, and fuel all come from these conglomerates, but that is another business. The target of these people is the U.S. military's daily necessities business.

This is also a big cake.

Hardy certainly couldn't handle such a big business by himself. He understood very well that business is actually a game of distribution. Only when everyone makes money can the business last long term.

Moreover, he runs his businesses in Japan in cooperation with the seven major conglomerates.

In fact, now in Japan, Hardy has become the spokesperson for the seven major conglomerates, so his status has improved a lot compared to before.

Whether in Japan or in the United States.

If he had something to discuss with the seven major conglomerates, such as business cooperation, would those conglomerates or families not give him face?

With such a reputation, there is no business that cannot be done in the United States.

This is the network.

And Hardy has already gained a strong network of connections through his operations.

Hardy spoke first:

"Everyone, the Ministry of Defense has given us a list of supplies for daily necessities. There are 11 major categories, 263 subcategories, and more than 20,000 items. The purpose of our meeting today is, first, how to distribute these materials, and second, how to sell them to the U.S. military."

No one spoke. They all knew that Hadi must have a plan in his mind, so they wanted to hear what the leader's plan was first.

"There are many companies that produce similar materials, so we need to allocate them. For example, Hardy Group, Clark Group, and Mellon Group's Ike Candy Group also produce chocolate."

"For example, in the case of automobiles, there are many automobile suppliers in the United States, and there are also automobile manufacturers in Japan. So which one should we use?"

"For example, meat, clothing, medicine, etc., we need to distribute them to each household."

Everyone present knows that whoever these orders are assigned to produce will make money, and those who are not assigned will naturally not make any money. The right of allocation lies in Hardy's hands.

"The second point is how to sell. Now the US military has designated the Hadi Group as its logistics supplier. I have two options for everyone to choose from. One is to sell the products you produce to the Hadi Group, just like suppliers to the Hadi supermarket chain, and then the Hadi Group will provide them to the US military."

Everyone thought that in this way, the difference in price would be earned entirely by Hardy, and they would become coolies. Of course, coolies could also earn a lot of money.

Hardy continued, "Another option is for everyone to form a company together, sell all the materials produced to the U.S. Army, and divide the profits among everyone according to their shares."

Everyone was shocked at once.

This is definitely better, everyone nodded in agreement.

As a shrewd businessman, how could Hardy give up his interests so easily? He has his own plans.

"Everyone, setting up a company is equivalent to Hardy Group giving up its own interests, so I hope to exchange something of equivalent value from you." Hardy said.

"What does Mr. Hardy want?" someone asked.

"I want to acquire shares of some companies that I am optimistic about. These companies are now in your hands. I have already acquired some of them on the stock market, but not much. I hope to get some more from you." Hardy said.

"What shares does Mr. Hardy want?" asked another consortium partner.

"For example, IBM shares, TT&T shares, and Motorola shares," said Hardy.

Hardy knows the future direction. Many future technology companies in the United States will be incubated from these companies, including Microsoft, Intel, Apple, telecommunications companies, etc. Now they are still in the starting stage. If we can participate now, it will have a significant impact on the development of the Hardy Group in the next few decades.

Now, these technology companies are not the most important enterprises in the eyes of these conglomerates. Today, the United States is still dominated by oil, steel, automobiles, rubber, and chemical products. It will not be until the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century that those technology companies will show their true power.

It may be a little early for Hardy to make plans now, but it is indeed the easiest time. When telecommunications and electronics gradually enter the market in the 1960s and stock prices soar, it is estimated that if you want to enter again, you will have to spend countless times more money than now.

Hardy puts forward conditions, and it is up to the other party whether to agree or not.

This matter naturally required discussion. After the meeting, these people had to discuss it with their bosses and other partners. For a time, telegram exchanges between Japan and the United States were extremely frequent.

Business is actually all about exchanging and mutual benefit. Now those technology companies are optimistic about the future, but they rarely produce anything and are still in the incubation and investment stage. However, the supply of military supplies this time is real benefit.

Hardy guessed correctly that these conglomerates were much more interested in the military supply business than in technology companies, and several of them were willing to sell part of their shares to Hardy.

Hardy subsequently acquired 5% of IBM, 3.7% of TT&T, and 7% of Motorola.

Of course,

All are purchased at market price.

Originally, Hardy had some shares of these companies in his hands, all of which were circulating shares purchased on the market. Now Hardy owns 7.8% of IBM shares, 6.5% of Telegraph and Telephone Company shares, and 12.6% of Motorola shares, making him a major shareholder.

Another point is that Hardy has legitimate access to these companies and holds a seat as a major shareholder. Even if he purchases shares of these companies in the future, there will be no misunderstanding, which will facilitate his continued operations in the future.

