The Joseon Prince Went To America And Didn’t Return – 134



< Rothschild (2) >

“Lee Kang has been focusing on the oil-related industry recently?”

Rothschild began to talk to himself loudly enough for people far away to hear.

“Yeah. Well if you look at it from a long-term perspective it’s a very good decision.”

The oil industry was an industry with a very bright future even for the Baron.

Isn’t that the case with automobiles which are increasing exponentially these days?

Gasoline extracted from crude oil is used as fuel.

The same goes for the aircraft industry which Lee Kang is very actively promoting.

‘There is a growing trend of ships equipped with internal combustion engines being built one by one.’

Internal combustion engines unlike steam engines have small power generation facilities and are efficient.

The differences are even more evident when compared to existing steam engines.

Take warships as an example.

This can be interpreted to mean that more weapons and people can be loaded but the sailing speed is faster.

‘The steam engine will soon be replaced.’

What if the scope were expanded to include personal heating and power plants?

The Baron thought.

The demand for oil will explode further than most people imagine.

Didn’t the Rothschilds know this well and so they invested huge sums of money in the Baku oil fields and directly reached out to oil companies?

He planned to continue operating the Baku oil fields even if the Russian market had not become unstable.

“But not in the short term. What do you think?”

“I think what the Baron said is entirely correct.”

“okay?”

Rothschild squinted his eyes and stroked his moustache.

“James.”

“yes.”

“I want to check Lee Kang’s investment portfolio. Where is it stored?”

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“I put it over here.”

Whether bold or reckless Lee Kang’s investment portfolio has been disclosed to the market to some extent.

From [Royal Dutch] which participated in the paid capital increase and became a major shareholder.

Emerging powerhouses [Texaco] and [Gulf].

[Standard Oil] with which we now share a table.

Rothschild raised a corner of his mouth as he looked at the list of oil companies that Lee Kang was believed to own.

“Your Majesty.”

“huh?”

“I think a good idea has come to your mind Baron.”

“Why do you think so?”

James the butler referred to the Baron’s long-standing habit.

“Because the right corner of your mouth went up Baron.”

“Aha! Did I do that? Haha.”

Baron Rothschild smirked and looked over the list of Lee Kang’s estimated assets before asking his butler.

“While checking Lee Kang’s estimated assets I discovered something interesting.”

“What is it?”

“It looks like this guy Lee Kang has been buying up Standard Oil stocks recently.”

“Yes I bought stocks in other oil companies but Standard Oil seemed to be the biggest buyer.”

“The Rockefeller family will probably have a firm grip on management rights…”

“Yes.”

Rothschild shook his head at the butler’s answer.

“So you must have bought Standard Oil stock for investment purposes.”

“Yes. I think they decided it was undervalued.”

“Well you can think that way. While other oil companies have doubled or tripled since the financial crisis Rockefeller’s Standard Oil is still standing still.”

Shares in oil companies around the world were soaring exponentially.

However the stock of Standard Oil the world’s number one company has not been able to avoid weakness recently.

Because ominous rumors were already circulating on Wall Street that the company would be forcibly broken up by the U.S. government.

“I guess this guy Lee Kang thinks that Rockefeller will win the anti-trust lawsuit.”

“Probably so. Otherwise why would you be throwing away your entire fortune and betting on Standard Oil?”

The goal of the CEOs who are leading this era is only one.

Whether you want to quickly enter a related industry.

Whether you manage it well or not.

Or they can just buy up their competitors with money.

The goal is to grow to the maximum size and become a monopoly in the industry.

The railroad magnate Vanderbilt too.

The steel magnate Carnegie too.

Even the financial king Morgan.

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Even oil magnate Rockefeller.

This formula governed the American economy.

That major trend is not changing.

The U.S. government is pressuring Rockefeller and Morgan with unprecedented antitrust laws.

A battle between two forces: corporations and government.

People started selling Standard Oil stocks because the latter usually beat the former.

Because Standard Oil’s attractive advantage of market “monopoly” will soon disappear.

Investors were now pulling out of Standard Oil believing the company’s value would decline that much.

‘I guess you trust Rockefeller quite a bit.’

