章節 789: Chapter 789: Xia Yu's Request
'Mr. Rothschild, in fact, I have long wanted to get in touch with your family, but I just never had the opportunity. I received an invitation from your family the day before yesterday, which I was deeply surprised by. However, I happened to have some very important things to do in the city these past few days, so I had to take the liberty of changing the location. I'm really sorry.'
As soon as he sat down, Xia Yu said apologetically, with a sincere attitude.
Of course, this was just a polite remark. In reality, the past two days had been a breeze for him.
Jacob Rothschild didn't seem to mind, and said with a smile, 'I can understand. I've heard of Mr Xia's name for a long time. My cousin Charles told me about you. You've worked together a few times. He said you're very generous.'
Xia Yu smiled and said, 'I'm honoured by his high opinion of me. I have worked with Mr Charles Rothschild a few times before, and the process was very enjoyable.'
Jacob Rothschild nodded and said meaningfully, 'That's good. In fact, anyone who has worked with our Rothschild family knows that we are very reliable partners.'
'Haha! It's true that you are reliable. How can you not be reliable when you directly chain people up?'
Xia Yu sneered inwardly.
But he gave a thoughtful expression on his face and nodded, saying, 'Yes, Mr. Rothschild, I also look forward to working with you, as long as it is a win-win situation.'
Now Xia Yu had started to dig the pit.
Jacob Rothschild heard what Xia Yu meant, and he smiled, saying directly, "Mr. Xia seems to be saying something else?'
Xia Yu looked surprised and shook his head to deny, saying, "No, when it comes to friends, I have always spoken sincerely.'
Jacob Rothschild pondered for a moment, nodded and said softly, 'Mr Xia is right. Only by being sincere with each other can a friendship last.'
'I think we can become friends!'
Xia Yu smiled and said, "That's what I hope too.'
'Mr Rothschild, is there something you wanted to discuss with me today? I hope I won't cause any trouble for my new friend!'
Jacob Rothschild shook his head and said, "Of course not.'
'In fact, the main reason for inviting Mr. Xia today was to get to know him, and now that purpose has been achieved.'
'The secondary purpose is to cooperate with Mr. Xia. We want to acquire the 5% stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland that Mr. Xia owns as the basis for our cooperation. We will assist Mr. Xia in successfully acquiring the Royal Bank of Scotland, and Barclays Bank will share some of its resources to accelerate the rise of the Royal Bank of Scotland.'
'Only 5% of the equity is actually not much. What do you think, Mr. Xia?'
Xia Yu leaned back, looked at Jacob Rothschild for a few seconds, his smile gradually fading, and asked lightly, 'Mr. Rothschild, before that, I would like to ask a question.'
Jacob Rothschild nodded: "Of course!'
Xia Yu looked into his eyes and asked, "I heard from my subordinates that Barclays Bank has been acquiring shares in Standard Chartered Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland for the past twenty days. I wonder how much you have acquired?'
Jacob Rothschild and Xia Yu looked at each other, pondered for a long time, and then slowly said, 'Currently the shareholding ratios are 15.4% and 36.1% respectively.'
Xia Yu suddenly smiled and shook his head in exclamation, 'Mr. Rothschild, do you know? In order to reap the fruit, I spent more than a year planting the fruit trees, never leaking the news. Just as the fruit was ripe for picking, Barclays Bank appeared. Do you know how I felt?'
'If it were you, how would you feel?'
Xia Yu's sudden mockery was bearable for Jacob Rothschild, but the young man who followed him couldn't stand it.
As the head of the Rothschild family, Jacob Rothschild was sought after everywhere, but now he was mocked by a young man who was even younger than him, which was an insult to the Rothschild family!
'Mr Xia, there are many banks that want to cooperate with Barclays Bank or even be acquired by Barclays Bank, but we don't need to. Standard Chartered Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland are two listed public banks. Are you the only ones allowed to be acquired?'
To this annoyed young man, Xia Yu simply glanced at him and then looked away, looking at Jacob Rothschild with interest, as if he wanted to see how he would react.
I saw Jacob Rothschild's face turn pale, and he said in a stern voice, 'Philip, I shouldn't have brought you here.'
The young man called Philip's face changed, and he wanted to argue a little. He opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't have the courage to speak, and he lowered his head and sulked.
