Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 144: Speech under Fire
Penang, late 1936.

Because it has been the fourth year since Zheng Yi contracted it, it has now been built up quite nicely, and the construction teams working day and night seem to have finally become less numerous.

Although there is still construction going on everywhere during the day, at least at night the construction and noise seem to have become much smaller.

Although the new city in the north is still busy, in the south city, everyone has a house to live in.

With the initial solution to the housing problem, more and more places for entertainment, leisure and fun have emerged, whether in the wealthy areas in the north of the city or the civilian areas in the south of the city, and the entire city is becoming more and more like a normal city.

Even at night, Penang is always brightly lit, no matter the north or south, rich or poor. It is truly a city that never sleeps. The rich people party every night in nightclubs, dance halls and other places.

There are already all kinds of messy places such as pubs, brothels, billiard halls, small casinos, etc. in the south city.

There are both legal and illegal things, and Li Xiaowei does not have the ability to completely ban those illegal things in the South District.

However, tonight, regardless of the north or south, most entertainment venues have closed, and the entire city has become quiet. Everyone is anxiously waiting for the BBC's live news broadcast on the radio.

Although they all knew that the broadcast from Nanyang was so old, people in Nancheng were still very interested in listening to the radio. Some people could not understand English, so they would specially get a translator to interpret for them.

After all, I heard that Professor Zheng Yi was on the radio today.

Nowadays, Zheng Yi is increasingly solidifying his special status as a spiritual leader among the Chinese in Southeast Asia. In any occasion, Zheng Yi's speeches will always be listened to, and some people are even planning to publish a collection of his quotations.

"Hey, Professor Zheng is going to Sweden to receive that...something-something-son award?"

"What son award? That's called the Nobel Prize."

"You said it's such a tense time, with so many things going on in Penang, Yangon, and back home. Why would Mr. Zheng go abroad at this time? I heard the prize money seems to be quite generous, but Mr. Zheng is not short of money."

"What do you mean by not lacking money? Haven't you heard that Mr. Zheng is very likely one of the richest people in Asia, or even the world?"

"Then why did Mr. Zheng accept this award?"

"Who knows? Mr. Zheng must have his reasons for doing this."

"Hello, listen up, here it comes, there's a voice, there's a voice, it's announcing, Mr. Zheng is about to come out."

…………

At this time, Zheng Yi, who was far away in Stockholm, Sweden, was also holding hands with Li Jiazhi and enjoying the so-called honor.

Perhaps because of Zheng Yi, Sweden specially invited Chinese reporters from China to conduct a live broadcast on the scene, and also praised Zheng Yi highly.

Although Zheng Yi is no longer under the jurisdiction of the country, he is still a Chinese citizen and a true Chinese.

But the country's elites and intellectuals are still paying close attention to this matter without exception, and are deeply proud of it.

No matter what, this is something that brings honor to the people of the whole country. It is one of the few happy things at this time when war clouds are looming and the situation is extremely tense.

Although people all over the world already knew that Zheng Yi would win this award,

In fact, Zheng Yi himself was not very willing to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony in person.

On the one hand, he was indeed too busy. This era was different from later generations. A round trip from Southeast Asia to Sweden, plus the necessary award ceremonies and social events, would waste a lot of time.
He is not a university professor or research scholar now, and the Nobel Prize is purely an honor for him. It does not provide much practical help.

Besides, he really doesn't need a Nobel Prize to gild himself. After all, he is engaged in applied chemistry, not theoretical chemistry.
Unlike theoretical scientists, if you don’t win a Nobel Prize, most people in the world won’t know who you are.

It is different for those who work on applications. They are truly changing the world. To put it bluntly, when he received the Nobel Prize, it is hard to say whether it was Nobel giving him the honor or he giving Nobel the honor.

In fact, the Nobel Prize is rarely awarded to applied scientists. This is a monument in the theoretical science community. It’s just that Zheng Yi’s own achievements are indeed too great and too incredible.

After all, the chemistry award he won was also for chemical fiber. Strictly speaking, he was not purely an applicationist. Wasn't it Zheng Yi who created chemical fiber from scratch?

It's just that he is so amazing. He just came up with this new material in the laboratory and didn't publish any papers, but he single-handedly put it into industrial mass production.

One person completed the journey from theoretical research to industrial mass production, which would have taken several top teams decades to complete.

The second thing, of course, is that Zheng Yi himself felt a little embarrassed and ashamed.

He has achieved nothing at all. He is just plagiarizing by relying on his identity as a time traveler.

As a scientist and intellectual at heart, I still have a bit of academic cleanliness.

But the most important thing is actually the third one: he himself has no academic background, and Zheng Yi himself doesn’t know who to bring to the dinner.

At the beginning, Zheng Yi always boasted to others that he was a master's degree holder from MIT.

