The road from the Aocheng railway station to the Bathton Military Academy in the northern suburbs has been walked by Weiss a total of 26 times, and today is the 27th. During the Battle of Aujo, the Union and Normans fought fiercely in the area, and now most of the craters on the ground have been filled in, and the small bridges along the way have been repaired or rebuilt, but if you look closely, you can still find traces of the battle in the broken stumps, mottled remnants of the walls, and abandoned trenches on the hills. The car moved forward, the scene retreated, and the cruel war scene suddenly appeared in front of me and disappeared......

In a car arranged by the Grumman Group, Weiss and his party arrived at a manor house about 50 miles from the Batton Military Academy, which belonged to Edwig Grumman, the eldest son of the current president of the Grumman Group, the old president. This meeting with the top management of the Grumman Group has nothing to do with the Lawrence Automobile Manufacturing Plant, but is an old affair between the Clumber-Haysen family and the Grumman family. When the Lord was in charge of the family's affairs, the Grumman Group's business expansion reached a peak, and the Clumberg-Haysen plant was faced with a life-and-death decision in the face of this formidable competitor, and the Lord had no choice but to accept the Grumman family's offer and join the Grumman Group as an association. This kind of joint venture has nothing to do with equity changes, but forms a unified management and scheduling relationship in production and operation through a contract, and the Grumman Group gives the Clumber-Haysen family a certain amount of joint venture incentives every year. The joint venture contract signed that year, which was valid for 50 years, has not yet expired, but there is a termination clause in the contract regarding force majeure, and war belongs to one of them. During the war, Grumman Group neither managed the production and operation of the Clumber-Heisen plant nor continued to pay joint venture incentives, and the invocation of this clause could be regarded as an automatic renunciation of the joint venture relationship.

To address these legacies, the Grumman Group has extended invitations to a number of joint ventures, including the Clumber-Haysen family. Before coming, Weiss had asked his lawyer to study the joint venture contract that had been signed at the beginning, and the two parties could declare the contract null and void in time of war, or they could negotiate to retain the contract or sign a supplementary contract on this basis.

After Weiss and his entourage arrived at the manor, the current helmsman of the Grumman Group did not go out to greet him, but he appeared as soon as possible. This is not the first time Weiss and this Edwig Grumman have met, long before the outbreak of the war, he was involved with the Grumman Group at the Reagan City factory as part of the intelligence service investigating the explosion of a training bomb at the Barston Military Academy. In his mind, this was a single-minded, broad-minded, and very energetic and capable business talent, and it was a matter of course for many people at the time to take over the position of the old president. It's just that after the twists and turns of the war and the betrayal of the second son Ruauf, there have been many twists and turns in the process of inheritance. Perhaps for these reasons, as the new president, Edwig is working very hard to prove himself to shareholders and competitors. He worked day and night, no matter how big or small, and with his efforts, in just half a year, the Grumman Group's almost scattered industrial layout during the war was reunited on the axis of Aocheng-Regan City-Liberty City.

After the meeting, Edwig was not in a hurry to start the meeting, but invited Weiss to take a walk in his back garden. This kind of "private chat" is arranged before the formal meeting, usually to provide a channel to express personal views and ideas, and is generally not decisive, but under certain conditions, it can also be more decisive than the formal meeting.

On this slightly hot afternoon, Edwig and Weiss talked as they walked, not only talking about the origins and recent situation of the two families, but also about the current situation and trends of post-war industrial development. Edwig gave him two options: one was to come to Grumman Group to take up a senior management position, with no treatment to say, and promised to give him authority, that is, the management of a certain factory or a certain area, which was already regarded as a feudal official within the group; In principle, the Crumman-Haysen family will continue to be responsible for the production and operation of the plant, and the Grumman Group will be responsible for providing the capital, technology and manpower needed for the development of the factory, and it can be agreed that the income in the next few years will be prioritized for equipment upgrades rather than dividends to shareholders. There is no doubt that both options are quite attractive for an operator who does not have much ambition. If Weiss only wants to keep it, then the first way can be said to be a sure way to make money and live a good life. If you choose the revival and development of the family, the second way is also a shortcut to get twice the result with half the effort.

Weiss listened silently, before this, he had not had an in-depth communication with the relatively young new president, let alone an open heart, and did not know much about his character, personality, vision, and ability, but he felt that such a behemoth as Grumman Group could quickly integrate resources and return to the right track of development after the war, which was enough to prove that this person's vision, courage and means were quite powerful. After thinking for a moment, he said tentatively, "If it were you and me, would you choose one of the two paths?" ”

"If I were you, I think I would." Edwig replied quickly, but it wasn't over, he paused and said in an arrogant gesture: "If I were me, I wouldn't." ”

Weiss was upset by this, but the current Clumber-Haysen family is like an ordinary cargo ship, and the Grumman Group is a giant oil tanker, and the gap between the two is huge, and Edwig can take care of each other's feelings, or he can not hide it.