Jacob Rothschild said apologetically, 'Mr. Xia, I'm really sorry. Philip is my nephew, and he has a bit of a hot temper. Please forgive him for being rude.'
Xia Yu smiled slightly and said indifferently, 'It's okay, I understand.'
What do you mean you understand?
Hearing this, Philip Rothschild was even more angry, but he didn't dare to vent it, so he could only lower his head to hide his emotions.
Jacob Rothschild's attitude had changed, and it seemed that he was no longer amiable. He said lightly, 'Mr. Xia, although Philip is hot-tempered, he is right in saying that Standard Chartered Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland are listed companies, so anyone has the right to acquire them, doesn't he?'
Xia Yu shrugged and nodded: 'Of course, that's true.'
'So I'm not going to pursue what happened, I'll just let it go, but why would I sell my shares to you again?'
Jacob Rothschild shook his head slightly and said, 'Mr. Xia, the Royal Bank of Scotland has the right to issue a portion of British pounds. You don't really think you can take over this bank, do you?'
'Even if you manage to take it over, you'll still face a lot of trouble.'
'But if Barclays Bank becomes a major shareholder of the Royal Bank of Scotland, we can solve this problem.'
'We just need to acquire another 5% of the shares to increase our shareholding to more than 40%.'
Xia Yu said, 'Barclays Bank is very strong, but if it were Lloyds Bank, it could also solve this problem. Barclays Bank does not seem to be irreplaceable.'
Just as the atmosphere was a little tense, Xia Yu suddenly smiled again and said, 'Of course the shares are not impossible to sell to you. You said before that we are friends. If I sell the shares to you, then what can you give me?'
'Why don't you sell us the shares of Standard Chartered Bank?'
How could Jacob Rothschild agree to Xia Yu's request? He wanted to hold a partial stake in order to infiltrate Xia Yu's assets and understand Xia Yu's background.
If the shares were sold to Xia Yu, Standard Chartered Bank would become Xia Yu's private property. He would never be able to find out the inside story of Standard Chartered Bank. How could that be possible?
Therefore, Jacob Rothschild shook his head and refused, 'I'm sorry, Mr. Xia, we also have a positive outlook on the future of Standard Chartered Bank, so we will not sell this part of the shares.'
Just as Xia Yu's face turned cold, Jacob Rothschild suddenly said, 'However, the Rothschild family can also help you in other ways. Our Rothschild Bank is very strong in mergers and acquisitions. I heard that you are acquiring Abbott, and we should be able to help in this regard.'
Xia Yu's gaze hardened as he looked straight at Jacob Rothschild.
Jacob Rothschild calmly returned Xia Yu's gaze.
After a long while, Xia Yu said with a hint of mockery, 'It seems that the Rothschild family is very well informed. They even know that I am acquiring Abbott, but I wonder if you know who is causing me difficulties?'
'We don't know that for the time being, but if Mr Xia wants to know, we can help you investigate,' said Jacob Rothschild, pretending not to hear the undertones of Xia Yu's words, and smiling.
Xia Yu couldn't help sneering inwardly. Help with the investigation? Isn't that just finding a scapegoat?
By saying this, isn't Jacob Rothschild trying to show him the muscle of the Rothschild family?
He shook his head and refused, 'That won't be necessary. We have already commissioned Merrill Lynch to help with the acquisition. If there are any more troubles, we will seek help from Morgan Stanley. I have worked with them a few times and the results have been very satisfactory.'
'I have heard that the Rothschild family has a strong influence in the UK, but I haven't had a profound experience. I wonder if Mr. Rothschild can show me?'
'Oh, yes, this is also a basis for cooperation. If you can fulfil my wish, then I will be happy to sell the 5% stake in Royal Bank of Scotland to Barclays Bank.'
Although Xia Yu deliberately mentioned Morgan Stanley, which made Jacob Rothschild unhappy, his request attracted his attention.
Perhaps this is a good opportunity.
Xia Yu is not unyielding, it depends on what he asks for!
I'm not afraid of him asking for anything, I'm just afraid that he doesn't want anything!
Jacob Rothschild asked, 'Please go ahead, Mr. Xia. In the UK, there is very little we cannot do.'
Xia Yu nodded with a smile and said, 'I'm relieved to hear that. Actually, I want to acquire a company.'
'Mr. Rothschild should know that I am interested in the media, and this company is the Mirror Group Newspapers!'
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