Rothschild was not so impressed with Lee Kang’s move to buy Standard Oil.

Because I never thought that Lee Kang would come from the future.

‘What an idiot.’

Moreover Baron Rothschild did not even know that Lee Kang had proactively proposed to Rockefeller to split the company.

This is because Rockefeller met with Lee Kang in secret and discussed the matter.

Moreover Rockefeller’s moves to prepare for division were literally seen as a mock training exercise for the worst-case scenario.

So the Rothschilds were making a huge mistake.

“Oh by the way that Rockefeller guy… I heard he hasn’t left Washington at all these days? I heard he’s been meeting with a lot of people in the legal profession.”

“Yes that’s what they say.”

The Baron laughed out loud as he read the report on trends in America.

Because the results were so satisfactory that they were written in the report.

“It looks like Morgan is in trouble too. He even sent all of his beloved subordinates down to Washington.”

“I guess that’s what it’s like.”

“That’s right. They’re absolutely going to win an antitrust lawsuit just like you said.”

Why are you so sure?

Yeah that’s right.

Because Baron Rothschild prepared this big picture.

Over the course of five whole years.

The Baron laid traps one by one to ensure that this great picture could be painted perfectly.

“Mobilize the media academia and the judiciary to ensure that both anti-monopoly lawsuits go our way.”

“yes.”

“If we do it right we can take care of the troublesome trio at once.”

As I said before.

The members of the seven-member council appeared to be cooperating with each other from the outside but inside they were fiercely keeping each other in check.

The reason they don’t openly oppose each other is because they have grown so much in size.

Once you draw your sword you have to fight until you die.

Morgan Rockefeller and Rothschild’s respective companies had grown so large that it was difficult for them to survive on their own.

So sometimes they cooperated and sometimes they competed.

‘Just because the company is split doesn’t mean Morgan Rockefeller and Lee Kang will go bankrupt…’

At least it might be able to slightly curb the rapidly expanding forces.

For the Baron who was soon to hand over management rights to Walter this antitrust lawsuit seemed like a really good opportunity.

‘We have to break them down even just a little so Walter can get his act together.’

Compared to the outstanding skills of Morgan Jr. and Lee Kang Walter Rothschild was just an ordinary manager.

That’s why the Baron thought he had to create a foundation for him to fight against them.

Careless.

Because a crisis could come to your family that has been passed down for three generations.

“I wonder what everyone’s reaction will be when the company splits up and the stocks plummet. I’m quite curious.”

The Baron recalled the faces of the three figures.

Most recently.

The Baron chuckled as he recalled that time when he met the Seven.

“I’m especially curious about that guy Lee Kang’s face. I bet he’s happy about buying Standard Oil stocks cheaply right now.”

Hahaha. Hahahaha.

The Baron ended Friday night with a big smile on his face for the first time in a long while.

Although the rain continued to fall gloomily outside the Baron was able to end the day more happily than ever.

* * *

“hmm.”

There is a pile of papers in front of Walter Rothschild.

Because James the Rothschild family’s butler brought him the report all night.

“Is this all?”

“Yes my lord.”

Every Monday.

The Baron meets his adopted son Walter for dinner.

at that time.

The Baron often asks for news about how the world is going.

“There are fewer enemies today than expected.”

“….”

James on Friday night.

Baron Rothschild wrote down the reports he had seen and passed them on to Walter.

This is also what Walter instructed James to do.

It was the same for the Baron.

Because every time Walter showed a disappointing appearance Baron Rothschild got angry and furious.

James handled this important matter in a perfunctory manner as Walter had to show that he was interested in world affairs if only for the sake of the Baron whose health was deteriorating day by day.

“My father doesn’t spend a single penny on Israel’s independence… but he spends a fortune on such useless things.”

Walter licked his right index finger to carefully read the report James had summarized.

“What’s that tradition? Hmm?”

A familiar word caught Walter’s eye.

It was a person’s name but Walter furrowed his brow and immediately turned his head to James.

“You seem to be reading a lot of reports about Lee Kang these days.”

Walter had a considerable crush on Lee Kang.