The next step is to study the supply details and allocate the production list.

Automobiles include transport trucks, passenger vehicles, command cars, engineering vehicles, motorcycles, tractors, and field dining trucks, etc.

Office supplies: typewriter, pen and paper, etc.

Medical: various first aid medicines, surgical tools, infusion equipment, battlefield stretchers, ropes, etc.

Bedding, including various clothes, summer and winter clothes, single clothes and cotton-padded clothes, leather shoes, cotton shoes, rubber shoes, slippers, blankets, thin quilts, thick quilts, sleeping bags, personal equipment, camping equipment, etc.

Communications: telephones, telephone lines, walkie-talkies.

Tools: engineer shovel, plate clamp, wire mesh, etc.

Daily necessities: toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, etc.

Miscellaneous items, including cigarettes, lighters, coffee, tea, cola, snacks, etc.

Hardy said: "The current situation in the United States is much better than it was a few years ago during World War II, and the logistics supply of the army must also be improved."

"I have discussed with Chief Williams that we need to provide better services to our soldiers, such as food. I believe that the soldiers are already tired of eating food boxes. I understand this very well. Soldiers are fighting in the front, and we need to find a way to send them better things."

"Food is very important. It may be the greatest comfort they can get after the war. I asked someone to prepare a list of food."

After Hardy finished speaking, he asked someone to distribute a list to everyone.

On Monday, rice-roasted beef, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, vegetable salad, gravy, condensed milk, coffee, and fruit.

Tuesday: Veal, noodle soup, carrot stew with green beans, butter, coffee, fruit.

Wednesday: bacon, sandwiches, bacon, spinach stew, cream, coffee, sugar.

Thursday: pork chops, salted potatoes, bacon, pickled cucumbers, condensed milk.

Friday: roast beef, brussels sprouts, canned vegetables, butter, coffee, sugar.

Saturday Sardines in olive oil, beef, fine bacon, pea soup, coffee, cream.

Sunday: sausage, pork puree, apple puree, dulce de leche, coffee, sugar.

"These are not canned foods, but fresh foods made in the food truck. Of course, the menu will be changed after a period of time. In addition, cigarettes and Pepsi-Cola are available in unlimited quantities."

"Of course, we still need to make some ration boxes. After all, there may be a field battle and the dining car cannot keep up."

Hadi thought.

Once the American soldiers get used to eating fresh food, who would still want to eat the junk food in the ration boxes? When they go out to fight in the field, the soldiers will definitely complain, because no one wants to stay in the snow and ice.

It will affect the fighting spirit invisibly.

The meeting lasted for several days, and each company was allocated a certain production volume. The major allocations were completed, and Hardy did not actually need to be responsible for the specific details.

A meeting was then convened with the Japanese government and entrepreneurs.

The Japanese government and entrepreneurs were ecstatic about receiving orders from the United States for the production of war supplies. Although most of this income would be taken away by the Americans, Japan could still make a lot of profit from it.

In particular, many factories need to expand production, hire more workers, and solve the problem of more unemployment. This is the best news for the Japanese government.

All the factories started to operate, and workers worked overtime to produce. Some factories expanded production and hired more workers. Automobile factories such as Toyota and Honda also received many orders. For example, the outdoor food truck was produced by Toyota.

Agricultural products were mainly shipped from the United States, including shiploads of flour, beef, coffee, chocolate, and Pepsi-Cola.

The Global Times reported on the U.S. military's procurement activities in Japan, which greatly encouraged Japanese society and gave them hope for development and rise.

Of course,

This news was also known to the East and North Korea.

A Global Times reporter also interviewed MacArthur, and even a cameraman from ABC TV went there. The reporter asked MacArthur, "General, can you tell us how you plan to carry out the operation?"

Arrogant MacArthur told reporters: "I plan to land at Inchon, cut off the enemy from the middle, and then surround them together with the Eighth Army Group to completely destroy them."

The reporter was surprised, "General, is this dangerous?"

MacArthur said disdainfully: "In my opinion, the enemy's armies are completely vulnerable. You have to know that we have the strongest army in the world, the bravest soldiers, and the most brilliant commanders."

At the end of the interview, the reporter asked MacArthur, "General MacArthur, can we report this interview publicly? I am afraid it will reveal your military plans."

MacArthur waved his hand nonchalantly. "You can report it as much as you want. I am not afraid of the enemy knowing my plan. Even if they do, they cannot stop my military action. I want the whole world to see that the U.S. military will succeed as long as it is dispatched."

"General, when do you think the war will end?" the reporter asked finally.

"Before Christmas, I believe my soldiers will return home on Christmas and have Christmas dinner," MacArthur said in a firm tone.

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