Marvel 1919 : Rise of an Empire

Before dinner, George returned to his villa by car.

Meanwhile, after George left the office, Little Morgan reflected on their earlier conversation.

Even before meeting George, he believed the young man to be intelligent. But after their meeting, he realized he had underestimated him. George had opened the discussion by expressing a willingness to cooperate, which set a positive tone for the rest of the conversation.

George then presented analysis reports on electricity patents, electric start patents, and patents for adjustable seats and headrests. This combination promised to revolutionize the automotive industry and solidified Morgan's determination to acquire the patents.

Previously, Morgan had assumed there was only a battery patent. He intended to acquire it because his family stood to benefit directly. If the acquisition failed, he could resort to lawsuits and other tactics to delay the battery's release.

But now, that strategy seemed impossible. George had revealed his alliance with the DuPont Family to acquire Durant's shares. Though it was an open scheme, if George were to switch sides and support Durant, Morgan's plan would collapse, and the resources invested would go to waste.

Cooperation now seemed inevitable. Yet, the terms George proposed were not decisions Morgan could make alone.

"Young people today are truly something else," Morgan mused, shaking his head. He picked up the phone and dialed the DuPont Family.

"Do you need something?" DuPont asked.

"Yes. I met with that young man named George this afternoon. Our plan might need to change." Morgan then recounted the meeting in detail.

"What are your thoughts?" DuPont asked.

"You might not know yet, but he has now fully acquired Lincoln Company. If we don't cooperate, he could manufacture cars independently. With his technology, he'd seriously impact General Motors."

"Are you suggesting cooperation?"

"Yes. He proposes that we each establish a battery company, and he contributes his technology as equity. These companies would manage and produce batteries. His electric start and other patents could be licensed to GM. However, one of his conditions is that we sell Durant's shares to him at market price and grant him management rights."

"Since you called, I assume there are other demands?"

"Yes. Besides buying Durant's stock, he wants your family to secure a commercial broadcasting license and a broadcasting center for him. He also wants help acquiring a bank."

"Alright. I'll have an appraiser evaluate his patents to determine if the investment is worthwhile," DuPont replied.

Each family had its considerations. The Morgan Family, being influential in the Federal Reserve, could easily facilitate the acquisition of a regional bank.

As for DuPont, the root of the GM stock trap stemmed from an internal family dispute. Acquiring GM had become essential. Given DuPont's reach in agriculture, construction, transportation, banking, and mining, obtaining a broadcasting license would require only political capital. A broadcasting center could be purchased from Westinghouse, a company in which DuPont held shares. These demands were reasonable.

Back home, George reflected on his two demands. Acquiring a bank was for future operations. With his growing company portfolio, having a bank would streamline fund settlements. Presently, all his company's finances go through American Bank. After Groman's repeated interference, George had had enough.

Additionally, many banks had failed this year, making it an ideal time to enter the industry. The next major opportunity would come with the Great Depression, but George couldn't afford to wait ten years.

The broadcasting license was to lay the groundwork for media expansion. George was aware that KDKA radio in Pittsburgh had been established this year. It was the first radio station granted an experimental commercial broadcasting license. KDKA was operated by Westinghouse, where DuPont held shares. With DuPont's influence, acquiring another license wouldn't be difficult.

More importantly, this also touched on the matter of channels.

Radio requires frequency allocation. Future televisions would require manual channel selection. As a future television manufacturer, controlling channel allocation meant controlling the entire industry.

Bands and frequency ranges might seem trivial, but they were crucial. If George controlled channel allocation, others wanting to launch TV stations would depend on him. It would be like running an airline where someone else controls all the flight routes.

Understanding this, George decided it was time to enhance his security.

That evening, George invited Ryan to the study. After pouring him a glass of whiskey, George sat opposite him.

"Uncle Ryan, I need your help with something."

"What is it, George?"

"My companies are growing, and key departments are expanding. I think it's time to establish our security force."

Ryan took a sip. "How do you plan to do it?"

Given this year's economic crisis, many farms and factories have shut down. That means a lot of unemployed people, including many retired soldiers. I want to start a security company and recruit from this group. Uncle Arthur can help with the recruitment."

"That's doable. I'll contact Arthur and handle recruitment."

"It's not just recruitment. You'll also be in charge of training and leading them. You've led troops before, so I trust you completely."

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

"For the first batch, let's keep it small—around 100 people. Include some with experience in communications and logistics. Around 120 total should do."

"Got it. Any specific preferences?"

"Yes. Prioritize men with families, especially those in financial hardship."

"Understood. With the economy in its current state, that won't be hard."

The two chatted a bit longer before turning in.

The next day, George received confirmation from the Morgan Family that they agreed to cooperate. The details and shareholding proportions would be negotiated later. Durant still hadn't relinquished his shares, so more pressure was needed.

George discussed with the two families the idea of publicly announcing the new Lincoln technologies through newspapers. This would further depress GM stock. If Durant wanted to save the company, he'd need to inject more capital and assets.

Both families agreed. George instructed Leland to start promoting the new car, while Paul led the legal team to negotiate the contract terms.

George also shipped out October's batch of wine and received another check for over $1.8 million. Before leaving, he asked Paul to start the process of registering the security company.

George remained in New York for ten days. Returning to school was necessary.

Back at school, George resumed classes while keeping in daily contact with Paul to monitor negotiation progress.

During this time, George worked on earning credits. Unlike modern times, credit requirements were based on exam results rather than course completions. He aimed to finish his biology and other subject credits within the year and planned to devour the school's library.

One day, after class, George approached his new course instructor.

The teacher's name was Amberson "Ambrose" Osborn. George wasn't sure if he was that Osborn, but felt it inappropriate to ask about one's family health or history during a first meeting.

"Hello, Professor Osborn."

"Hello, student. How can I help you?"

"I'd like to apply for a laboratory."

"You've just started college. Isn't it a bit early for that?"

"I've made some interesting discoveries recently and would like to pursue them. I'll fund the research myself, but I need institutional support."

"Can you briefly explain the topic? You'll need to include a reason in your application."

"It's about germs."

"Alright, I'll help you submit the request. Wait for further updates."

"Thank you, professor."

"Of course."

By October 20th, the final contract terms with the two financial groups were nearly complete. GM's stock had fallen below $15 per share. George felt the time was near to pull the trigger. Westinghouse had just obtained the first broadcasting license.

The next time George had Osborn's class, he waited until the others had left.

"Professor Osborn, has the school approved my request?"

Osborn, while gathering his books, replied, "Mostly yes, but a few details remain. Do you have any more classes today? If not, let's visit the Dean."

"No more classes," George replied.

"Great. Let's go."

An hour later, they left the Dean's office.

At the doorway, George said, "Thank you, professor. I'll prepare the contract right away."

"No problem. Happy to help."

They exchanged a few more words before parting ways. George returned to his nearby residence and called Paul. After checking on business matters, he asked Paul to send two lawyers to finalize contracts onsite.

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Dear Readers, the 5 Chapters a day period is over sadly, so now I will be posting 2-3 chapters a day fortunately.

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