As a generation of strongmen who single-handedly built the Ford Motor Empire, Henry Ford Sr. reacted very quickly this time. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 After beating Bennett hard with his cane, old Henry personally sent his number one loyal dog back to the police station. The hapless Bennet was completely abandoned by his master, and even if he was lucky enough not to die, he would have to spend the rest of his life in prison.

After cutting off Bennet, Henry Sr., accompanied by a heavyweight mediator, went to John's office in person. That mediator was the son of President Roosevelt Sr. (Theodore Roosevelt) -- Kermit Roosevelt. When President Roosevelt Sr. was alive, he had a very good relationship with the Vanderbilt family. The two families have been close for decades. William's cousin entered politics under the guidance of Roosevelt Sr., so Kermit's face John had to give.

Moreover, Kermit is not an ordinary person. Although the old lion (Theodore Roosevelt's nickname) was annoyed that his nephew, now President Roosevelt Jr. in the White House, had switched to the Democratic Party, most of his children were strangers to President Roosevelt Jr. But Kermit has always had a good relationship with his cousin of the president, who was about the same age. As one of the few figures who can be recognized by both the Democratic and Republican elites, Mr. Kermit often acts as an intermediary between the two parties. Although he spent most of his time running his own plantation and banking business in South America over the years, he still has a strong presence at HSD.

In the presence of Kermit, the elder Henry apologized to John very shamefully, and the apology he gave was considerable. Not only did he transfer the land of Ford's test site that John coveted for a long time, but he also signed a 10-year transportation contract with FedEx in one go. Of course, this is only an apology for John himself, and if the Vanderbilt family is to be relieved, old Henry will have to pay a greater price.

Obviously, old Henry knew very well where the crux of the matter was. If we want to survive this crisis and minimize the damage, we must first satisfy the Vanderbilt family. Only by first obtaining the understanding of the Vanderbilt family, the "bitter master", can Ford calmly deal with attacks from other sides. However, this deal is not up to John alone, and he will have to wait for Harold, the representative of the family, to come from New York.

That night, Harold flew from New York to Detroit. Before beginning negotiations with Henry Ford Sr., he went to the hotel to meet Kermit. Harold and Kermit are not much different in age, and they are alumni of Groton Middle School and Harvard University, so they can be regarded as friends from childhood to adulthood. So Kermit didn't hide it, and bluntly told Harold that it was the meaning of HSD's top management to let Ford go. After all, the current economic situation is very bad, and once Ford collapses, so many unemployed workers will make a big mess if they don't get it right.

After figuring out Kermit's position and attitude, the next communication was much easier. Two old friends chatted while drinking gin.

"This time I've got your light," Kermit said to Harold with a smile, "Old Henry was very generous, and half sold and half gave me a rubber plantation. It's the one they got in Brazil before, and it's more than 10,000 acres. Do you want me to leave you some share? ”

"Come on, you can keep it for yourself." Harold smiled and refused. He knew that Kermit was hinting to himself that the price offered by old Henry to the middleman was so high, and when he negotiated tomorrow, he could ask for a more ruthless price.

Early the next morning, negotiations officially began. Although Harold and John had already made up their minds, they had to let Ford bleed hemorrhage once. But they were still taken aback by the "sincerity" that old Henry came up with. This old man obviously touched the pulse of the Vanderbilt family, and the chips he took out made them have no way to refuse.

The killer feature prepared by Henry Ford Sr. was a sizable Pennsylvania Railroad stock. Founded in 1846 in Philadelphia, the veteran railroad company has been at odds with the Vanderbilt family's New York Central Railroad since the time of Cornelius Sr.

Especially after the 80s of the 19th century, the two companies fought a vicious price war for a long time, and began to build competing railway lines next to each other's existing railways. John's previous railroad in Cincinnati was a product of that vicious rivalry. It is almost identical to Penn Railroad's famous "Pot Handle Line," which runs from Pittsburgh west to Bradford, Ohio, and then forks into two branches, one north to Chicago and the other west from Cincinnati to St. Louis.

This long-lasting vicious competition made both companies miserable, and it also seriously affected the normal operation of the social economy in the United States at that time. Eventually, Wall Street tycoon J.P. Morgan stepped in and brought the management of both companies to his luxury yacht "Corsair". The yacht sailed back and forth on the Hudson River until Morgan brokered what became known as the "pirate deal."

Although vicious competition has since been banned, the open and secret rivalry between the two companies has continued. For example, the "20th Century Express," a luxury passenger car operated by the New York Central Railroad Company from New York to Chicago, has been in a difficult struggle with the "Avenue Express" of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which runs the same line. These two classes of the most luxurious "tycoon train" in the United States at that time came up with strange tricks in order to compete for celebrity guests, and the posture was not inferior to the competition for celebrity V on the Internet social platform in later generations. The so-called "red carpet courtesy" that became popular in later generations was born in this competition.

For every railroad man from the Vanderbilt family, beating Pennsylvania Railroad is their life's work. Although John knew there would never be such a day. Memories from his past life told him that the competition did not come out until 1968, when the two companies merged with the federal government to form the Pennsylvania Central Railroad.

But Harold didn't know this, he was completely attracted by the chips that old Henry had brought out. It's unclear where he got the stock (I've never heard of Ford buying Penn Railroad stock), but with the shares, and the stakes in some of the minority shareholders that the family has secretly controlled for decades, the Vanderbilt family could have a seat on Penn Railroad's board of directors.

The gift offered by old Henry was so tempting that Harold decided to swallow even the bait. What could be more exciting and satisfying than successfully entering the backyard of an old enemy's house. Harold couldn't wait to see Martin Clement's face when he saw him on his boardroom.

Although John still had some doubts about the origin of this huge stock, Harold could no longer listen to him. However, thinking that once the family entered the board of directors of Penn Railroad, the problem of FedEx's delay in opening the markets of the states along the Mississippi River would be solved, John did not insist anymore.

As soon as an agreement of understanding was reached with Henry Sr., Harold rushed back to New York and began raising funds to buy the stock. Even though the elder Henry gave him a lot of discounts, Harold eventually emptied almost all of the family's liquidity and mortgaged a part of the property to make up the money. After the deal was completed, the entire New York Central Railroad Company was thrilled and celebrated for days. The 20th Century Express also offers a special set menu with French white wine, tuna salad, Boston lobster and deep-sea cod.

It wasn't until a few years later that Harold found out he had been fooled. The owner of this stock is not Henry Ford Sr. at all, but the Morgan family. The Morgan family's deal, done in the name of Henry Sr., successfully swept away most of the Vanderbilt family's liquidity. In the following years, with the covert support of the Morgan family, some of the company's shareholders began to frequently launch some mergers and acquisitions plans for small and medium-sized railway companies. Unable to come up with enough funds to follow up, the Vanderbilt family's stake in the company was also gradually reduced as the New York Central Railroad expanded in size. If it weren't for the outbreak of Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into the war to buy the family a respite, the Vanderbilt family would most likely have completely lost their voice in the New York Central Railroad.

Harold regretted the fact that the family's proud railroad company had almost changed its name to Morgan and become one of the Morgan's vast corporate fleets due to his oversight. This incident later became a hidden pain for his life, and he never let go of it until his death.