America's Road to Wealth

Some people say that in the United States, only New York is a big city, and the rest are in the countryside.

According to this standard, in the UK, except for London, which is a big city, everything is in the countryside.

This is probably the case in the eyes of Londoners.

Early August 2001.

The Times published a report that made most British people angry after reading it.

When the Thames is mentioned, the first thing that Chinese people think of is the Thames, the mother river of London.

By extension, most Chinese people would also think that The Times means The Times.

Not really.

The English name of "The Times" is The Times, and the Chinese literal translation should be "Times" or "Times".

However, its Chinese translation has become the same as "Thames", which has a similar pronunciation but has no connection.

Due to convention, this mistranslation has been preserved in the Chinese dynasty to this day.

There are many newspapers named Times around the world, such as The New York Times.

To distinguish it, The Times is sometimes called The Times of London by English speakers.

Another piece of trivia is that The Times is the first newspaper in the world named after "Times".

This is also the reason why British people say that newspapers such as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times were actually copycat versions of The Times in the beginning.

August 2, 2001.

The Times by News Corp UK.

An article titled "Are the Americans going to buy Britain?" was published. 》News.

The story was the headline on page two, not the front page.

This shows that The Times still has some scruples

【.As we all know, the United States of America was originally the thirteen North American continents of the Great British Empire, and later】

【.In late July of this year, an American businessman named Abel Smith came to London. This Mr. Smith's great-grandfather's great-grandfather's grandfather set out from Plymouth on September 16, 1620.]

【..Three hundred and eighty years later, the descendants of Mr. Ander Smith returned to London. He only came to London for less than half a month and almost bought most of London. 】

[.Let us see what this descendant of Mr. Under Smith bought in London. 】

[Newspapers: "Daily Telegraph", "Daily Mail", "Daily Express", "Daily Star", "Glasgow Herald".]

[Magazines: "New Scientist", "New Society", "Women's Circle". What are these? These are the newspaper companies that Mr. Smith purchased in London in ten days. According to calculations by professional accountants, these newspapers cost Mr. Smith a total of about 1.5 billion pounds. 】

[The expenditure of 1.5 billion pounds has made Mr. Smith’s British Smith Media one of the top media giants in the British Isles]

[Do you think Mr. Smith only buys newspapers? No, he bought a lot of things! Just look below to find out. 】

[Except Smith Media. Mr. Smith founded New Start UK Real Estate Company in the UK. The company started shopping frantically in London, and within a week, the average price of the entire London luxury market rose by five percentage points. 】

[Have you ever heard of "Kensington Palace Gardens"? You may not have heard of it, but let me tell you, it is at No. 1, Palace Garden Street, Kensington, and it is worth 80 million pounds! 】

[Maybe you don’t know Kensington Palace Garden Villa, but you may have heard of “Strawberry Hill Villa”. Maybe you haven’t heard of Strawberry Hill, but many of you should have seen The Castle of Otranto. 】

["The Castle of Otranto" is the originator of Gothic novels. Strawberry Gables is the former residence of Mr. Walpole, the originator of Gothic novels. 】

[Strawberry Hill Villa has a long history. It is dilapidated, but it has unparalleled historical value. The World Monuments Fund has listed it as one of the 100 endangered monuments in the world this year. 】

[It now also belongs to Mr Smith, who paid just £15 million for it. Because of subsequent maintenance and repairs, it may require another 15 million pounds. No one wants to pay for it, but Mr. Smith does, and it's his. 】

【.Newspapers, luxury real estate, do you think he only bought these? 】

【No! This gentleman bought 52% of the shares of MUPLC Group in a short period of time. MUPLC Group is a listed company. Yesterday, this gentleman launched a comprehensive tender offer for this company. 】

[Many people may not know what MUPLC means? So let me tell you, MUPLC is the English abbreviation of "Manchester United Limited Liability Company"! Yes, MUPLC is Manchester United! 】

[This gentleman from the United States has become the largest shareholder of the Red Devils. And is seeking to privatize the Red Devils and turn it into his own team. With the financial resources displayed by Mr. Smith, this process must not be difficult. 】

[When Mr. Smith announced the comprehensive acquisition offer yesterday, the market value of Manchester United Group on the London stock market was 420 million pounds. I believe Mr. Smith can get this little money. 】

【.】

This article is very long.

A detailed list of the investments made by Abel Smith in the UK within a very short period of time.

If the British News Corporation had not paid special attention to Abel, it would not have been possible to achieve this level.

Being able to compile such a detailed form in such a short time and so quickly.

In addition to the reason that these transactions are all public and have been announced to the outside world.

It is also related to the fact that the British News Corporation paid special attention to Abel, and the Times paid special attention to Abel.

This also means that the American News Corporation, the controller of the British News Corporation, attaches great importance to Abel!

In other words, Murdoch was a little nervous about Abel coming to London.

What are you nervous about?

