Vol 2 Chapter 1022: Let the French have no water to drink

Chapter One Thousand and Twenty Two

Let the French have no water to drink

France Vivendi, a company that can be considered a legend. In 1994, Vivendi was just a water company in France, but four years later, it became the second largest media empire in the world. From the "old-fashioned" water company to the glorious media empire, Vivendi completed A metamorphosis. But because of the rapid expansion, it has planted itself a bane.

In 2000, Vivendi's revenue was as high as 38.6 billion U.S. dollars, ranking 91 among the world's top 500 companies. But after entering 2002, the company's financial statements listed a huge deficit of 34 billion U.S. dollars in debt. In order to fill this huge financial hole, Vivendi had to sell $11 billion in assets within two years to alleviate the serious financial crisis. Otherwise, Vivendi will face the danger of bankruptcy!

At present, Messier, the president of Vivendi, has sold a large number of unhealthy businesses, such as publishing houses such as houghton, al+ technology, seagram art, mp3 websites, and some telecommunications departments. At the same time, including acquisitions during the previous rapid expansion period, but not as good as integration. Asset company. The sale of these companies has brought a lot of cash to Vivendi, but at present, Vivendi still needs about US$4 billion in funds to fill the gap. If it cannot be filled, Messier, the president of Vivendi, who exists like a "myth", will face the danger of being forcibly dismissed.

In fact, in terms of Vivendi’s current debt, Messier should have been fired long ago. It is only because Vivendi has not been able to find the most suitable replacement, coupled with the efficiency brought by Messier in selling these non-performing asset businesses, so many directors of Vivendi decided to give Messier another chance. After all, he was once a hero of Vivendi, and they hope that Messier, a former hero, can lead Vivendi out of the predicament.

However, the board of directors of Vivendi only gave Messier one year, and before the release of the annual financial statements, Messier had to collect 11 billion US dollars to fill this hole. But now, there is only less than one month left. Messier must collect $11 billion in funding before the end of December 2003.

There is still less than one month left!

At this critical time, Lin Feng contacted Messier.

New York, Vivendi's US headquarters.

When Lin Feng walked into the US headquarters of Vivendi in New York, he was quite surprised. The luxury of this Vivendi New York headquarters far exceeds that of the French Vivendi headquarters, and its president Messier is based in New York all year round and rarely returns to the French headquarters. As for company meetings, they are often conducted through video conferences. There have been rumors outside. Sill, the Frenchman, has been Americanized. The reason why he moved his office to New York was to get closer to the Hollywood superstars.

Originally, Lin Feng didn't quite believe these rumors, but after stepping into Messier's luxurious office, Lin Feng believed it. Seeing pictures of Messier and Hollywood superstars hanging on the walls, Lin Feng must admit that these rumors from the outside world are true, at least partly true.

"Mr. Lin, hello!" Although Messier was embarrassed on all sides, his eyes still showed absolute confidence.

Lin Feng smiled.

"Mr. Messier, hello! You should be very clear about my intentions!" Lin Feng put the already prepared contract at Messier's table.

Messier tapped his fingers lightly on the desktop. Before Lin Feng had come to a simple contract, it showed that Lin Feng wanted to buy Blizzard Entertainment for US$1.2 billion.

US$1.2 billion is a capital that should not be underestimated for the current Vivendi company. It plays a key role in Messier’s capital return plan in this final stage. But Messier felt that selling Blizzard for $1.2 billion was too cheap.

1.8 billion dollars! ——Messier made his offer. This is a relatively reasonable price.

"Mr. Lin, although Vivendi is currently in trouble, I can still tell which assets are bad assets and which are good assets. Vivendi is by no means a supermarket!" Messier said.

During this period of time, due to the huge debt crisis, Vivendi sold a lot of assets, which also attracted companies from various countries to take advantage of the fire, such as holding one of the largest educational publishing houses in the United States, Holden-Mifflin Publishing, It was sold to Thomas.h Lee Alliance and Bain Investments for US$1.68 billion. The transaction price was a full US$500 million lower than the purchase price of Vivendi Global a year ago, and of course there are more. In short, Vivendi has become the "sweet pastry" in the mouth of the outside world for a while. This makes Messier, who has always been extremely self-adoring, extremely dissatisfied.

Now that Lin Feng wants to take Blizzard away for a mere US$1.2 billion, it is absolutely impossible.

Lin Feng smiled. The offer of 1.2 billion is just a bargain for Messier. Is Blizzard only worth 1.8 billion US dollars? ——Lin Feng smiled. As long as World of Warcraft comes out, Lin Feng believes that within three years, the profits it generates can be earned back.

