Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 324 Indian Labor Issues
After discussing a preliminary countermeasure for the handling of the Songkhla issue and the subsequent response to interference from Thailand and the Straits Settlements,
Mei Dongxing then told another important story.
"The night before yesterday, 30 Chinese Kapitans from the Malay Peninsula, including the Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur, the Kapitan of Perak, and the Kapitan of Terengganu, asked the relatives of Mr. Zhang who stayed in Nanyang to leave a letter for us, claiming that they were willing to cooperate with the Nanyang Corps to jointly expel the Indian colonial soldiers, police, and laborers who entered the Malay Peninsula. In order to persuade the Nanyang Corps to take the lead in the organization, they also prepared 100 taels of silver in advance and promised to pay another million taels of silver as a reward after the matter was accomplished. What do you think of this matter?"

"The central government has just issued an order that peripheral organizations such as the Nanyang Army and the Taiping Society should shrink their sphere of influence in Nanyang. If we intervene in the affairs of the Indian military police and laborers, I am afraid that the British will be more wary of our power, which is contrary to the instructions of the central government. I think we should not agree to their conditions and intervene on behalf of those Kapitans and the indigenous chiefs who support them."

"The British introduced the Indian colonial army and armed police, which first harmed the indigenous chiefs of the Malay Peninsula and the Chinese Kapitans who were dependent on the British. After their power was reduced, our sphere of influence in Southeast Asia was mainly distributed in the two regions of Natuna Islands and Songkhla. The presence of Indian colonial police could not threaten the security of Natuna Islands and Songkhla. I also believe that we should not intervene in the conflict between the indigenous chiefs of the Malay Peninsula, the Chinese Kapitans of the Straits Settlements and the Indian army and police."

"Master Mei, I have a different opinion."

"Brother Chen, please speak."

"The British introduced the Indian colonial army and armed police to balance the power of the indigenous chiefs and Kapitans, to create conflicts and discord among the three forces, and thus to control the growth of the power of the indigenous chiefs and Kapitans, and to achieve the purpose of divide and rule. The indigenous chiefs and Kapitans are all subordinate forces attached to the British. Their conflicts with the Indian military and police have nothing to do with the Nanyang Corps.
However, my Lords, please do not forget another point. The British introduced not only the Indian colonial army and armed police force from India, but also a larger number of Indian laborers. The central government sent troops to garrison in Southeast Asia because it was close to the mainland and had a large number of Chinese immigrants.

In the past decade, the mainland has been in a state of recovery and is in urgent need of young and strong labor. Local Chinese in Southeast Asia and laborers from the mainland have moved to the mainland in batches. Although disasters have occurred frequently in the Central Plains and Jiangnan regions, compatriots who cannot survive in the mainland have continued to go out to sea to make a living, filling the labor gap left by local Chinese in Southeast Asia after migrating to South America.

However, the outflow and inflow of population has always remained in a roughly balanced state. From 1870 to the present, the total number of Chinese in Southeast Asia has not increased significantly. Ten to twenty years later, the country opened up the Pacific route from the mainland to Southeast Asia, and the number of ocean-going transport ships traveling between South America and Southeast Asia increased. The rate of population loss in Southeast Asia may be two, three, or four times the current rate.

Nanyang is the central hub connecting the mainland and the mainland. We Chinese have been going to Nanyang to make a living since more than 200 years ago. Several important cities and mineral production areas in Nanyang were developed after the Chinese came to the local area. Nanyang has a hot climate, plagues, snakes and insects everywhere. The natural conditions are far inferior to the Pampas Plains with fertile land and cool and mild climate all year round.
As the Chinese workers who went to Southeast Asia learned more about their hometown, the number of people willing to stay in Southeast Asia would only account for a small part of the total population. The Chinese population in Southeast Asia was lost or the population stagnated for a long time. The manpower vacancies left behind were either filled by local natives or British workers.

