Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 150: The establishment of the "Voice of Freedom Japan"

Zheng Yi naturally did not want to treat his own people badly, especially the 30,000 people brought back by He Shili. Zheng Yi equipped each of them with pirated bulletproof vests.

This was the first batch of trial-produced bulletproof vests, and he let them use it first. Marshal Mai didn't say much.

Other light weapons, such as Thompson submachine guns, M1 rifles, and tactical helmets, are naturally standard equipment. They are all US military equipment, even elite US military equipment.

Not only that, Zheng Yi knew that He Shili was very good at artillery combat and infantry-artillery coordination, so he specially gave them all the newly produced artillery in Yangon recently, and made it clear that they were all artillerymen.

He had specifically informed the government that the artillery he had arranged for He Shili should not be shared with others, and he also instructed He Shili not to save firepower when firing.
Their army was named the Nanqiao National Salvation Army. All its pay and military supplies were provided by Zheng Yi, and it did not rely on the government's financial resources.

And most importantly: no one is allowed to seize He Shili's command.

In addition to these soldiers, each factory also had a varying number of skilled workers who expressed their willingness to return to serve the country. Zheng Yi couldn't stop them, and there was no way to stop them. To be honest, the production situation in Penang and Yangon was greatly affected by this.

However, although many people left, even more people came. It is human nature. Some people will return to their country to fight for their lives when the nation is in danger, and naturally there will be people who will go abroad to escape military service.

Needless to say, there are refugees from Fujian and Guangdong provinces. In recent times, the ships traveling from the country to Southeast Asia have been full, and the number of people coming depends solely on how many ships are available.

Another part includes many domestic officials, wealthy businessmen, intellectuals, and technical engineers.

Historically, these people had fled to Europe and the United States, and very few fled to Southeast Asia. However, now that Penang has been well developed, they have come to Penang with their families and property to escape the war.

Every day, the Penang airport is extremely busy. People who board the plane to return home with a determined look on their faces, and people who get off the plane from China with a happy look on their faces, meet here every day, which is quite ironic.

When people who returned to China saw them, some of them would inevitably make sarcastic remarks, but among those who went abroad, there were also many people who argued for themselves.

This world has always been so bizarre, with all kinds of people. Zheng Yi even knew very well that people from the four major families were sending him money in large quantities.

Is Penang an international duty-free money laundering port? Most of this money passes through Penang and is transferred to developed countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Some of it remains in Penang, contributing to Penang's stability and prosperity.

It just seems that Penang’s large donations to the country seem a bit ridiculous.

He was even certain that a lot of the money transferred from the country was probably donated from their Nanyang side.

This caused many bank staff involved to be outraged, their work efficiency dropped a lot, and many complaints were filed with Zheng Yi.

What else could Zheng Yi do? This is how the world is. It's always like this.

Even Zheng Yi had no prejudice against these elites who escaped, especially those who escaped by plane, whether in terms of people or money.

After all, those who escape are better than those who stay and become traitors, right?

If there is corruption, will the money not be donated?
At present, more than three months have passed since the end of the Battle of Shanghai. Nanjing has fallen as in history, and the Wang Puppet Government has been established. The number of bureaucrats and wealthy businessmen who are willing to stay and continue to enjoy wealth and glory is no less than those who retreated westward.

The world has always been like this. People with money and power always have many choices.

Only the interests of ordinary people at the bottom are closely related to the national interests and are forcibly bound together. Those who clamor that when the country is in trouble, the powerful should step forward first may not understand that when the country is in trouble, whether others step forward or not depends on their mood.

Ordinary people have to go.

Not everyone is qualified to escape when national crisis strikes, even if you want to be a traitor, the Japanese will have to accept you as a traitor.

Even those fleeing refugees at least have a boat ticket, right? If they want to escape disaster and seek refuge in Penang, they must at least have a relative there to stay with, right?

Besides, Zheng Yi did not pamper them. Unless they were skilled workers with special skills, all those who fled from the country were sent to Perlis and Yangon to train as militia, which just made up for the shortage caused by He Shili taking away 30,000 people.