However, Lin Feng did not agree to Messier's "big lion opening", Lin Feng has other plans.

"Mr. Messier, I got a rumor that if you can't collect 11 billion U.S. dollars at the end of the month, you, the legendary hero of Vivendi, will be taken by the board of directors..." Lin Fengkou tweeted. I believe Messier already understands what it means.

"What do you mean!" Although Messier*, although extremely cult of personality, did not get angry at Lin Feng's words, because he heard the overtones in Lin Feng's words.

"It's very simple. Blizzard sold me $1.2 billion, and I will help you solve the remaining funding problems." Lin Feng snapped his fingers and said.

Messier frowned!

If according to Lin Feng, Messier sold Blizzard in exchange for US$1.2 billion in cash, then there is still US$2.8 billion to fill this huge hole, then Lin Feng will help him provide US$2.8 billion in cash? How does Lam Fung prepare to do it.

"Mr. Messier, you should know that I have three banks, the Second Bank, the Bank of East Asia, and the Standard Bank of South Africa. I believe that providing billions of dollars for Vivendi is not a big problem. "Lin Feng said with a smile.

"Price!" Messier said in a deep voice. There is no free lunch in the world. At present, Vivendi has been downgraded from bbb1 (average reputation, basic ability to pay, slightly risky) to b3 (poor reputation, ability to pay in the near future) by Moody's, a world-renowned rating agency. Instability, there is a lot of risk), it can be said to be **** reputation. At this time, Linfeng’s bank is still willing to inject capital into Vivendi, which would take a considerable risk. Taking such a big risk to inject capital, Lin Feng would naturally not be here to do good deeds. There must be a conspiracy!

"Mr. Messier, I want you to use 20.4% of the Vivendi Environmental Protection Company's stock and 12.34% of the NBC company owned by Vivendi as a collateral!" Lin Feng stared at Messier and said.

Messier frowned! He had thought that Lin Feng would have a plan, but he didn't expect Lin Feng's request would be so weird. Vivendi Environmental Protection Company, formerly the largest water company in France, supplies most of the residents of France with domestic water, garbage disposal, and environmental protection business. From Vivendi's point of view, this is quite an "old-fashioned" industry. Why does Lin Feng, the IT elite, want such a "old-fashioned" industry?

As for "nbc" (National Broadcasting Corporation), Messier very much approves of Lin Feng's request, which is in Lin Feng's interest. Lin Feng himself owns "Second Entertainment", involving industries such as television, film, and recording, and Lin Feng also owns the "fsn-houston" TV station. If he could own shares in the "nbc" company, it would be quite a lot for Lin Feng. The supplement is enough to bring Lin Feng's "second entertainment" to a higher level.

However, only 2.8 billion US dollars want Messier to agree to such a contract, which is obviously not enough.

"Mr. Lin, I request a capital injection of 7 billion U.S. dollars! If the bank under your consortium can loan 7 billion U.S. dollars to Vivendi, I will agree to your terms!" Messier said in a deep voice.

After 7 billion U.S. dollars is deducted to fill the hole of 11 billion U.S. dollars in cash, Vivendi still has 4.2 billion U.S. dollars in working capital, which is enough to make Messier come back again! This time Messier was isolated by the board of directors and issued a time-limit order. Messier considered it a shame and shame, and he must take revenge.

Lin Feng was stunned. He didn't expect Messier to ask for a capital injection of 7 billion US dollars. However, this is not a big problem for the three banks under Lin Feng. Of course, it can't be so cheap Messier, cheap Vivendi. It's Messier's Good Friday. If Lin Feng doesn't take the opportunity to knock down, he would be too sorry for himself.

In the end, after some arduous and short-term bargaining, Lam Fung’s “Second Bank”, “Bank of East Asia”, and “South African Standard Bank” jointly invested US$7 billion to fund Vivendi with a 3.2% low-interest loan. . Vivendi has used 20.4% of Vivendi’s stocks in the environmental protection company, 12.34% of the nbc stocks, and 5% of Vivendi’s own stocks as collateral. Of course, these are mainly Vivendi’s stocks and Nbc stock is valuable. If Vivendi cannot repay the loan by that time, its company stock is worthless, and 5% of the stock is naturally worthless.

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Of course, what Lin Feng has gained even more is that Messier agreed to sell Blizzard to Lin Feng for $1 billion. This is also the balance of this financing agreement. Nowadays, Vivendi’s credit is unable to lend a huge amount of US$7 billion, so if Lin Feng shows his sincerity, Messier must show his sincerity. Therefore, Messier gave Lin Feng another discount on the sale of Blizzard.