We were together during the last near-death attack in San Francisco.

This is because Lee Kang has always treated him with the utmost kindness.

Unlike the arrogant British royal family or other European royal families who secretly look down on Jews.

Moreover Walter thought that Lee Kang and himself were quite similar.

Walter and Lee Kang have something in common: they grew up under their adoptive father and Lee Kang grew up under his adoptive mother.

Above all Lee Kang loves his home country.

Because Walter had a grand goal of making Israel independent.

“Answer me. Why?”

“….”

“Did you suddenly become mute? Why are you so quiet?”

James quickly answered Walter’s repeated questions.

“Because he is someone who could pose a threat to your Majesty.”

“With Morgan Jr.”

“Yes that’s right.”

They say that as you get older you just have more worries.

Walter frowned slightly as he recalled the face of his uncle and adoptive father Baron Rothschild.

“Well that’s true. It could go as you and your father feared. But it looks different from what I saw.”

Butler James still has a blank expression on his face.

Walter expressed his opinion to James.

“At least those two won’t attack our family unless we threaten them first. Unlike the others.”

James keeps his mouth shut.

To Walter this seemed like a silent protest.

“This isn’t some piece of paper this is information that comes from my own experience. So don’t look at me with strange eyes.”

Walter clicked his tongue and listened to the report he had just finished reading.

“There are others who threaten our family.”

The details are very briefly stated at the bottom of the report.

Walter Rothschild thinks these guys are more dangerous than Lee Kang or Morgan Jr.

“The Nobel brothers are one thing but what’s more problematic is that troublemaker Alfred. Look at him. He’s taking another big shit.”

Walter looked at James recalling the past events.

“I begged you in the past but the Bosnian annexation will eventually come back to bite us all. I should have stopped Alfred.”

“master.”

“Ah I know.”

Walter Rothschild waved his hand and made a stop gesture.

“You lose your senses whenever you or your father talk about your family home.”

The Rothschild family has an unspoken rule.

The rule is that even collateral families do not fight within the same family.

The ancestors guard this like a sword.

But for members of the fourth generation like Walter and Alfred from Austria this phrase seemed too idealistic.

Now the collateral members who are becoming strangers are in some ways not as close as neighbors.

This is because I began to have doubts about whether I should just watch their reckless actions.

“Why do you keep causing tensions within the European continent? In the end it will only harm both sides. I want…”

Although he couldn’t agree with the previous words this time James nodded.

Alfred who grew into Europe’s number one tycoon under the Habsburg dynasty was also displeased with James’s rough behavior.

“I’ll be late. My father will be waiting.”

“yes.”

Walter seemed satisfied with James’ reaction and got up from his seat.

* * *

Today is Monday.

Walter was busy preparing for dinner between the two rich men.

30 minutes later.

Upon arriving at their home in the heart of London the two men were reunited.

“Father are you feeling better?”

“Yes. Thanks to that I am very healthy.”

The two continued their conversation in very low voices and without emotion while eating ordinary British food.

“You will have to work hard as a representative of our family to welcome this prince. Yes. Are you ready to leave?”

“yes.”

The Baron continued to entrust Lee Kang’s work to Walter.

This is because the Baron wants them to realize how dangerous Lee Kang is by clashing with each other often.

“Have a nice trip. Be as polite as possible when you welcome him.”

“yes.”

Although they are competitors they are also guests.

Since it would be shameful for the Rothschild family to mistreat an honored guest the Baron ordered that Lee Kang be treated with the utmost care.

“On your way to London take a quick look at the Federal Reserve System or the South Manchurian Railway. Don’t forget to observe the Prince’s reaction.”

Moreover Lee Kang is a useful trump card for Baron Rothschild.

Because they had to compete to keep their power from becoming too great they also had to cooperate.

“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

The Baron was checked several times by his adopted son.

This visit to England by Lee Kang was an opportunity for both Rothschild and Lee Kang.

like that.

Even after Walter left the Baron’s house the Baron continued to watch Walter’s back for a long time.

Because looking at my adopted son who is still untrustworthy I am reminded of my own son who died young.

< Rothschild (2) > End