On the contrary, those who come by plane, as long as they can afford to buy an apartment in the wealthy area of ​​the northern city, can immediately go through the process to apply for Penang citizenship and be exempted from military service by spending some money.

If anyone can buy a detached house at the foot of Penang Hill, they will immediately be able to enjoy special treatment and become a member of the Penang family. Not to mention being exempted from military service, the police station will have to expend a large amount of manpower to ensure that they live comfortably.

As for the houses on the top of Penang Hill, there is no doubt that none of the people from the mainland can afford them.

In this world, ordinary people can only sacrifice their lives for the country. The fate of the country is the fate of the family. The middle class with some ability and technology has an additional option to run away.

The top elites can go or stay, return from abroad to serve the country, or flee from the country. Anyway, they are the superior people wherever they go. Even becoming traitors is up to them.

This is true in China and in foreign countries as well.

Such as Japan.

Since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Zheng Yi's Japanese community has been expanding. Even now, the threshold for Japanese who want to live in Penang has gradually become higher. Ordinary people without any skills can only go to Yangon.

Even as an invader, the quality of life of the Japanese people was declining rapidly. After more than half a year of war, the Japanese army was able to win victory after victory on the battlefield.

However, the victories in North China and East China did not actually bring any economic benefits to Japanese society, and were even negative assets.

The life of civilians under militarism is not easy either. Although it is certainly better than that of the slaves in the occupied areas of China, happiness itself depends on the increment rather than the stock.

Besides, in Japan's deformed society, the basic living conditions of the lower-class people are actually not that good.

Zheng Yi is not interested in the lives of the lower-class people in Japan, because the lower classes in every country are the same, they cannot escape and can only share the same fate with the country.

But the middle and top levels can still run.

"Master, this is the situation in the Japanese community this month. Penang has added 20,000 new residents, and Yangon has added 100,000 new residents. Most of them are from Southeast Asia, and about 30,000 are from mainland Japan."

"This is the account of the Penang branch of Futian Bank. In the past two months, the amount of money that flowed in was approximately US$2 million."

Inside the office, Lim Sioe Liong was reporting to him in detail about the situation in the Japanese community in Penang over the past two months. Zheng Yi couldn't help but frown when he heard this and said, "Compared to the previous few months, it's a bit less."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi picked up a cigar from the sofa and gave one to Lin Shaoliang.

"What are the emotions of the Japanese community?"

Lim Sioe Liong: "In Penang, the mood should still be very good. Most of them have now learned Chinese and become Penang citizens.

But... many of them have taken the initiative to ask to live outside the Japanese community, and we have tried our best to dissuade them.

As for money...this month, there's almost no money coming in from Japan, all of it is from Southeast Asia."

"Hey~"

Zheng Yi sighed.

"Penang is still a Chinese city after all. Those Japanese guys still don't trust us, haha."

Lin Shaoliang: "Master, I heard that in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and even in Siam, Huaji seems to be a bit too harsh on the Japanese.

There have been petitions going on in the Japanese community in Penang. I hope you can...talk to the secret societies there?"

Zheng Yi: "I said? Huh."

Most of the new Japanese immigrants in Penang are not from Japan, but from Southeast Asia.

There are not only many overseas Chinese in Nanyang, but also many Japanese. In Japan, except for the people around Tokyo, most people could not get enough to eat and had to go abroad to make a living. Before the September 18th Incident, some even went to Shandong to work.

There are quite a few people coming to Nanyang to work or do business. The Japanese have very low wage requirements, which is why Zheng Yi was very willing to employ Japanese people in the early days of his business and even now.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, in addition to those who donated money and returned to China to fight in the war, there was naturally an anti-Japanese wave among the Chinese in Southeast Asia.

Boycotting Japanese goods, smashing and destroying Japanese goods, dividing areas into sections and supervising the use of Japanese goods are the most basic things.

Outside Penang, if it were not for the protection of the Colonial Office police, no one knows how many Japanese would have been beaten to death.