The local natives are lazy by nature. They occupy the land but do not know how to develop it. In the end, they still have to rely on the Chinese to reclaim and develop it. Although Indian workers are not very efficient, they are obedient and docile in nature. In addition, India is close to Southeast Asia and has a large population. Therefore, they are likely to replace their Chinese compatriots and become the largest foreign population in Southeast Asia.

Lord Mei, General Wang, General Li, Lord Liang, I believe that the four of you all understand your Highness's wisdom and bravery. According to the current development speed of the local area and your Highness's great talent and strategy, within 20 years, the local population will surely be two to three times the current one. At that time, the country's comprehensive strength will be far greater than it is now, and the Nanyang region will be more important to the country's development. Your Highness and the other adults in the central government will not always watch Nanyang being controlled by Western powers.
However, if the worst-case scenario continues, and Indian laborers replace the Chinese as the largest foreign ethnic group in Southeast Asia, even if the mainland has the strength to project military power into Southeast Asia, it will be difficult to achieve its goal under the condition that Indian laborers cooperate with Western powers.

"Your Highness does have plans to intervene in Nanyang in the future."

Liang Xing nodded and said, "However, Brother Chen believes that the worry that the continued influx of Indian workers will replace us Chinese and become the largest foreign ethnic group in Southeast Asia is a bit redundant."

"Please Sir Liang, please help me solve my doubts." "There are four reasons."

Liang Xing explained, “First, India has a caste system. The lower-class Indians have no personal freedom. Their migration and overseas immigration require the permission of the landlords and the kings of the princely states. The lower-class Indians are equivalent to the private property of the kings and landlords. Generally speaking, they will not agree to let the lower-class Indians emigrate overseas.

Second, there are hundreds of small states in India.
If an Indian wanted to leave his place of residence, he had to pass through many territories ruled by different princely states and pay taxes set by each territory before he could leave by sea. However, the lower-class Indians had nothing themselves, and it was impossible for them to pay the expenses and taxes for going to sea.

Third, Nanyang was influenced by the Eastern cultural circle, and the people in the coastal areas of Jiangnan had the habit of going to Nanyang. After going to Nanyang, the Chinese were able to quickly gain a foothold there, but the Indians did not have this advantage.

Fourthly, the migration of Indian workers to the Malay Peninsula was not spontaneous, but a passive migration under the leadership of the British. In this case, for each batch of Indian workers that moved in, the colonial government of the Indian Governor-General needed to coordinate with the Indian princes and nobles. After the two parties reached an agreement, they would spend part of the transportation cost to transport people to the Malay Peninsula.

The Straits Settlements were under the leadership of the Governor-General of India. The small-scale influx of Indian laborers could be resolved through coordination between the Indian colonial government and the Indian princely states. However, large-scale labor exports would not only bring about a large amount of cost expenditures, but would also intensify the conflicts between the Indian colonial government and the Indian princely states. In terms of economic and potential political interests, the large-scale export of Indian immigrants was not cost-effective.

Therefore, considering all four factors, it is impossible for the British to introduce Indian laborers on a large scale. However, judging from the current actions of the Straits Settlements Government, the small-scale importation of Indian laborers and the permanent stationing of Indian military and police in the Malay Peninsula are probably a foregone conclusion. The obstruction and opposition of the indigenous chiefs and Kapitans of the Malay Peninsula can only delay the time of their immigration, but it cannot change the British determination.

"We can't accomplish anything by relying on the native chiefs and Kapitans, but using them to stir up conflicts with the British will help improve the situation of the Nanyang Army in Southeast Asia.

Brother Liang, please reject their invitation for me and say that the Nanyang Corps is not strong enough to support their actions. However, in order to show support for their just actions, the Nanyang Corps is willing to give them a batch of German rifles. At the same time, we suggest that they limit the development of the situation and only create trouble for Indian soldiers, police and laborers, and do not expand the matter to the British white colonial army, so as to avoid a difficult end. "

"I understand that the Nanyang Army and the Taiping Society will stay out of conflicts between the native chiefs, Kapitans and the Indian military and police, and will not leave any handle for the British."

(End of this chapter)