Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 140 The Last Piece of the Puzzle of Penang Industry

Penang Southern Suburbs Airport.

During this period of time, some routes have finally been negotiated and started flying, including three domestic routes, six local routes in Southeast Asia, eight routes to the Middle East, and ten routes to Europe and the United States. Now they are gradually becoming busy.

In addition to civil aviation, there is also a US military base, which has now taken shape. Marshal Mai seemed quite anxious and hurriedly brought over more than 30 planes.

Most of them were urgently transferred from Manila. You should know that not all the planes in Manila can fly.

Many of them were poorly maintained or too old, and were just for show. Zheng Yi even wondered if he had gotten all the planes that could fly in Manila.

However, as far as Zheng Yi knows, the standard set by the U.S. Congress for this military base is 100 aircraft ready for combat at any time, and if maintenance rotation is included, there must be at least 150 aircraft.

If nothing unexpected happens, the latest model of P35 will be put into service in large quantities. This also shows that the United States is loyal to Penang Island and is using its air force to compete with the British navy.

Because of the limited land use in Penang and the fact that civil aviation was not as busy in this era as in later times, these military aircraft and his civil aircraft were placed next to each other and shared the same airport.

At this time, a domestic civil airliner slowly landed at Penang Airport. It was a very ordinary civilian aircraft, not a special plane, but the entire airport was blocked by security.

More than a dozen cars and even armored vehicles cleared the way and evacuated the unrelated crowds. The airport service staff and passengers near the entire airport understood when they saw this situation that Zheng Yi was the only person in Penang who was so powerful.

Who can make Zheng Yi come to the airport to greet him personally?

Why don’t you take a private plane for such a big shot?
Even after the plane came to a complete stop and the passengers got off one by one, they couldn't help but look at Zheng Yi's large convoy with curiosity.

After a while, a middle-aged man with a slightly balding head and wearing round-framed glasses walked off the plane. It was Zheng Yi who stepped forward and shook the man's hand. "Mr. Hou, your presence is a great honor to Penang."

As he spoke, he kept shaking the person's hand.

All the passengers who got off the plane were extremely surprised by this scene.

What the hell, it’s actually Professor Zheng himself?
So which domestic big shot was received and shook hands with by Zheng Yi in this way?
"Professor Zheng, how... can this be done?"

"Yes, yes, Professor Hou. You are my idol. Please, please."

This Professor Hou is naturally the first chemist in modern China, Professor Hou Debang.

It may not even be appropriate to mention modern times. It seems that no modern chemist can claim to have achieved more than Hou Debang.

After all, Zheng Yi was a chemist in his previous life. When he was studying for his doctorate, he really admired Hou Debang's photo. He is really his idol, and it is not an exaggeration at all.

But with his current identity and status, even just as a scientist, he is at least a Nobel Prize-level scholar. Speaking like this, Mr. Hou Debang couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and blushed.

"Mr. Zheng, you flatter me so much! You are my idol. As a fellow chemist, I understand Mr. Zheng's achievements today. I want to learn from you and seek your advice."

Zheng Yi: "Let's ask each other for advice, Mr. Hou, please."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi respectfully invited Hou Debang into the car and enthusiastically introduced the scenery of Penang.

Penang is now more prosperous than when Marshal Mai came last time. Even the welfare housing is getting taller and taller.
More than one hundred construction teams are learning while working, and their level is getting higher and higher. In this era, this can be seen as a forest of high-rise buildings, which is actually not inferior to Shanghai at all.

Since entering the city, Hou Debang could not help but admire Penang's urban construction achievements.

"Mr. Zheng is truly the pride and role model of the Chinese people, and he is also the benchmark for our chemists.
I heard that Mr. Wang started from scratch and was born into a poor family, yet he was able to achieve such success today in just a few years. It is truly amazing. He is truly a scientist among scientists."

Zheng Yi: "Every profession has its specialties. I only have a little experience in petroleum refining. In the field of basic chemistry, acid and alkali preparation, I am far behind you, Professor Hou. I invited you here this time to seek your advice."

Hou Debang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when he heard this. He didn't believe what Zheng Yi said at all. After all, it was okay in other fields, but in chemistry, Zheng Yi was now admired by chemists all over the world and was known as a chemist who was several generations ahead of the world.

Although he is also a professor in China, compared with Zheng Yi, he doesn't think there is anything wrong with calling himself a student.

Although, this Zheng Yi looks... like he's not even thirty yet? That's a bit too young.

As for genius, he is naturally not comparable to mortals like them.

However, Zheng Yi was telling the truth. In later generations, the discipline of chemistry has become highly specialized, and there are no such things as a jack-of-all-trades. Zheng Yi studied applied chemistry for his doctorate, and after graduation, he joined a state-owned enterprise, remaining entrenched in the petrochemical industry. In many areas of basic chemistry, his undergraduate level was mediocre, and he had absolutely no practical experience.

