The Tyrant Billionaire

As Hardy expected, the number of Businessmen dropped sharply on the second day, with only three or four hundred people showing up. The sales staff were practically providing one on one service.

And today, they only sold over $4 million worth of goods, and the third day saw even less.

Although Hardy wasn't satisfied with this result, Major General Williams was very happy. In just one month, they had sold over $30 million worth of supplies, and he was already very pleased. He even called Hardy to congratulate him.

After hanging up the phone, Hardy thought for a moment and said to Beach, "Although we're still able to sell some supplies each day, I think it's too slow. I'm planning to explore overseas markets."

"Overseas markets? Where?"

"Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Europe, and Asia," Hardy said.

"Andy, start the truck sales plan tomorrow. Run ads in the Global Times and on ABC."

"Got it, boss."

"And also, register a shipping company," Hardy added.

"A shipping company? Are you planning to go into the shipping business now?" Andy asked, surprised.

Hardy smiled. "The U.S. military currently has over 500 Liberty ships of 7,000 tons and more than 100 Victory ships of 15,000 tons. These cargo ships are all rusting away in ports now."

"I plan to take them all over. Even if I don't use them myself, selling them off could still make a profit."

The cost of a Liberty ship was $1.6 million, and a Victory ship was $3.3 million. Why were they so cheap? Because they were welded instead of using mortise and tenon joints, these cargo ships were designed to last only five years, specifically to counter the German wolf pack attacks.

However, Hardy knew that in later years, some of these cargo ships were used for more than 20 years, proving their quality was quite good.

The military was offering them at very low prices—$180,000 for a Liberty ship and $350,000 for a Victory ship, just slightly above scrap metal prices.

Hardy's idea was simple: these cargo ships were so cheap, he would buy them all and put them under the name of his shipping company. However, he couldn't use so many ships himself, so in the future, he could use some for shipping while selling off others, making money from both ends.

As he slowly sold off these cargo ships, the profits could be used to buy new ships, eventually building up a large shipping company under his control.

Even though the Liberty ships were only $180,000 each and the Victory ships were $350,000 each, the large number meant that buying them all would still cost about $170 million.

Fortunately, Hardy had an inherent advantage, he could buy on credit. The sales contract he signed with the military specified that some buyers might not have the money upfront and could defer payment, with a maximum repayment period of up to 10 years.

Hardy estimated that it wouldn't take him 10 years to sell off these ships and possibly make even more money.

Andy noted everything down and started working on these tasks.

The next day.

ABC aired an ad: Hardy Trading Company was preparing to sell a batch of used trucks. The camera showed images of the trucks.

"Low prices: Dodge WC62 trucks, $200 down payment, 10 monthly installments of $50 each. GMC 2.5 ton military trucks, $300 down payment, 10 monthly installments of $50 each. White 666 trucks, $500 down payment, 10 monthly installments of $50 each."

"We guarantee the vehicles are in good condition and include original spare parts. Owning a truck could be the cornerstone of your entrepreneurial journey."

"Hardy Group says that all veterans who show their discharge papers will have the first two months loan payments canceled, an initiative aimed at encouraging veterans to launch their own enterprises."

In this era, freight transportation was still very profitable. Even in later years, truck drivers in the U.S. made good money. However, many people found it difficult to come up with the money to buy a truck. A cheap one still cost over $2,000, which was about a year's salary for an average person.

Expensive ones like the White 666 cost over $5,000 for a new truck, which was beyond the reach of most people.

Now there was an opportunity to buy a truck for one tenth of the price, and many people were immediately tempted. Not many could come up with $2,000, but finding a way to scrape together $200 was more feasible.

As for repaying the loan, once they had the truck, paying $50 a month wasn't hard. After 10 months, the truck would be fully theirs.

The ad ended with: "To purchase a truck, please visit your local Wells Fargo bank to arrange financing. After completing the paperwork, you can pick up your truck from the nearest armory. Only 20,000 trucks are available, and they will be sold on a first come, first served basis."

The Global Times also published the same ad, with content similar to the TV ad.

Not everyone had a television at that time, so newspapers were still the most widely used media. Stay tuned to мѵʟ

White, 26 years old this year, had been working as a loader since he was discharged from the military after World War II. His dream was to own his own truck because he knew how profitable freight transport could be. Since his discharge, he had been saving money, but he only had a little over $600 so far. After all, he had a wife and children to support.

It might take him several more years to save up enough to buy a truck.

When he saw Hardy's ad selling trucks, he immediately got excited. He felt that his dream was within reach.

A second hand truck didn't matter to him he had driven trucks in the army and knew a bit about repairs. He knew these trucks were reliable and would work fine for a few more years.

He rushed home, surprising his wife by coming back at that time of day. "No work today, White?" she asked.

White hugged his wife and kissed her hard.

"Haha, we're about to have our own truck! I'm going to get it right now, and soon we'll be living a good life," he said, rushing inside to grab his savings of over $600 and some documents.