Nervous Abel launched a sweep in the British media industry, shaking News Corporation's position in the British and European media circles.

In fact, Murdoch is right to be nervous.

It had only been a few days since Abel arrived.

The British Smith Media Group is already in the scale and sales of newspapers.

Is it almost on par with, or even a little beyond, News Corp UK?

What if Smith Media UK buys a few more TV stations next?

That News Corp and two other local media giants.

We have to hold our noses and watch new competitors squeeze into their original ecological niche.

However, it didn't matter whether it was Murdoch or the two local snakes.

They have no resistance at all to Abel's krypton gold-buying entry method.

When Murdoch came in, he played the same way.

Krypton gold is the simplest and most effective technique.

If Abel were from another country.

For example, neon, China, or even other European countries.

If these non-Five Eyes, that is, non-Ansa-dominated countries, want to come in.

Murdoch and others may still be able to find ways to suppress it from the level of the London government.

But Abel Smith is an American. It is Amelia, the five-eyed big brother, who is more authentic than Murdoch's home country of Australia.

The British Isles have already begun to treat themselves as little brothers.

There is no resistance to the invasion of conjugated fathers and sons from North America in this regard.

Murdoch could not rely on official power, because British officials simply did not dare to exclude Abel from Wall Street.

Murdoch can only focus on inciting public opinion and the British people.

See if you can create some obstacles for Abel through these leeks.

At best it can be a hindrance, because the British people are the same as the American people -

It only plays a small role in elections, tax payments, and consumption.

Since he is a leek, there is only a little obstacle that can put pressure on Abel.

After the Times initiated a report in this area.

The newspapers of several large media groups in the British Isles also quickly followed suit.

Originally, they were afraid of offending Abel on Wall Street.

But now that Murdoch has done it, they still have the courage to follow suit.

Under the encouragement of these media.

For a time, ordinary British people felt like a "wolf is coming".

People who don't know, think that Abel really wants to buy all of London.

In fact, Abel spent almost 4 billion pounds in the UK in only about ten days.

Based on the current exchange rate of 1 pound to 1.45 U.S. dollars, this is almost an investment of 5.8 billion U.S. dollars.

This amount of money is not small, but it is still one hundred and eighty thousand light years away from buying London.

There are not many melons from Huangtai who gave money more than ten years later.

That is to say, the British media community briefly united to launch a small counterattack against the newly intruding giants.

However, this formation made Abe Smith, who was already well-known in the UK, suddenly become even more famous.

Many British people suddenly regarded him as the richest man in the United States.

If he wasn't the richest man in the United States, how could he be so rich?

A very simple understanding, almost mindless and without common sense.

But in the UK, or rather in the US and most of Europe and America.

Most ordinary European and American people are like this.

at this time.

1366 Paddington Avenue, Paddington, West End, London.

There is a building here that is not very high, only 15 floors.

This building is regarded as a sacred place in the eyes of many racing fans around the world.

When many racing fans come to London to travel, they will immediately go to the front of this building to take photos with it.

Because this building is only fifteen stories high, its name is "F1 Building".

Yes, this is an ugly building. It is one of the most popular sports events in the world and the headquarters building of F1 Holdings, the main controller of Formula 1 racing.

However, some people believe that F1's real headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. Because that is the headquarters of the International Automobile Federation, which is also the headquarters of the FIA.

Strictly speaking, both arguments are valid.

Because it is the FIA ​​that formulates the rules for Formula 1 racing.

The enforcement of these rules, organizers of competitions, as well as commercialization and other aspects are handled by F1 Holdings.

Neither party can lose the other, and F1 has been developing very well.

Bernie Ecclestone, the actual controller of the F1 racing car, works in this building.

August 3rd.

There is no race today. Bernie Ecclestone, the behind-the-scenes controller of F1, comes to the F1 building to work as usual.

Bernie is an energetic, seventy-year-old man with a crazy obsession with neatness.

Everything in his office is neat, very clean, and very symmetrical.

It is said that Bernie even demanded that the F1 world be equally tidy.

For example, all transport vehicles parked in the parking lot must be arranged in a line, and the distance between them cannot exceed 5 centimeters.

When Bernie came to work today, he found that the newspapers placed on his desk were not neatly placed.

This is usually the job of his secretary.

Bernie Ecclestone's former secretary returned home to have a baby and resigned.

Last month, the company hired a new secretary for him, who is a business school graduate from Cambridge University.

Bernie Ecclestone was in the office and immediately cursed:

"He is also said to be a top student who graduated from Cambridge University! If he can't even do neat things, how can he do a good job if he's not tidy enough?"

Thinking about firing the secretary, the white-haired old man sat down and finished the newspaper.

While sorting the newspapers, Bernie Ecclestone raised his eyes and saw the headline on the "Daily Express" in front of him.

This title is too sensational, mainly to the ears of Bernie.

