Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 132: Kiichiro Toyoda's Choice
Silent all night.

With such a big event happening, Kiichiro Toyoda didn't sleep much that night. He was waiting in vain for his subordinates far away in Japan to send him a telegram to convey something. Unfortunately, there was no reliable information.

Although he also knew that it was useless to be anxious and it would not change anything, it would be better for him to sleep well and wait for the exact news the next day.

But I still can't help it.

At this time, the more anxious he was, the more impossible it was for him to return to Japan.

What if, he meant what if those lunatics from the Imperial Way faction succeeded, would they let him go? Would they kill his entire family?
The Imperial Way Faction has a revolutionary color of color society. Once they really take power, who knows how they will deal with these chaebols?

If Prince Yongren became Emperor Yongren, would he show leniency to these chaebols and show them mercy?
Hey ~
How did Japan become like this?

Kiichiro Toyota only slept for three or four hours throughout the night before waking up. He had an appointment with Zheng Yi at noon. He now felt more and more that his partner Zheng Yi was no ordinary person and mysterious.

Would he know something?

I went out early and went to the Japanese community to talk to other Japanese people about their views on yesterday's mutiny.

But the result was something he never expected. He walked around the entire Japanese community and spent more than half an hour in the breakfast shop. Among the 100,000 Japanese residents, he didn't even see one who cared about Emperor Hirohito's life or death!
Only occasionally would someone bring up the matter during a conversation, wondering whether Emperor Hirohito was dead or alive, and then they would quickly forget about it. Everyone was discussing the China Merchants Group's recruitment rewards and the five social insurances and one housing fund.

"Hey, my brother-in-law is good at carpentry. Do you think carpentry is considered a craft?"

"If carpentry is considered a skill, then my second aunt's cousin is also a tailor, so isn't he even more of a skill?"

"Just go and ask, what if he's considered a technician?"

"It doesn't matter whether it counts or not. I was planning to bring him here. Japan is such a lousy place, it's nowhere near as good as Penang."

"That's right, Emperor Hirohito, no, that old bastard Hirohito, didn't even consider us as his subjects."

"You're right. Japan is finished. The upper class aristocrats monopolize wealth, and the lower class civilians are radicalized and crazy. It's terrible. How can there be such a terrible country in this world?"

"Compared to Mr. Zheng, Hirohito is a piece of shit."

Kiichiro Toyoda: "…………"

What was even more difficult for Kiichiro Toyoda to accept was that although it was only for one night, photos of Emperor Hirohito were now hung everywhere on the streets of Penang.

However, without exception, these photos were all painted with graffiti that deliberately vilified Hirohito's turtle face, dog feces and other messy graffiti, and insulting words about him were written in both Chinese and Japanese.

It is said that the recruitment work at China Merchants Group has already started.

There was no formal requirement, but it was true that every Japanese who signed up to join the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company would deliberately curse Emperor Hirohito loudly in both Chinese and Japanese after signing up.

Whether they can express their feelings and express their skills in Chinese becomes the key for them to demonstrate their Chinese proficiency.

Kiichiro Toyota was at a loss for words and felt a bit of a tightness in his chest.

After all, he was a member of a generation that was educated in loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. Now, the Imperial Guards had mutinied, and the Emperor's life and death were uncertain. He saw so many of his compatriots humiliating the Emperor in this way, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

Of course, it is understandable.

After all, Penang is a Chinese city and Zheng Yi himself is a Chinese.

Even if everyone rushes to renounce their Japanese citizenship and become Penang nationals, their Japanese identity will definitely be a label that will stay with them for at least a generation.

The humiliation of the Emperor was mainly to show loyalty. It was to use such a fierce and extreme way to show that they were no longer Japanese. The fanaticism of converts exists in every nation, and Zheng Yi was indeed quite nice to them.

It is not surprising that these Japanese expatriates reacted in this way.

Of course, he understood it, but it still made him feel uncomfortable.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Kiichiro Toyoda listened to the radio on the street with other Japanese expatriates for a while. He felt that it was really boring and he could not hear any important content, so he simply adjusted his mentality.

After leaving the Japanese area, he spoke English, had his hair cut, and even went to a clothing store to buy a well-fitting suit.