Later, no one asked about it, and no one questioned Zheng Yi's academic qualifications. Instead, some people questioned that Zheng Yi was definitely not a master's degree holder, but at least a doctorate. However, the fact that Zheng Yi graduated from MIT was still reported.

MIT has never publicly denied it, so everyone really thought that he was MIT's favorite student. The school administration even hung his portrait on the MIT campus.

It's so shameless.

But this matter has not been investigated in depth.

You said you were from MIT. Which class were you from? Who were your teachers and classmates?

It doesn't matter if you are in Nanyang. After all, you don't usually come into contact with people in the scientific circle, and people in the academic circle can't get in touch with Zheng Yi either.

But if you participate in the Nobel Prize, it’s different.

If someone asks you, "Junior, which class are you from?" how do you answer?

You can bring people to the Nobel Prize dinner. Usually, in addition to family members, you will also bring some mentors, colleagues, students, etc. But who can Zheng Yi bring?

He didn't even have any family, only Li Jiazhi, no father, no mother, no brothers or sisters, completely alone. In order to make up the number, he even brought Li Xiaoshi and Li Jiqian with him.

What's going on with Yishui'er's family?

Because of this, Zheng Yi had been making excuses before and had already said that he didn't want to go. He planned to find someone to pick him up on his behalf. Although it seemed a bit pretentious, there was no other way.

However, as the domestic situation suddenly heated up, it happened much faster than in history, at least half a year earlier.

However, Zheng Yi changed his mind and, risking being exposed, went to Stockholm in person.

He also has a sense of patriotism.

At this time, China needs someone to speak out in international occasions to stir up public opinion in Europe and the United States.

There is no one more suitable than him.

More people will listen when speaking at the Nobel Prize. To put it bluntly, it is an international plea: "Please have mercy on us. You see, the Japanese are bullying us. Please give us justice."

This is the tragedy of a weak country, but there is really nothing we can do about it.

After getting off the plane, Zheng Yi took Li Jiazhi's hand and got directly into the car that came to pick him up. A long line of cars came to greet him, and it was said that they were all Swedish Royal Guards.

Zheng Yi didn't know whether this was specially prepared for him or for every guest who came to receive the award. Naturally, he accepted it with pleasure, but he also felt really honored.

His relationship with Sweden, especially the Swedish royal family, is very good. He also has a lot of cooperation with the Swedish industrial sector. There are even a large number of Swedish engineers in Penang.

Stockholm is located in Northern Europe. The temperature in winter can be extremely cold, and the nights are extremely long and the days are extremely short.
Zheng Yi exchanged a few pleasantries with old friends at the airport and hotel before it was already dark outside. Having spent so much time in Southeast Asia, Zheng Yi's tolerance for winter had worn thin. Although he'd packed a fur coat for this trip to Northern Europe, the small area of ​​skin exposed quickly turned red from the snow and wind.

In fact, he was a northerner in his previous life, but in this life he seemed to have no resistance to such cold.

This was even more true for Li Jiazhi, who was a native of Nanyang and had never even seen snow. This trip was, after all, a high-class occasion.
When they were buying clothes, Li Jiazhi chose a fashionable style. Not long after getting off the plane, their faces were frozen red.

She was obviously a little hurt by the cold, but she still pretended to be elegant and calm to show her ladylike demeanor.

Almost as soon as he walked out of the hotel door, countless reporters swarmed up and surrounded him, putting the microphone to their mouths, showing great enthusiasm.

"Mr. Zheng, what are your thoughts on the Japanese accusations that you are the culprit that has affected Japan-UK relations?"

"Mr. Zheng, some people say that your willfulness is seriously damaging the national interests of both Britain and the United States. Do you have any response?"

"Mr. Zheng, do you think a war between China and Japan is inevitable? If China loses, are you willing to accept Japanese citizenship?"

"Mr. Zheng, you hold dual Chinese and British citizenship. When China's national interests conflict with Britain's, how will you choose?"

A conservative estimate is that there were about thirty or forty reporters, but not a single one asked him any scientific questions.

In fact, given his current situation and status, scientist is actually one of his many identities that is relatively low.

In 36, Britain's foreign policy was still purely appeasement. The wounds it suffered during World War I were still being healed, and the public's aversion to war had reached its peak.
The upper echelons were well aware of the decline of the so-called British Empire, and faced with Japan's aggressiveness, they naturally chose to keep quiet.

Penang, at least in name, was still under British rule.

Zheng Yi's various actions embarrassed the British side, at least the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office were embarrassed, and criticism of him gradually increased.

Some even said that he, a Chinese, was making enemies with Japan on British territory in order to drag the British into the conflict.

Zheng Yi is usually in Penang, and ordinary people cannot see him even if they want to. Moreover, Zheng Yi attaches great importance to his own security and refuses all interviews from foreign media. Everyone has no chance to interview this international top star. This time, they finally found an opportunity.