Messier thinks it's worthwhile for a company that has launched a game for several years in exchange for a $7 billion loan! Moreover, if Messier wants to continue to sit in the position of president of Vivendi, the financial assistance of Linfeng's banks is indispensable. It can be said that Messier has no choice.

But when this news came out, the world was shocked.

Vivendi’s debt crisis has always been the focus of attention from the outside world, especially Messier because of his legend, leading the outside world to speculate whether Messier will step down and whether Messier will complete his salvation. But the outside world generally thinks that Messier is over! If Vivendi wants to regain his strength, he must replace the *, autocratic, and extremely self-adoring Messier.

Unexpectedly, just as the outside world believed that Messier's resignation had been confirmed, things took a surprising turn. No one thought that Lin Feng would suddenly help Vivendi.

7 billion U.S. dollars to fund Vivendi! In the eyes of the outside world, this is simply absurd. A company with a debt crisis of 34 billion US dollars and a bloated organization. After repeated large-scale financing and mergers and acquisitions, a company that has not been integrated and digested is not worth investing in. Not to mention 7 billion US dollars, or 70,000 US dollars invested in it is a waste. Especially with the existence of Messier, the "lone wolf", it is impossible for Vivendi to see the light of day again.

However, Lin Feng funded Vivendi, and it was 7 billion U.S. dollars. This makes the outside world very confused, very confused.

The media from various countries also criticized this commercial behavior ruthlessly, believing that Lin Feng was fainted and would invest 7 billion U.S. dollars in Vivendi, believing that Lin Feng’s irrational and reckless investment would It has brought a lot of non-performing assets to its own "Second Bank", "Bank of East Asia", and "South African Standard Bank", and may even harm the three banks in the future.

(Some consortia in the world are also paying close attention to the Linfeng investment event! Regarding Linfeng's investment, they pay considerable attention to it and keep calculating!)

In contrast to European and American countries' attacks on Lin Feng, the French media sang Lin Feng's praises, thinking that Lin Feng is France's best friend. Since the rise of Vivendi, Vivendi has become the pride of France, and it has become the world's second largest media empire in four years. This is an achievement that no one can imagine. This makes the "Gaul Rooster" French proud. But the Vivendi crisis that broke out last year made the French frustrated. This former miracle company is facing the threat of bankruptcy, which really embarrassed the proud French.

Fortunately, now that the appearance of Lin Feng has saved Vivendi, the French naturally have a good impression of Lin Feng. Even French President Nicolas Sarkozy claimed-Lin Feng, a Chinese, may have made the most correct decision in his life. He paid 7 billion US dollars, but what he gained was the friendship of the French.

Sarkozy even threatened to invite Lin Feng to dinner if he had the opportunity to discuss the deeper cooperation between the two sides.

For Sarkozy's invitation, Lin Feng just smiled without saying a word, and did not respond. With this investment, Lin Feng has achieved his goal, but I am afraid that the outside world simply does not know the real purpose of Lin Feng's trip.

Lin Feng is willing to invest this time for three purposes: one is to acquire Blizzard, the other is Vivendi Environmental Protection Company, and the third is the goodwill of France.

Now, Lin Fengneng has acquired Blizzard at a price of US$1 billion, and Lin Feng's first goal can be described as super perfect.

As for the coveting of shares in Vivendi Environmental Protection Company, it is very strange to the outside world. I don't understand why Lin Feng wants to acquire shares in Vivendi Environmental Protection Company. This has nothing to do with Lin Feng's industry.

Indeed, the shares of Vivendi Environmental Protection Company have nothing to do with Linfeng's company, but it is related to China. After Lin Feng's rebirth, with the development of his career and the broadening of his horizons, he has a new understanding of the world. Since entering the 21st century, this world will be a hot, flat and crowded world.

The world is "hot" because the burning of various fossil fuels, as well as the application of various electrical appliances and vehicles, has caused the average temperature of the world to continue to rise, making the earth hotter and hotter.

To say that the world is "flat" is because of the rise of the Internet, which allows communication without limits, so that everything in the world can be connected through the Internet.

To say that this world is "crowded" is because of the population explosion. The earth has begun to be unable to afford the various impacts brought about by the population explosion, such as the environment and humanities.

In particular, China is the most populous country in the world, and it is also a country with rapid economic development. Scientists once predicted that if China maintains a population of 1.3 billion and its economy reaches the current level of the United States, the world will become a furnace, and at the same time, China will become an uninhabitable country. Because of China's massive carbon emissions, it will cause the world's temperature to rise sharply. If 1.3 billion people own a car, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a microwave oven, a washing machine and other American living standards per capita today, the carbon emissions of that day will be an extremely scary figure.