How can we compare with the father of Chinese chemistry?
The two of them kept praising each other all the way. Soon, the car turned a corner and entered the eastern industrial zone. When Hou Debang saw the large Penang Petrochemical factory, his eyes popped out.
He was so shocked that his mouth opened wide, as if a ball could fit in it, but he couldn't utter a word.

Only a chemist knows what such a large-scale factory represents.

"Mr. Hou, this is the foundation of Penang, the petrochemical industry. We have three factories like this in the whole city, and four more are under construction. We are the seven sisters of oil, and we have cooperation with each of them."

"Some time ago, the Russians approached me through an intermediary and wanted to cooperate with me, but I declined. To be honest, Penang Island is still too small and there is not enough space for them.
Come, Mr. Hou, I'll take you to see the cracking furnace I designed myself. That's the one over there, about eight stories high."

Hou Debang: "Is this a cracking furnace?"

Then he smiled bitterly and said, "It's amazing, it's really amazing, Mr. Zheng, your furnace is almost as big as our entire factory.
"Ah~, after visiting Mr. Zheng's factory today, I finally understood what a truly large-scale chemical plant is. There's no comparison, there really is no comparison, the difference is too great."

As he spoke, Hou Debang couldn't help but reach out and touch the large iron pipes scattered throughout the factory area. He also put his ear close to them, listening carefully to the sound of the chemical liquid flowing inside, his eyes full of envy.

Zheng Yi: "Mr. Hou, the Hou Alkali Process you invented can also be called a groundbreaking innovation in the chemical industry. I have carefully studied your Alkali Process and the Continuous Alkali Process. They are truly great inventions."

"It's a pity that China's national strength is too weak, and the financial strength of Yongli Alkali Factory itself is too limited. You have never thought about redesigning your process, and you only use small furnaces. In the final analysis, it's nothing more than a temple too small to accommodate a true Buddha like you."

"I heard that Yongli Alkali Factory only produced salt before you joined? How could you start such a small factory with insufficient funds, technology and workers?
You designed and manufactured three acids and two bases, laying the foundation for China's chemical industry. You are a genius. If you were in Europe or the United States, your achievements would probably be much greater than they are now."

Hou Debang: "In front of Mr. Zheng, I would never dare to claim to be a true Buddha. I am far from it, too far from it."

Zheng Yi said, "Mr. Hou, I will come straight to the point. The national situation is difficult now, and Japan's wolfish ambitions are obvious. Your Yongli Alkali Factory is located in Tianjin, which is actually a first-line factory.

If Japan takes action, you will be the first to suffer. Then this huge chemical plant will belong to the Japanese."

Hou Debang: "Yes, Tianjin has indeed become a troubled place now. However, I have been invited by Nanjing to set up a nitric acid, ammonia, and sulfuric acid factory in Nanjing. If the Japanese really attack, I will convert this factory to produce explosives."

Zheng Yi: "What if Nanjing is lost too?"

Hou Debang: "Nanjing... is lost? No, that can't be true. Doesn't that mean, doesn't that mean..."

Zheng Yi said, "Mr. Hou, going to Nanjing to engage in industry is like investing a pearl in a dark place. As far as I know, most of the warlords in China have their own gun and artillery factories, such as General Chen in Guangdong, and even airports."

"What about Nanjing? In recent years, almost all the outstanding talents and senior engineers who returned from the United States have joined Nanjing. But what can Nanjing's industry produce now?

During the war, they even shut down the Hanyang Iron and Steel Works. Is this a government capable of developing industry?

"Besides, how much support can Nanjing give you? How much output can you produce?"

Hou Debang: "Mr. Zheng means... to invite me to move the factory to Nanyang?"

Zheng Yi: "If Mr. Hou is interested, Penang Petrochemical can acquire the Yongli Alkali Plant and merge it with us. You can come and become my vice president. As for the basic acid and alkali plant, I can guarantee that my investment will be at least hundreds of times that of the Nanjing government."

Hou Debang: "However, the country is in trouble and needs military production. My factory is the only one in the country that can produce nitric acid on a large scale..."

Zheng Yi scoffed and interrupted, "Large-scale? How large? Hundreds of tons per year? Thousands of tons? I've studied your Hou's alkali production method, and it can directly refine nitric acid from petroleum."

You have a factory in Nanjing. Even if the Japanese can't capture Nanjing, if they block the sea route, where will you get your oil from?

"Look at me here. I have seven world-class refineries. All the oil from Southeast Asia and most of the Middle East is shipped here. Once we use up all the oil here, we ship the finished oil to all parts of the world."

"The factory is built here, and we can directly produce nitric acid from petroleum. I also have a process for producing ammonia from naphtha. I have both nitric acid and ammonia. Moreover, I am very good at super-scaling chemical production processes."

"Mr. Hou, if we work together, we can produce pesticides in peacetime. My factory can produce both ammonia fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer. In wartime, we can make gunpowder. My production capacity should be top-notch in the world."

"And this is the last piece of the puzzle for my Penang industry. Mr. Hou, I have waited for you for too long."

(End of this chapter)