Then Kiichiro Toyoda was surprised to find that Japanese people coming to Penang did not have to learn Chinese well to pretend to be Chinese. Knowing English was also enough.

Many Peranakan Chinese, especially those from Malacca, really cannot speak Chinese and can only speak English.

Some Peranakans don’t even speak English, but can speak Malayalam instead.

Nanyang is a hodgepodge. Whether you are Chinese or not often depends on whether you admit it. It is really easy for the Japanese to integrate into it.

After getting himself ready, Kiichiro Toyota arrived at the Japanese restaurant where he had agreed to meet Zheng Yi before ten o'clock in the morning. He sent his entourage away, closed his eyes, listened to music, and waited for Zheng Yi's arrival.

He even instructed his followers not to hear any news about the coup in Tokyo for the next two hours.

Around noon, Zheng Yi arrived at the box with Lin Shaoliang alone. He smiled and asked, "Mr. Toyota, did you have a good rest yesterday?"

Kiichiro Toyota: "Thanks to you, I finally managed to sleep for more than three hours. If I were in Japan, I wouldn't have slept well for even a minute."

As we were talking, the waiter had already started serving the dishes. Japanese cuisine has many cold dishes, so these cold dishes had been prepared long ago.

Zheng Yi was really a little hungry at this moment. He had been busy with the planning of the Penang New Town in the morning and didn't even have time to eat breakfast.

Seeing that the cold dishes were served first, he picked up a piece of raw fish, dipped it in the sauce, and swallowed it without hesitation.

"Hmm~, this is tuna sashimi, it's really meaty, smooth and crisp, and it fills your mouth with fragrance.

Mr. Toyota, Japanese culture and cuisine are quite unique. Do you think the food at this Japanese restaurant in Penang is authentic?

Kiichiro Toyota also picked up a piece and ate it, saying with a smile, "It's indeed delicious, but when it comes to sashimi, as long as it's fresh, there's no need to distinguish between authentic and authentic ones. As for so-called Japanese culture and cuisine, haha."

"It is a fact known to the whole world that most of Japanese culture originated from China. It was not until modern times that Japan began to learn from the West.
But in fact, it didn’t last long. The so-called uniqueness of Japanese culture is just the inheritance and improvement of ancient Chinese culture.

Since Mr. Zheng is Chinese, it is natural for him to feel familiar with Japanese culture."

"I have been observing here for two days and have found that all the Japanese expatriates in Mr. Zheng's Penang are living and working in peace and contentment, feeling happy and healthy. This shows that China and Japan are very similar in both culture and customs."

"Although hatred and national hatred are now inevitable, this is only the fault of a small number of right-wingers and extreme right-wingers.

Mr. Zheng is able to let go of his hatred and treat the Japanese people differently. I admire his broad-mindedness.

Zheng Yi: "Mr. Toyota, you're welcome."

Kiichiro Toyota: "Mr. Zheng, I am deeply concerned about the domestic situation in Japan. I would like to ask, Mr. Zheng, what is the current situation in Tokyo? Is His Majesty the Emperor still... alive?"

Zheng Yi: "You, a Japanese tycoon, don't even know this, and you're asking me, a Chinese?"

Kiichiro Toyoda: "Ah, even you... don't know."

Zheng Yi: "But I really know?"

"What? Please, Mr. Zheng, please tell me."

Zheng Yi: "If nothing unexpected happens, Hirohito will be fine, but the rebels will lose."

"Really? God, the Emperor is okay?"

"Well, because Prince Yongren refused the support of the rebels and was successfully persuaded by Hirohito's envoy, the rebels lost their biggest backbone and were leaderless. They did not dare to really harm the emperor under the premise of Yongren's refusal.
So morale has collapsed a bit. If nothing unexpected happens, Mr. Toyota should receive news that the rebellion has been quelled tomorrow."

Zheng Yi didn't say how he knew this, but when Kiichiro Toyota heard him say this, he breathed a sigh of relief: "If that's the case, then that's great."

It's not that he is particularly loyal to His Majesty the Emperor, but the political ideas of these rebels are too crazy. If the rebels win, the best outcome for him will be the loss of all Japanese property. He will be lucky to be able to save his own life and that of his family.

Of course, this was not a good thing for Zheng Yi. He really hoped that the Imperial Way Faction and Emperor Yongren would be in power in Japan.