Before coming, Weiss had already thought clearly. In the short term, the cooperation between the Clumberg-Haysen plant and the Grumman Group will indeed play a complementary role, and then in the long run, the dependence on the Grumman Group will greatly restrict the autonomy of the Clumber-Hazen plant, making it difficult for it to break through the traditional cumulative development and quickly become a truly first-class enterprise. Now with the Lorraine Industrialists Alliance, the canal expansion plan and the strategy of "one main line and two veins", in the face of the lure of the Grumman Group, Weiss's choice has determined that he will be the head of the chicken in the future, rather than willing to be the tail of the phoenix. So, he said sorry to Edwig, but before he could say anything, he interrupted him.

"Don't rush to say sorry. After all, people are not the same. Unless you are ready to overcome all difficulties and create an era, I advise you to think carefully. ”

Weiss did not let go, and Edwig did not show any disappointment, on the contrary, he finally told Weiss that if these three words convinced him, then he would think that the successor of the Clumber-Haytham family was not enough. But then again, shopping malls are like battlefields, and fighting alone certainly has the opportunity to fight a bloody way, but the probability of failure is not small. The Ulster Free Federation is the first industrial power on the planet Orens, and if this war is not shared by the Wessex Kingdom in the north, it may be difficult to survive the strategic turning point.

This point of view sounds reasonable, but throughout the war, the overall effect of the Wessex Kingdom is probably a negative value - they gave the Norman Empire the pretext to start a war, and then quickly defeated after the war, giving up most of the country and rich resources to the Norman Empire, which lacked strategic depth and resource reserves, only during the stalemate period of the war, the royal family of Wessex and the army and people who insisted on resisting the enemy contained part of the enemy's forces, but in the later stage of the war, they sent their heads again, It almost led to the Union army being overturned in a good situation.

After a garden chat, Edwig officially welcomed Weiss and his party with a high-profile dinner. Weiss had never seen such a sumptuous meal since the end of the war, and the ultra-luxurious décor of this private estate was staggering. Whether this dinner party was an expression of sincerity or a show off of financial resources, it did not make Weiss change his mind in the slightest. The next day, the two sides sat down at the negotiating table. The lawyer gave a legal interpretation of the original contract terms between the two parties, saying that the two parties could indeed break off the joint venture cooperation and become independent business entities in the future. However, due to the in-depth cooperation between the two parties in the production and operation business during the existence of the joint venture relationship, the Grumman Group will still have priority under the same conditions when the Clumberg-Haysom plant negotiates cooperation with the competitors of the Grumman Group under the same conditions, and the competitors of the Grumman Group include almost all powerful industrial entities in the Federation, but do not include the Grumman Consortium, various financial institutions and other consortia.

After going through these formalities, Caron, the chief operating officer who led the negotiations on behalf of the Grumman Group, began his "show": the eloquent middle-aged man first thanked the Clumber-Haysen family for their support of the Grumman Group for many years, and then solemnly apologized for the Grumman Group's failure to fully fulfill its contracts during the wartime. Later, on behalf of the Grumman Group, he proposed to Weiss and his party to give performance compensation and upgrade the original contract, and the terms were quite generous - as long as the Clumber-Haysen family continued the cooperation agreement, the Grumman Group increased the previous 300,000 kronor per year joint venture incentive to 1,200 gold crowns, which is equivalent to more than three times. In addition, they are planning to inject 10,000 gold crowns into the Clumberg-Haisen plant specifically for the purchase of new equipment and the establishment of a higher-standard firearms and ammunition research center, and will also cover 60 percent of the special research and development costs of the Clumber-Haisen plant in the future.

When Cuarón read out these conditions on behalf of the Grumman Group, Weiss kept his head held high. Compared with the conditions of the Grumman Group's acquisition of the Lawrence Automobile Manufacturing Plant, the treatment in front of him is obviously more generous and attractive. He suggested that Mr. Lawrence accept the Grumman Group's merger offer, because Mr. Lawrence has neither the ambition to do a big business, nor the scientific and reasonable long-term development plan, but is in a state of more than enough to keep the achievements and not enough to make progress, and a deal with the Grumman Group can allow him to continue his own business in another way, and for Weiss and the Clumber-Haysen family, their dream has just begun, once the deal with the Grumman Group is reached, This dream must give way to Grumman's strategic ambitions.

Out of the importance of the Clumber-Haysen family, or the reorganization of the industrial sector of Lorraine led by them, the Grumman Group did not have the president Edwig personally involved, but the negotiation process was attended by two older board members, including Octavier's father, Henry Grumman, who was once known as the most handsome director. If the Clumber-Haysen family were still in charge, they would have felt very honored to be treated with such courtesy, but now, the more the Grumman Group took it, the more Weiss was determined to make his judgment. It is important to know that the Grumman Group has been in operation for so many years, and its judgment on commercial development should be quite objective and accurate, and it is precisely because it is determined that the Klumber-Haysen family and the Lorraine Industrialists Alliance are doing something that has a high investment value, so eager to reintegrate the Clumber-Haysen plant into their business territory.

