Chapter 55 Olive Branch
Sheffield was justified. He was a victim, and the export of British agricultural products was indeed sanctioned. Doesn't this count as sacrificing for the country? The loss of their own agricultural products was so great, and a group of Yankees suffered such a small loss, and they cried and raged. What kind of thing is this? You are poor, so you are right. You are not starving to death.
"Of course I knew about the Sheffield family's losses through the Anglo-American Oil Company, but through the German-American Oil Company, I also knew that the Sheffield family successfully opened the door to the German market and established a long-term cooperative relationship." Rockefeller Jr. looked like I would have almost believed it if I hadn't also been engaged in international trade.
The British Empire had no shortage of food suppliers, but the German Empire had a real problem in agriculture, and its food self-sufficiency rate had always been low. Although the quantity seemed similar, in fact, there were fewer competitors. In the British agricultural product market, the Sheffield family had to compete with Latin American countries and the colonies of the British Empire.
The German Empire did not have many colonies at all, and originally relied on the Russian Empire to solve the food problem. There were fewer competitors, and this was the biggest benefit for Rockefeller Jr. You have to know who founded the first trust in the United States, Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil, who was his father. He knew better than anyone how good it was to have few competitors.
The Sheffield family's claim that they suffered heavy losses due to sanctions, combined with the current international situation, can indeed deceive some people, even companies that have nothing to do with international trade. But this cannot be used as an excuse to fool yourself. Standard Oil also broke out of America and went global. The heir of the Sheffield family is too dishonest.
"That's not the case. Who doesn't want to continue doing business with a long-term partner? It will take time to expand our business in Germany, and time is the greatest wealth." Although his lie was exposed on the spot, Sheffield didn't feel ashamed at all. How could a bastard like him with a white skin and a black heart have such a thing? "I think Mr. Rockefeller definitely didn't talk to me about the price of agricultural products. Even if he wanted to talk, I would still have the same attitude. The rise in grain prices at the beginning of the year was also due to the price gouging by northern dealers, and now it is also due to the obstruction of exports. My family, Texas, and even the entire South are victims. This accusation is groundless. It's the British's fault."
Sheffield now knows why the old man is not in a hurry to lose the export share of the UK. It turns out that he is planning to take advantage of the current tense relationship with the UK to turn his guns on the grain suppliers in the north. With the cover of the international situation and the support of the internal strength, he will drive the farmers in the north into bankruptcy.
But obviously, either this trick is not the first time it has been used, or the top elites of the United States are very smart and have already seen through it. Since the Rockefeller family can discover it, other families will also discover it.
Now that Rockefeller Jr. mentioned this matter, it was to lead to other issues. Thinking of this, Sheffield was extremely calm. He stretched out his hand and held Anne's hand, posing an attitude of listening attentively and waiting for the next words.
"If nothing unexpected happens, this food fluctuation will spread to the end of the year. If we are greedy, it may even have an impact on next year!" Rockefeller Jr. gave his own judgment.
"No, no!" Sheffield said with a dry smile, "Food won't taste good if it's stored for too long. It's not like oil or coal. It can be stored anywhere for as long as you want."
"Oil and coal can't be stored for too long. Oil will evaporate and coal will weather. Agricultural products are not all immutable. It's not a problem to store grain for one or two years." Rockefeller Jr. stretched out his finger and shook it. "Whether the citizens of the entire United States eat well depends on your mood. My father once said that your family likes to make money from individuals, such as the trafficking of labor on both sides of the Atlantic in the early years."
"At least my family doesn't give workers drugs to increase their work efficiency!" Sheffield teased with sarcasm.
"In fact, you don't know that before the Civil War, your family was the biggest drug dealer in the United States. How many northern workers' families were destroyed?" Rockefeller Jr. sat upright and said slowly, "If you don't believe me, Master William can go home and ask what was planted in the endless plantations in Columbia back then? Where did the salaries of the slave hunting team back then and the current black gold employees come from?"
Is this true? This is the first time Sheffield has heard of it, but Rockefeller Jr. also said that it was before the Civil War. Who wouldn't do something shameful when starting out? "That was in the past. Who wouldn't have a bad reputation when starting out from scratch? Isn't Mr. Rockefeller the target of criticism in the newspapers?"
Is this a bit of dark history? Little Rockefeller complained in his heart that compared with the heir in front of him, his family's struggle history can be described as pure as an angel. Didn't it just squeeze out thousands of oil workshops? I didn't sell you as slaves.
"Stop!" Sheffield stretched out his hand to stop him. "We have foreign friends in the living room now. Don't go into too much detail about the history of our entrepreneurs' hard work." What is this? Are we exposing each other's shortcomings?
Anne rolled her eyes at Sheffield, pretending she didn't understand. She moved her hips and stood up and said, "I want to visit the manor! Is that okay?"
Little Rockefeller called the servant over, took Anne out, and praised, "Master William, are you going to get married? A very suitable hostess!"
"I'm sixteen!" Sheffield shook his head tiredly, "Can you just tell me your purpose? Even if it's just a courtesy, it's been so long."
"Since Master William wants to get straight to the point, I have my own suggestions, and you can listen to them first!" Rockefeller Jr. smiled. "In fact, the manager of Standard Oil went to Arlington at the beginning of the year and proposed to explore in Texas. But Mrs. Anna said that the heir of the family could be asked to discuss this matter. At that time, I had not yet joined the company, and you had not graduated from college, so this matter was delayed. Now you have started to discuss business in Europe, and my father is preparing to retire next year. In fact, we can talk about cooperation between the two sides."
"Cooperation?" Sheffield's eyes flashed with a hint of thought, and he was really thinking about Rockefeller's proposal. If he wanted an ally, Rockefeller would be the most suitable partner.
This is beyond doubt. How many people can refuse to cooperate with the richest man in the United States? Moreover, with Rockefeller's strength, cooperation can reduce many constraints, so there is no reason to refuse.
"Business is not war. In war, you win and I lose, but in business, it can be a win-win situation!" Seeing that Sheffield was hesitating, Rockefeller Jr. added calmly.
"With a partner like Rockefeller, who would refuse?" Sheffield sighed sincerely, but then changed the subject and said, "But many details cannot be finalized by the two of us. John, you should know that this involves a lot of things."
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(End of this chapter)
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