In that case, all those Japanese chaebols would have to run away with their money, and his Penang would definitely be one of their options.

"But Mr. Toyota, even if the rebellion failed, you have to understand that they disbanded on their own, not by force. There's a huge difference between being persuaded and being beaten into submission."

"In the final analysis, the reason the rebels' action failed was because Prince Yongren, knowing the bigger picture and the greater good, did not agree to the rebels' demands and resolutely refused to cooperate with them in registering to become emperor. That's all."

"If Prince Yoshihito had been even slightly greedy and disregarded the future of the country and the brotherhood between him and Hirohito, Japan would have been in a state of chaos by now.
This shows that at least most of the middle and lower-level officers in the Japanese Army are already extreme right-wing lunatics."

"Ah~, I understand. Japan has indeed gone mad."

If what Zheng Yi said is true, then there are actually no winners in this mutiny. Although the control faction seems to have taken revenge and gained power, they will definitely become even more right-wing militarists under the influence of this.

Moreover, the Imperial Way Faction was never a faction with a clear organization, a clear leader, or clear political goals. The so-called suppression was nothing more than killing several leaders of the mutiny.

As long as the huge gap between the rich and the poor in Japan remains, as long as the soldiers and young officers from rural areas who have nothing in the army remain, the Imperial Way faction will never be able to be killed.

Those control-oriented officers, even if it is simply to avoid following in the footsteps of Nagata Tetsuzan, will certainly act more radically than before, moving from right-wing to extreme right-wing.

To some extent, the madman of the Imperial Way faction was the real victor. Everything Saburo Aizawa said in court came true:
If one Aizawa dies, there will be a second and a third Aizawa.

Once Nagata Tetsuzan dies, there will be no more Nagata Tetsuzan in Japan.

As the right wing, the control faction eliminated the extreme right wing, but they themselves became the extreme right wing.

Not to mention, Emperor Hirohito's prestige and face were completely destroyed in this incident, and his control over both the army and the navy was greatly reduced.

This also laid the groundwork for the Japanese military to launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and declare war on Britain and the United States. Most importantly, the sophisticated and conservative left-wingers, centrists, aristocratic politicians, and chaebol representatives were all swept away in this coup.

A large number of high-level positions that were originally monopolized by these normal people and the former emperor's old ministers were cleared out, and all were replaced by young and strong military personnel, the relatively stable Meiji and Taisho factions.
From then on, the Changzhi warlords completely disappeared from Japan and became history, replaced by the radical Showa warlords.

Although Toyota and Japan's civilian enterprises and chaebols will not have their entire families wiped out, their future days will definitely become more difficult.

"Does Mr. Toyota think that Japan can win an all-out war against China?"

Kiichiro Toyoda couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this: "Britain and the United States will not allow Japan to destroy the Asian order. In terms of population, depth, and size, Japan is not as good as China.
In terms of industrial capacity, Japan is completely incomparable to the United States. The only thing Japan can rely on is this crazy energy."

"They, the Imperial Way sect, often say that with only 300,000 men and 300,000 bamboo spears, they can drive out Europe and America and unify Asia. Isn't this just arrogance and wishful thinking?

Japan's oil and steel are entirely imported from the United States. If the Americans don't sell us iron, sooner or later we might really have to go to the battlefield with bamboo spears."

"Japan's most important civilian commodities are textiles and kerosene, most of which are exported to China and the Chinese in Southeast Asia. Once a war breaks out, these export lines will inevitably be cut off.
How will Japanese companies operate if they lose both imports and exports? Will everyone go into war production? Will all textile machines be melted down to make iron? Will the economy be entirely dependent on plunder?
Maybe you can get the upper hand at the beginning by being crazy.

But when a madman really provokes a normal person, that madness is useless. This is true for people, and I believe it is the same for the country. Japan is finished."

Hearing this, Zheng Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter, and even slammed the table in excitement.

"Toyota, Toyota, I like you more and more now. You really are a world-class entrepreneur. You are amazing, amazing!

Hahaha, I have to drink with you, I have to drink, come, waiter, give me some wine, give me the best wine, the strongest wine, I want to drink with Mr. Toyota, and I won’t leave until I’m drunk!!”

Who says there aren't any wise people among the Japanese? Isn't this obvious?