The Hongmen were actually a bit better, being relatively more disciplined and not giving the Japanese any hard time. At most, they would hire fewer Japanese. The Huaji were different. They were of the same lineage as the Qing Gang in China, and were known for their ruthlessness and lack of restraint. They were already known for their regular illegal activities, but since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, they had focused all their efforts on the Japanese.

Extortion, robbery, kidnapping, murder, arson, and rape of Japanese women are all kinds of evil.

However, they donated the money they robbed and extorted to the domestic war of resistance. The money they robbed from these Japanese residents alone was enough to donate more than 20 fighter jets to the country.

This is also the reason why Japan hated secret societies so much after occupying Southeast Asia in history. The Japanese policy towards secret societies in Malaya was to kill them all, regardless of whether they had participated in anti-Japanese activities or not.

The secret societies in Malaya were basically eradicated during the Japanese occupation. This was actually the main reason why the Chinese were much less organized than before the war after being bullied.

"Go back and tell them that I will take care of this matter. I will publish an article in the newspaper to urge secret societies across Southeast Asia to remain rational."

"This... Master, can you control it just by posting articles?"

Zheng Yi: "Do you really think I'm going to care?"

"what……"

Lin Shaoliang understood a little.

Zheng Yi: "I will not participate in this matter. Besides, I have already agreed with Lapek that in the next three months, the Colonial Office will reduce the protection of Japanese residents.
Go to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bandung, Semarang, and other cities with large Japanese and Chinese communities, and meet with the leaders of the Chinese-owned businesses."

"As long as we don't cause too many deaths, we can be a little more ruthless. The Colonial Bureau doesn't need to worry too much.

Within three months, I can still do something. Even if I get arrested, I can still rescue the person later."

"Of course, bullying is bullying, but try not to kill people. I don't really advocate for things like rape."

"Of course, I still have to say nice things. You've walked this circle for me, so you know what to do."

Lim Sioe Liong: "This... I understand, Master. In the past two months, there have indeed been fewer people coming to Penang. Many of those who are still staying in various places and refusing to come are business owners. We can just burn down their houses or shops."

To put it bluntly, what Zheng Yi has to do now is to force all the Japanese in Southeast Asia to leave, forcing them to either return to their country or come to Penang or Rangoon.

The Japanese in Southeast Asia are more aware of the situation in Penang, but given Japan's current situation, normal Japanese would definitely not want to return to their country.

Of course, he still has to say nice things. They are friends of Japan. He has always claimed that he treats Japanese right-wingers and Japanese civilians differently.

"Shaoliang, it's very difficult for us to win the Sino-Japanese War on the front lines. What the two countries are fighting for right now is actually tenacity."

"As long as the war continues, Japan's economy and people's livelihood will inevitably deteriorate. As the saying goes, it's difficult to go from luxury to frugality. For ordinary people, even though they are winning victory after victory on the front line, their lives are getting worse and worse. What meaning does such victory have for them?"

"Of course the Japanese government will say that all this is temporary and that we should just endure it until the country achieves complete victory. But how long can they endure it? One year, two years, three years, four years.

If every year is so much worse than the previous one, will anyone really celebrate the country's success?

"China is an agricultural country. Even if they win on the battlefield, all they can plunder are some raw materials and primary minerals, which cannot be exchanged for much foreign exchange.

Therefore, no matter how they win militarily, I predict that they will lose economically.

I heard that after the Russo-Japanese War, although Japan won the battle, the Russian Tsar refused to pay compensation, and the Japanese people became worse off.
Bonds issued for the war were unable to be redeemed, and the angry Japanese people almost overthrew their government."

"Although I look down on that bald man, I believe he will not surrender and has the courage to fight the Japanese to the end. I also believe that in today's China, there will no longer be an Empress Dowager Cixi who is willing to pay compensation to Japan."

"The real battlefield between us and the Japanese is not on the front line, but in the rear. So... I'm sorry to bother you. We have to force the Japanese into the areas outside of Penang and Rangoon as much as possible."