Who cares if this is the Nobel Prize?

"Okay, okay, okay, take your time. Actually, I came here today to receive the Nobel Prize. Today is a feast of science, a celebration of human wisdom..."

Before he could finish, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Baga Yalu!"

Then he pushed through the crowd, suddenly rushed in front of Zheng Yi, and pulled out a pistol.

"Xinei!"

Pong, pong, pong, pong,
Eight shots in a row hit Zheng Yi squarely, knocking him to the ground. Seeing this, a group of reporters fled in panic.

The accompanying guards also reacted. You know, Zheng Yi originally had his own bodyguard team, and this time he handed over the security to them to show respect for their host.

They really are the Royal Guards!

The distinguished guest who was heavily protected by the Royal Guards was assassinated right under their noses. Do they still have the face of Sweden?
Damn, Zheng Yi is not just an ordinary scientist, he is a big shot. If such a person dies in Sweden, will the Nobel Prize still be awarded in the future?
But where the hell did this assassin come from?
All the reporters who came to interview today had their identities verified and even underwent security checks.

Where did this Japanese guy come from?

They didn't even dare to arrange for Japanese reporters to come forward.

Thinking of this, the Royal Guards were not slow at all. They stepped forward and controlled the man in no time.

Unexpectedly, the assassin shouted: "Long live the Emperor~~"

"No! Quickly pry his mouth open, don't let him commit suicide by taking poison!"

Unfortunately, it was already a little too late. The assassin had potassium cyanide stuck in his teeth, which he had already bitten when he fired the gun. He had no intention of living at all, and he was already dead when he was pinned down by the Royal Guards.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Hey, Mr. Zheng is not dead. Hurry, rush to the hospital for emergency treatment."

The faces of the Royal Guards, who had originally turned pale, immediately turned slightly red.

"Quick, send Mr. Zheng to the hospital!"

"Wait a moment!"

However, Zheng Yi, who was lying on the ground, sat up and said with a struggle, "Give me a microphone."

All the reporters were going crazy. Originally, everyone came to cover the Nobel Prize, but who would have thought there would be such big news. Zheng Yi was slumped on the ground at this time, with a disheveled and determined expression. It was simply a super photo.

Click, click, click, countless flash lights were flashing, and countless microphones were quickly handed to Zheng Yi's mouth.

Zheng Yi took a deep breath and said slowly, "At this moment, my motherland is being invaded. My life, Zheng Yi, is no more precious than any soldier fighting on the front lines."

"Maybe I will die soon, maybe every one of us will die. The Japanese powerful army and airplanes and artillery can kill anyone they want to kill, but they can never kill our spirit of resistance!"

After saying that, Zheng Yi stood up again tremblingly.

For a moment, all the reporters present were in awe.

After being shot eight times, he was still able to stand up and give a speech?

This is not a scientist, he is clearly a warrior!
However, it seemed that everyone overlooked in the nervousness that Zheng Yi, who was shot eight times, did not bleed out of his body.

"I hereby declare that effective immediately, all rubber and tin ore sales in Southeast Asia will be banned. The Penang Rubber Center will no longer accept any futures orders for the Japanese market. I also urge trading centers in London and New York to follow suit."

“I declare that not a single drop of refined oil refined in Penang will be allowed to flow into Japan. For anyone who purchases refined oil from Penang, Penang will conduct shipping traceability to ensure logistics and transportation.”

"On behalf of Penang, I now declare that we will never cooperate with anyone who sells our Penang oil to Japanese customers."

“If any of the Seven Sisters of Petroleum dares to do business with Japan, we in Penang will sever our ties with them.”

"Currently, the United States is selling large quantities of strategic materials such as oil, steel, and precision machine tools to Japan. This has forced my country, an agricultural country, to face the combined attacks of two industrial nations at the same time."

"I think this is inhumane and unjust, and I want to condemn the unjust actions of some American companies."

While they were talking, Li Lili came out from behind and whispered something into Zheng Yi's ear.

Zheng Yi turned around.

"Everyone, I just received news that the Japanese have just launched a full-scale war against my country."

"I would like to take this opportunity to speak to my compatriots in my home country."

“Don’t be afraid of war, because you can’t avoid it just by being afraid.”

"Choosing to surrender may buy us temporary survival, but our generations will live in shame.
Militaristic Japan is crazy. They don't hesitate to exploit their own citizens. Do you still expect a good life after surrendering?"

“Fight, my dear compatriots, fight. Perhaps we will die on the way, but please believe that it will all be worth it.”

"The victory of the revolution is inevitable and can only be forged with the blood of the martyrs. Today's sacrifices are tomorrow's monuments, for our children and grandchildren, for us to hold our heads high from now on, and for a hopeful tomorrow."

"Do the enemies think their cruelty and violence can scare us? Let's use the guns in our hands to tell them, fuck you!"

(End of this chapter)