In fact, there are far more people who understand the situation than Kiichiro Toyoda. There is definitely no minority of people who understand the situation in Japanese society.

Former Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi, when the whole of Japan was immersed in the victory after September 18th, was able to remain calm and always maintain correspondence with the young marshal himself.
He never gave up hope for peace talks with China, and even tried to find a way to return the Zhang family's property to the young marshal.

Isn’t it because people understand this?

The reason why those civilian governments insisted on establishing Manchukuo and even specially sought out the last emperor was not because they hoped to turn the annexation of the Northeast into the Chinese people’s own internal politics, so as to ease conflicts with China and return to peace?

You see, there are still some sensible people in Japan.

Of course, it is not really hopeless. Japan's only chance of winning is to win quickly. Only a quick victory can survive. Only by achieving a comprehensive victory within a few months,
And it established relatively effective rule over China, leaving Britain and the United States unable to react at all, and they could only hold their noses and accept that this was a fait accompli.

After that, they had to quickly digest and absorb China, cultivate a large number of traitors, and immediately restore normal social and economic order.
Then, they would seek peace and engage in game of chess with Britain and the United States again, striving to absorb all of China's resources and population within a few years and withdraw from the militarist model.

If all this can be achieved, Japan will be considered to have won the battle.

In a sense, March's goal of destroying China is not entirely due to arrogance.

But if the enemy failed to defeat Japan within three months, the British, American and international communities would react and the war would become difficult for Japan, with even slim chances of winning.

Can such a huge country like China really be conquered in just a few months?

Thinking of this, Kiichiro Toyota glanced at Zheng Yi, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Even if we only target Zheng Yi, a quick victory is unlikely.

Since the September 18th Incident, the Chinese in Southeast Asia have been urging Nanjing to resist Japan, and donating money to the country has become normal. Even with Zheng Yi's current financial resources, it is no problem for him to donate some money to Nanjing to buy arms.

Ten or twenty million US dollars, this guy can really come up with it.

Unless the Chinese are a bunch of spineless softies who become weak-kneed at the sight of the Japanese, and most of the people are an inferior nation willing to be traitors, and the rulers are a group of brainless and heartless, or even extremely pro-Japanese guides.

otherwise……

"Hey~"

A deep sense of powerlessness has surrounded Kiichiro Toyoda.

The joy I had just felt when I learned that Emperor Hirohito was fine had now largely dissipated.

"Come on, old Toyota, drink. We've been friends for a long time, but we've never had a good drink together. Use this big cup and drink."

Kiichiro Toyota also chose to forget these troubles for the time being. He laughed heartily and drank a glass with Zheng Yi. He said, "It is my honor to be friends with such a wonderful person like Mr. Zheng. Cheers, Mr. Zheng!"

The two of them were actually very bold for a moment, and drank a whole glass of whiskey with a concentration of over 40% alcohol in one gulp from a large cup.

"Mr. Toyota, please move to Penang and move the Toyota Group to Penang. You are a great businessman, and the Toyota Group is a great company.
If we stay in Japan, we will only become tools of the executioner and eventually be destroyed along with the crazy extreme right-wing militarism."

"You move to Penang, you still make your textile machines, I still produce my chemical fibers and dyes, we unite, Penang can become the base of the world's textile industry,

We can earn huge profits, and your employees can live a happy life just like the Japanese in Penang."

"You know, the power in Penang is directly tied to money and the Chamber of Commerce. As long as there are enough Japanese in Penang and Toyota is profitable, you can join the city council and become one of Penang's decision-makers."

"Lao Feng, I sincerely invite you to join Penang. Together we can conquer the global textile market. Don't return to China and become an accomplice of militarism, okay?"

However, Kiichiro Toyoda shook his head firmly and said, "Toyota, although not one of the four major chaebols in Japan, is already very large.

I was born and raised in Japan. No matter what, I will never betray Japan, let alone relocate the entire Toyota Group to Penang. Mr. Zheng Yi, this potential enemy of the country, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Zheng Yi narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this. "Mr. Toyota, you know, if you choose to return to China, the next time we meet, we'll be enemies. And it's a fight of your life or death."