"But after being forced in, we have to try our best to ensure their livelihood and publicize it in Japan.

First, to continue to poach technical talent from Japan, and second, to stir up dissatisfaction within Japanese society with the war, especially the war that has made their lives worse year by year.”

"Do you know what the only advantage an agricultural country has over an industrial country?"

Lin Shaoliang shook his head.

Zheng Yi: "It's a social economy thing, so there's little room for improvement."

Lin Shaoliang: “…………”

"This is true. Everyone is bearing the economic pressure brought by the war. The people of Japan, a country with such poverty and militarism, are not much better off than those in China.
The anger of the Chinese people is directed at the Japanese invaders, and the anger of the Japanese people is also directed at the Japanese invaders."

"What we need to do is to stir up their anger, stir up their dissatisfaction, and constantly tell them that they could have lived a life other than this."

"Firstly, we need you to do a good job of propaganda and infiltration. Secondly, we really need you to lead the Japanese in Penang and even Yangon to live a good life.
And you need to keep them connected to China. You need to have a continuous channel for them to relieve their sense of superiority in China."

"It's a total war now. It's not just the actual fighting on the battlefield that's war; it's also about the economy, public opinion, and propaganda.
But in short, the better the lives of the Japanese in Penang are, the more they highlight the miserable lives of the Japanese in Japan and the incompetence of their government.

"When they are dissatisfied, they will be lazy at work, they will skip work, and when they are called up for military service, they will skip military service.
After paying taxes, they will try every possible way to take advantage of the public, even damaging public property to vent their anger, wasting Japan's national wealth."

"Don't underestimate this. The anger of the people is enough to burn down any powerful government. I know there will be people who will call you a traitor. I also know that you must feel uncomfortable serving the Japanese."

"But remember my words, you are fighting against Japan. The better we treat the Japanese, the easier it will be to gain an advantage in this economic war of endurance.

You are not fawning on Japan, you are actually resisting Japan. You are not a traitor, you are a hero."

Lin Shaoliang: "I understand, Master. We have set up a special agent team against Japan according to your request. We have contacted the person you mentioned in Japan and set up a radio station.
We can now develop our Japanese broadcasting. Don't worry, I will do this even if it costs me my life."

"Japanese radio, great, what's it called?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. What do you think, Master?"

"Let's call it... the Voice of Freedom."

"Freedom? What a great name, Master. It's great."

"Don't rush to criticize militarism on the radio, that will only backfire. Instead, promote the spirit of freedom and individualism.

It would be good to compare the price increases before and after Japan's outbreak of war, and to reveal the situation of the Japanese community in Penang, whether intentionally or unintentionally."

"By the way, we need to report more on the wealth of their political and military figures. It doesn't matter if the reports are right or wrong.

For example, those officers fighting on the front lines, especially generals, all have properties and assets in Penang, worth millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of US dollars.

"Don't be afraid if it's fake, there will always be people who believe it."

"Newspapers and leaflets need to be produced. We should also produce Japanese newspapers in Penang. We should find ways to enrich the lives of the Japanese community. Don't worry, these newspapers will eventually reach Japan."

"If you can do all these, you will have made great contributions to the anti-Japanese cause."

You should know that in the middle and late stages of World War II, the worker absenteeism rate in Japan was over 30%, and most of those who went to work were just doing their job in a perfunctory manner.

What a bullshit 100 million people dying in battle. Just shout slogans. Whoever really believes it is an idiot.

"Master, don't worry. I understand. I will definitely do this well. Within six months, I will establish three or more intelligence stations in Japan and ensure that at least ten million Japanese have heard the 'Voice of Freedom'."

Zheng Yi: "If you can really do it, I will personally recommend you for a reward after the war is over."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shaoliang stood at attention and saluted Zheng Yi, not knowing who he had learned it from.

"I will never let you down, Master!"

"Haha, do your best. Also, please help me make an appointment with Mr. Toyota. I'll treat him to lunch tomorrow at noon. I have something to tell him."

(End of this chapter)