Because the title is "F1 is about to change ownership?" Smith from the United States buys a formula car"!

Bernie Ecclestone brought the paper over immediately.

He moved so quickly that he knocked over the pile of newspapers, which didn't look neat at all.

But at the moment, Bernie Ecclestone didn't care if they were neat or tidy.

What Bernie is more concerned about is why the "Daily Express" is telling such "nonsense".

Bernie Ecclestone glanced at a report and quickly skimmed it.

After reading it, the F1 czar broke out in a cold sweat.

"Why didn't you notify me! Why didn't you notify me! Farke! Farke! Farke!"

After struggling for a long time, Bernie Ecclestone gritted his teeth and stood up.

He picked up the company phone on the table and dialed.

The call was quickly answered.

"Kerry!"

Once connected, Bernie Ecclestone shouted:

"Why didn't Kirsch Group tell me that SELC's shares were sold? As you know, I have always been interested in SELC's shares and I have always wanted to privatize it!"

Responding to Bernie Ecclestone was the unhurried voice of Kerry Kirsch, senior president of the Kirsch Group.

"Bernie, for the sake of our past friendship, I am willing to answer these two questions of yours. The first question is why I didn't notify you."

"I'm sorry, this was an oversight on the part of the Kirsch Group, and I would like to apologize to you."

Bernie Ecclestone wants to give Kerry Kirsch a bad rap.

How could you forget something like this?

Even if Kerry Kirsch and other Kirsch executives forgot.

People in their company will definitely remind them.

Because according to laws and regulations, when a shareholder sells company shares, other shareholders of the company have the right to know.

But if it's violated, it's no big deal.

That means fines, hundreds or thousands of pounds.

Bernie Ecclestone could only grit his teeth and say gently:

"But Kerry, why doesn't Kirsch Group sell me its shares? You know I'm interested."

"Your offer is too low, Bernie. You are only willing to offer 500 million euros, and you even have to pay it in installments. It is impossible for the Kirsch Group to agree."

Bernie Ecclestone finally had enough.

He held up the phone receiver and yelled at Kerry Kirsch across from him:

"Then you can't sell stocks to Americans! God knows how much I hate that guy! You know what? The doctor said that I had a heart bypass surgery and it was best not to fly or travel long distances, but last month , but I."

"Dududu~"

Bernie Ecclestone's roaring voice was interrupted by a busy signal on the phone.

Kerry Kirsch hung up the phone.

boom!

Bernie was so angry that he smashed the phone on the desk. The force was so strong that the entire phone flew away, and also made a mess of other pen holders, decorations and documents around it.

Not neat at all.

After taking a breath for a while, Bernie knew that it was useless to be angry now. The most important thing now was to consolidate his power.

"There is still a way out... There is still a way out."

Bernie Ecclestone was talking to himself, as if to encourage himself.

SELC is the parent company of F1 Holdings and Management Company.

It’s true that I only hold 25% of SELC’s shares.

But the most valuable thing about F1 is mainly the recognition of the brand and the participating teams, and the certification of the FIA.

It doesn't matter if the SELC company is lost, it doesn't even matter if the F1 holding company is lost.

As long as those teams and the FIA ​​are willing to support me, then I still have a chance to make a comeback!

Bernie Ecclestone calms down.

He hurriedly found the telephone contact information of those F1 team principals.

Then he picked up the phone he had smashed on the ground and wanted to make a call.

But he found that the phone seemed to be broken and had been smashed by him just now.

With phone book in hand, Bernie Eccles headed outside.

He wanted to contact the team owners as soon as possible and contact Geneva.

Bernie is unwilling to give in to the "betrayal" of the Kirsch Group and will never accept it.

As soon as Bernie opened the door to his office, he heard the anxious voices of company employees coming from outside.

"Who are you? Who are you? How can you break in? If you come in again, we will call the police. Security, where is the security?"

Bernie heard that it was his secretary who graduated from Cambridge University and was resisting the entry of outsiders.

One of the true founders of F1, among the outsiders, Smith stood out from the crowd.

Bernie's heart suddenly sank. He stood at the door of the office and looked at the visitor expressionlessly.

Bernie, a secretary who graduated from Cambridge University, was speechless when he saw the other party's entourage and the equity certificate displayed.

Soon the other party came to Bernie Ecclestone.

The little old man, who is only 163cm tall, has to look up to see Abel's expression.

Alan Baker revealed the share certificate to Bernie Ecclestone - "Mr. Bernie Ecclestone. On behalf of my authorized person, Abel Smith, as the absolute controlling shareholder of SELC , remove you from all positions in the F1 holding company and management company."

"I reject!"

Even though he knew it was impossible, Bernie Ecclestone still wanted to persevere.

He thinks he still has a chance to make a comeback.

"Go to court. Unless the court judges me, I will never back down! F1 is mine and it will always be mine."

said the stubborn old guy.