Kiichiro Toyoda nodded. "I know. After I return, Toyota will definitely switch to the military industry. With Toyota's production capacity, it will definitely become one of the largest suppliers to the Japanese military. Mr. Zheng, if you still call yourself Chinese, you will definitely kill me the next time we meet."

"I have my own loyal subjects who must be loyal to the country. I believe that Mr. Zheng should be the same."

With a loud bang, Lin Shaoliang slammed the wine glass in his hand onto the table and said, "My master can kill you right now!"

Kiichiro Toyoda remained calm and said, "It's useless for you to kill me now. My son will inherit the Toyota Group. His father was killed by the Chinese, and he will pour this hatred into military production."

"On the other hand, if I go back, Toyota will still have to produce military products for the army, but this forced transformation will inevitably make everyone, from management to employees, reluctant. At least in the first two years, production efficiency will not be very high."

Zheng Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "You are absolutely right, Mr. Toyota. We have known each other for a while, but when we Chinese break off a friendship, we emphasize severing the ties of friendship and severing the bonds of friendship. Today, we shall break off our friendship."

After saying that, Zheng Yi took out a small knife from behind him, cut a corner of his suit, threw it to Kiichiro Toyota, then pulled up Lin Shaoliang and left.

"Wait a moment!"

Kiichiro Toyota suddenly called Zheng Yi.

"Mr. Toyota, anything else?"

Kiichiro Toyoda: "I will not betray Japan myself, but my brother-in-law, Risaburo Toyoda, and I have been at odds recently.

I advocate that Toyota should diversify its operations, prioritizing research and development. I developed the Toyota engine and am working hard to expand Toyota's cross-sector operations."

"But my brother-in-law, Toyoda Risaburo, is a man who is content with his old ways and has no ambitions but to protect his family business. He loves weaving all his life, and that is all he knows how to do.
In the field of textile machine design and manufacturing, as well as weaving technology, I think he can be called the best in the world."

After saying that, Kiichiro Toyoda turned around and faced Zheng Yi, saying, "Saburo and I will officially break up after returning to Japan. The Toyota Group will be split into two within three months.
My half has already started making engines, and the military government will not let my half go overseas."

"But my brother-in-law doesn't know anything except making textile machines. I will let him move to Penang with his other half of Toyota.
Maybe I'll also bring my son, Shoichiro Toyoda, with me. Mr. Zheng, please take good care of him for me. Please!"

After saying this, Kiichiro Toyoda kowtowed and saluted, looking extremely formal.

Risaburo Toyota is the previous head of the Toyota family. He is the adopted son and son-in-law of Kiichiro Toyota's father, Sakichi Toyota, and is currently the second-in-command of the Toyota Group.

According to history, Toyota was officially split into Toyota Motor and Toyota Boshoku after 1937, and Risaburo Toyoda was the head of Toyota Boshoku.

It is said that the two brothers broke up and became enemies because of their different business philosophies, and they fought each other and swore to never have anything to do with each other again.

Now it seems that this is all a show.

Historically, the hands of Kiichiro Toyoda, who was engaged in engine production, were indeed stained with the blood of war, but the independent Toyota Boshoku and Toyota Risaburo were indeed much better off.

After the United States occupied Japan after World War II, it imposed comprehensive sanctions on Japanese goods. The first product to be resumed for production and export was Toyota Textile Machinery.

I thought the Toyota family was really lucky, but now it seems that these two brothers are really good at it.

If Kiichiro Toyoda had realized as early as this period that Japan was almost doomed to fail, then the Toyota split that occurred the following year would not be surprising at all. It was indeed because of this move that Toyota was able to be reborn after the war.

On the contrary, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which engaged in automobile production much earlier than Toyota and had stronger strength, declined after the war and basically made no effort in the civilian car field.

high! It’s really high!

Honestly, Zheng Yi preferred Toyota. Penang didn't have the engine technology, and everyone had their specializations, so Zheng Yi wasn't a master of everything.

Sadly, it seems I won’t get it.

But if I could get Toyota Boshoku...

Seems pretty good?

"Okay, if your brother-in-law and son come to Penang, I will take care of them. I won't let you take a single cent of the factory and money you've invested in Penang over the years, but I will save this money for you. After Japan's defeat, I will return it to you."

Having said that, Zheng Yi walked away without even looking at this Japanese friend who was destined to become his enemy for the next eight years.

(End of this chapter)