When Cuarón finished speaking, Weiss took the lead in applauding according to etiquette, and when it was his turn to speak, it began with a series of apologies and regrets. He said that the war has brought untold suffering to the country, but it has also made people strong in the midst of pain. During the war, without the support and help of the Grumman group, and even under the encroachment and control of the Normans, the Clumberg-Haysen factory did not collapse, but continued in the indomitable fighting spirit of the Clumberg-Haysen family and the people of Somsonas. These profound lessons made them realize that the people of Lorraine must be self-reliant and must rely on their own strength to develop industry and commerce, so the old comrades-in-arms in Weiss and the war gathered together to form the Lorraine Industrialists Union. The Clumber-Haysen family is determined to work with the members of the alliance to create a better future. In view of this, the Clumber-Haysen family was unable to extend the original joint venture contract and regretted that it could not accept the capital injection from Grumman Group. In addition, they are happy to cooperate with Grumman Group and establish a strategic relationship with which they respect each other and benefit each other.

After being rejected, Cuarón put away his friendliness and said in a skeptical tone that he had studied the current state of the Union of Lorraine Industrialists and their plan to expand the canal, and that it would be a great thing if it could be successfully completed, but that such a large project depended on three important explicit factors and one crucial implicit factor. The obvious factor is capital, technology, and management, and the implicit factor is the distribution of interests. The difficulties of the explicit factors can be solved through hard work, while the implicit factors are the troubles that are difficult to solve in the development process of many associations, associations, and alliances. The Clumber-Haysen family has bet 200 years of accumulation on a plan with many participants, and taking a path of high returns and high risks is a sword choice, rather than a rational and rational development strategy.

If the Clumber-Haysom family continues to be attached to the Grumman Group, or its capital, technology, and management are subject to the Grumman Group, Weiss does need to enlist the support of Cuaron and the directors and even shareholders if he wants to do this big thing, but at this moment, Weiss has enough confidence to remind the operating officer that the lawyer has already explained at the beginning that due to the force majeure of the war, the joint venture relationship has essentially been dissolved in wartime, and the Grumman Group does not have to bear compensation or compensation liability for this, and at the same time, The Clumber-Haysen family is also no longer bound by the Grumman Group. In other words, Caron can evaluate their plan and ask to join, but has no right to interfere, let alone oppose it.

Weiss's stiff expression made Caron feel disgraced, and his face became very ugly. At this time, Henry Grumman, who was dressed in an unadorned military uniform, spoke as a patriarch: "The Clumber-Haysam family from Lorraine, and the Grumman family, which originated in Movalu, are ancient families that have survived for more than two centuries, and they have experienced ups and downs and wars. To this day, they have their own honors and their own creeds. In the matter of joint ventures and cooperation, no one owes anyone in law, they are brothers, and they are friends. In times of peace, we can cooperate with each other and compete in a healthy way, and in times of war, we will certainly fight side by side and fight the enemy together. ”

In response to this fair remark, Weiss took the lead in standing up and saluting.

It would have been a good thing to get sincere praise from the other party, but when the negotiations have reached a stalemate, it seems too impartial to make a statement in favor of the other party. Therefore, in the face of the respect of Weiss and his party, this handsome man who was as handsome as he was back then, and his demeanor was better than before, always maintained an indifferent demeanor on his face. When the other party sat down again, he said unhurriedly: "As the new helmsman of the Clumber-Haysen family, it is good to maintain the true temperament of a soldier, but the operation of a family and an enterprise is still a little different from commanding a war, and it requires more rationality and skill. Today's discussion suggests that our guerrilla colonel, Mr. Guerrilla Colonel, think carefully and carefully, and never make regrets for the sake of whim. ”

Weiss stood up alone and replied with a full sense of energy, "Sir, thank you for the reminder. I believe, as you say, that whatever the relationship between the Clumber-Haysom family and the Grumman Group, the friendship that has been built up over the generations should continue. Although the war is over, greed and violence have not died out, and perhaps in our lifetime, we will still join hands on the battlefield to defend our home and country. ”

Although the elder Henry Grumman is not a real soldier, as a high-ranking honorary officer, he has regarded himself as a soldier for many years, and he still condenses that majestic temperament and fortitude and arrogance. He nodded slightly and said nothing more, and his speech was undoubtedly a turning point in the atmosphere and process of this negotiation. After that, Cuarón's sharp attitude was noticeably softened, and the two sides talked calmly for a few rounds, which finally ended in a "peaceful breakup".

Unlike the previous night's grand dinner, the lunch after the meeting was only attended by a small number of people, but Henry Grumman, who had not been there the night before, was present at the farewell lunch. During the dinner, he expressed his admiration for Weiss's indomitable and defeated will during the war, and at the same time, as a father, he thanked him for covering Octavier three times and twice. As for the future of the Clumber-Haysen family and the Lorraine Industrialists' Union, he did not talk much about it, nor did he reveal the intention of helping or cooperating, but only a gesture of gentlemen's friendship as light as water.