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Chapter 66: Strategizing in Europe
🕑 Added 2024-12-07 13:41:34 +0000 UTCJosh had only laid the groundwork for his film company, investing some funds in two movies and leaving the rest to Lyndon and the "industry professionals" to manage independently.
With Lyndon's wisdom and control over personnel and finances, it seemed unlikely that the company would go off the rails. Besides, the so-called "industry professionals" weren't stupid.
In this era of rampant gang activity, unless one had a powerful personal background, any employee who tried to embezzle investors' money had to consider a crucial question: Would they live long enough to enjoy it?
Meanwhile, Josh, freed from the mundane affairs of the film company, chose not to return to Chicago. Instead, he went on a tour of the western region.
Why rush back when he could take his time and relax?
But just as he settled in for a few carefree days, Lyndon Schneider appeared unexpectedly.
"Why do you have time to visit me today?" Josh asked in his study, gesturing for Francesca to get some coffee, then turning to Lyndon.
"Well, while I was sorting through some company documents the other day, I came across a letter from the United Service Organizations (USO)," Lyndon began.
"What? Those guys again?" Josh frowned immediately. He'd already bought over $5 million worth of war bonds in the past year, and he wasn't thrilled with the idea of being constantly targeted.
"No, boss, you're wrong. This isn't about war bonds," Lyndon quickly clarified when he saw Josh's reaction. "It's a public request sent to all the major Hollywood movie studios. They're organizing a large-scale performance tour for troops on the European front, and they're asking companies to send actors to volunteer."
"Oh, that's all? Then let's do it. We still have a lot of actresses under contract from before the merger, right? Spend some money and see if any volunteers are willing to go. No need to involve me in these little things." Josh relaxed as soon as he realized that this wasn't about war bonds.
Although investing in bonds was a guaranteed return, Josh preferred to put his resources into ventures with higher potential profits, given his current financial situation.
"I understand that," Lyndon nodded, "but there's something unusual. Whitney Frost has put in a request to participate."
"Whitney Frost? She's volunteering? That's... patriotic of her," Josh said in surprise. This wasn't a routine domestic tour; performing on the front lines carried considerable risk. Though Germany was in decline, it wasn't completely out of the fight, and Hydra was still formidable despite the relentless attacks of the Howling Commandos.
Given the dangers and poor living conditions - military rations and barracks—most high-profile stars avoided such assignments. Top actors like Whitney, who were still making waves in Hollywood, rarely volunteered for these events. Historically, only Marilyn Monroe was an exception, and that was years later.
"Yes, and she seems reluctant. I was hesitant because, as a leading lady, if something happened to her, it could negatively affect the company," Lyndon explained.
"When is the tour scheduled?" Josh asked, his mind turning to the approaching invasion of Normandy, which he vaguely remembered was scheduled for early June.
"Late May," Lyndon replied immediately.
Josh nodded. "I see. The military is preparing for the D-Day invasion. They want to boost troop morale."
With the war in Europe likely to end in a year or so, Josh's thoughts shifted to post-war Europe. He realized he needed to act before the war ended to secure a share of the spoils. Waiting until the dust settled would leave him behind the big capitalists.
"Let her go. Not just her-Angela will go too. In fact, you and I are going there personally," Josh announced after some thought.
Lyndon was stunned. "Wait, what? I just came to ask about Whitney and now we're all going?"
"Relax. We're not going to fight. We're going to do business," Josh said with a grin. "Contact Dix. Tell him to spend the next few weeks stockpiling goods - food, sugar, textiles, alcohol... and tobacco. Stop selling anything for now; hoard everything."
"Boss, are you saying...?" Lyndon's eyes widened as he realized Josh's intention.
"Exactly. In this time of need, we'll bring the warmth of American generosity to our European friends... at a small cost, of course," Josh said with a mischievous grin.
"But what about transportation? Moving such large quantities to Europe..." Lyndon hesitated.
"That's not your concern. Just concentrate on gathering supplies. Even if you manage to fill all of Chicago, I'll find a way to ship it," Josh replied confidently.
"Yes, boss. I'll get right on it!" Lyndon nodded, saluted, and hurried off to carry out Josh's orders.
After Lyndon left, Josh reached out to both Daenerys and Yuri. Daenerys, who currently ruled Westeros, probably had plenty of surplus supplies. Tobacco, in particular, wasn't essential to daily life, but had a high trade value.
As for Yuri, the Cretaceous period might lack many resources, but one thing it had in abundance was meat - dinosaur meat. Over the past few months, Josh had provided Yuri with industrial equipment that would allow him to independently mine and refine materials that were readily available in the prehistoric era.
With a massive aluminum deposit already under development, Josh figured it was time to send Yuri canning equipment to produce dinosaur meat cans. In the war-torn regions of Europe, where food was scarce, no one would question the origin of the meat in a can.