While economic development brings a lot of carbon emissions, it will also bring about a lot of environmental pollution problems. Regarding carbon emissions, Lin Feng cannot solve it. Unless Linfeng Energy develops new energy sources, it will not be able to solve this problem. After all, the country wants to develop and the people want to be prosperous. If anyone blocks it, the people will abandon it.

Since carbon emissions cannot be changed, Lin Feng hopes to make more efforts in environmental protection. And France is undoubtedly the world's leading country in environmental protection technology, and its technology for environmental protection is leading in the world. And Vivendi Environmental Protection Company is a leader in France. If Lam Fung acquires Vivendi Environmental Protection Company, it will bring France's leading environmental protection technology back to China, so that China's environment will no longer be ruined by the rapid economic development. Lam Fung hopes that in the future, Chinese people will not be able to drive cars and fly by planes. At that time, the entire motherland was in a mess.

What's more, this also allows Lin Feng to get involved in the domestic livelihood industry. Once formed into a scale, Linfeng will become the largest environmental protection company in China, and Linfeng's own influence will be far from comparable. Once you master the people's livelihood industry, it will be equivalent to owning a "death-free gold medal."

Today, as long as the French Vivendi Company cannot repay the loan by that time, Lin Feng will be able to own 20.4% of the Vivendi Environmental Company and become the largest shareholder. All this is perfect. As for whether Vivendi can repay the loan when it is due, Lin Feng is really not worried. With Messier, a dictatorial, and extremely self-adoring person, Vivendi will not be able to recover from the crisis. It can be said that Lin Feng's $7 billion loan is not saving Vivendi, but pushing it into the abyss of bankruptcy.

As for the third purpose, the goodwill of France. Sarkozy's invitation has said everything. Lam Fung can be said to be one of France's best friends at the moment, and for France's goodwill, in addition to facilitating the acquisition of Vivendi Environmental Protection Company in the future, Lam Fung is also preparing for 2008!

Lin Feng is a Chinese and proud of being a Chinese. But in some cases, being a descendant of Yan Huang is also quite sad. For example, the "Carrefour Incident" in 2008.

The cause of the "Carrefour Incident" was that the Chinese Olympic torchbearers were attacked by certain criminals during the transmission in France, but the French government received these criminal leaders. This made the Chinese people very dissatisfied at that time. But for some reasons, the country cannot take any radical actions. Chinese people can only vent their grief and indignation on the Carrefour Supermarket, the symbol of France in China.

Therefore, there was a "Carrefour" boycott. At that time, Lin Feng did not participate. This is because there was no Carrefour supermarket in Chu City; secondly, the address Carrefour was useless. Although Carrefour is a French brand and the second largest retail chain in the world, to be honest, the things in Carrefour are all domestically produced. Resisting it and resisting it does not cause much loss to Carrefour itself. And even if the boycott is successful, it doesn't mean anything.

On the contrary, it will appear that the Chinese people are very sad! Of course, Lin Feng didn't think that this kind of patriotism was bad, but that his strength was useless. But for most Chinese, how to express their patriotism can only be reflected through these small things.

There is no right or wrong to boycott Carrefour, nor is it too extreme, just a little helpless!

But Lin Feng is no longer an ordinary person, but he has a patriotism. For an event such as the Olympics, it is even more glorious. Lin Feng hated the criminals who attacked the Olympic torchbearers. Of course, he has no liking for the French government. Back then, I couldn't do anything, but now it's different.

Therefore, Lin Feng started the layout ahead of schedule. Goal-2008, use personal power to defend our country's inviolable national prestige!

Of course, this behavior will definitely cause Lin Feng a lot of trouble. But everything just needs to be hidden, not to mention that Lin Feng never intends to transfer his assets to France, and the acquisition of Vivendi Environmental Protection Company is ready for everyone to fall apart in the end.

If you want to humiliate our country, I will let you most people in France have no water to drink, and no one handles garbage! ——Lin Feng set his ambition in his heart.

Of course, it was still early, and Lin Feng didn't have enough chips. But it's still early, Lin Feng still has plenty of time to make arrangements!

Of course, Lin Feng didn't tell anyone about this plan. This plan is crazy, if you tell anyone, I am afraid that Lin Feng will be regarded as a lunatic. Therefore, Lin Feng could only hide the plan in his heart and act in a legal coat.

Fortunately, everything went well because of the $7 billion loan.