Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 162 What’s the point of fighting the Thais? If you want to fight, fight the Japanese

"Captain, did you hit the ground? Why do you look so unhappy?"

At the construction site in Alor Setar, the military barracks dormitories have not been completed yet, so the Malay soldiers are temporarily squeezed into tin houses, and the so-called promise to bring their families over has not been fulfilled at all.

Every day, everyone looks at the building being built not far away, knowing that there will be water and electricity, and that will be their home. Everyone is quite happy, training, working, and full of energy, looking forward to living a good life soon.

Of course, there was really no privacy. Seven thousand men were crowded together, and naturally there was no hierarchy. Anand, the regiment leader, squatted on the ground smoking a cigarette, and all the other Malays could see it.

In fact, with a scale of 7,000 people, it should be a brigade no matter how you look at it. However, everything is in its infancy. After all, Anand is just a young man with no prestige. The subordinates around him may not obey him yet, so he was only given the title of regimental commander.

Seeing him squatting and smoking, looking very lively, many people gathered around him without any hesitation.

If you have something unhappy, tell it out and make everyone happy.

Anand said, "Tell me, why have we Malays been bullied by the British for hundreds of years? The British have such a small number of people, but they can control so many of us. Why can't we defeat them?"

No one knew why he asked this, but since they were all honest people who spoke their minds, they all started to answer one after another.

However, it all comes down to the same old tune: developed industry, strong ships and powerful guns, better organization, more abundant training, ammunition, weapons, and so on.

Anand: "Yes, that was in the past. But since Mr. Zheng took over, tell me, what are we worse than the British army?"

"This……"

For a moment, everyone looked at each other.

All of them have served in the British army. To be more precise, they are now nominally British soldiers.

Of course they knew what kind of character the British army was. Perhaps the British army in Europe was relatively elite, but the British army in Malaysia had already been rotten for a long time.

Anand: "The three southern provinces of Siam are all our Malay compatriots. The reason Mr. Zheng hired us and treated us so well is not just to encourage us, his fellow Malays, to go north and fight for the Isthmus of Kra, right?"

"However, now that the war is intense on the front lines, it's the Chinese who are leading the charge and engaging the Thai army. The administrative power of the three prefectures has fallen entirely into the hands of that Chinese general named Wu...something."

"You tell me... Is there any use for us if Mr. Zheng wants us?"

Just one sentence stunned them all. The crowd, which was originally quite noisy, suddenly became quiet.

When Zheng Yi formed them, he did not shy away from telling them what he wanted them to do. He made it clear long ago that they were recruited to fight, and it was obvious that they were not to be cannon fodder.

They are not fools. They know clearly whether they will be reused or used as cannon fodder. The dormitories and factories are being built. The Chinese construction teams have now fully entered Kedah and even bought construction machinery to help them pave the roads.

These are things that the British have not done for decades or even hundreds of years.

Isn’t it because they are valuable now?

There are already more Chinese in Malaya than Malays. If it weren't for the attack on the three southern provinces of Thailand, which are inhabited by Malays, wouldn't the Chinese army have just fought on their own?

For a moment, everyone couldn't help but look at each other.

Of course, Zheng Yi didn't really think of Wu Aihua as a Chinese in his heart. He knew very well what kind of person he was in history. Of course, there is no such thing as good or evil for politicians, and the choices they make often have nothing to do with their own character. Most of the time, it depends on the needs of the country. Zheng Yi is not prejudiced against him because of historical events.

Just like that, Zheng Yi naturally distrusted him even more. Besides, there was no reason to trust him just because he was Chinese. Zheng Yi had no influence in Thailand, and Zheng Yi had no means to control Wu Aihua except that he was Chinese.

To put it bluntly, the relationship between the two of them is one of mutual exploitation.

They will certainly say some empty words about family and country, but that's just talk. Relatively speaking, the Malays in Kedah are definitely trustworthy. The entire economy of Kedah depends on Penang for support. These people serve as soldiers for him, and their wives, children and the elderly are all in his hands.

Holding the gratitude he owes them in one hand and their weak spot in the other, he dares to say with confidence that they are his own people.

But when Anand said this, everyone did not have time to think about it and could not react at all. Moreover, these Malays could not understand the relationship between Chinese and Chinese. They only knew that Zheng Yi was the Chinese leader in Nanyang.

Most of them were farmers from some villages and tribes who had just put down their hoes a few days ago. They had limited knowledge and just thought that the Thai Chinese surnamed Wu must be Zheng Yi's subordinate and must be closer to Zheng Yi than they were.

If Anand himself had not specifically mentioned it, these Malays would have had no idea that Wu Aihua's former name was Luang Phibun, let alone that he was the Siamese Defense Minister, Deputy Field Marshal of the Army, and the country's second-in-command in power.

Seeing that the Malays were genuinely worried, Anand added fuel to the fire, "War is already underway in the three southern prefectures. The Chinese have completely taken control of the government in the three southern prefectures and are engaging the Siamese army."

"I took the initiative to propose to Mr. Zheng that we could go and fight those Thai troops. We are Malays and we must save our fellow Malays and not let those Buddhists bully us."

Someone in the crowd couldn't help but ask, "What did Mr. Zheng say?"

"Hey~"

Anand sighed and shook his head. "Mr. Zheng said he didn't need us anymore and asked us to continue training. To put it bluntly, he still doesn't trust us. He himself went to see General Bonnar."

"Mr. Zheng said he doesn't want to use us and wants to try to ask the British army for help, even if it costs a little money? Oh, it seems to me that Mr. Zheng doesn't trust us. He doesn't trust our loyalty or our ability."

Anand puffed deeply on his cigarette, looking worried as he gazed at the buildings still under construction. "I wonder if these buildings and factories will still be our dormitories after they're finished," he said.

However, he did it on purpose, deliberately ignoring the actual fact that Zheng Yi said he asked Britain for help to borrow their navy.

The fact is, if there is a war in that broken place of the Kra Isthmus, the navy will definitely be an indispensable part. Zheng Yi himself has no navy, so who else can he turn to if not the British?
Besides, since Thailand is pursuing Greater Thai nationalism, its territorial dispute with Myanmar will inevitably be mentioned again. As the nominal overlord of Southeast Asia, Britain must also give Thailand a warning.

It would be a waste if not used. Zheng Yi would of course go to Britain, and he would also have to go to France. What's wrong with Britain and France being the cannon fodder first?

However, Anand deliberately did not mention the navy, which gave everyone the illusion that Zheng Yi wanted to ask the British Army for help. He achieved his goal without telling a lie.

Weren't they the British Army before?

For a moment, a huge sense of disappointment and even anger filled everyone's heart.

Anand lit another cigarette for himself while lowering his head in frustration, while taking in the expressions of others. However, he couldn't help but feel satisfied and contented in his heart.

He actually knew very well that his biggest problem now was that he lacked prestige and could not lead this group of people well.

Everyone had served under the British before, and he was just a sergeant. There were no Malay lieutenants in Malaya, but there were still quite a few non-commissioned officers, and no one was higher in rank than the other. When Zheng Yi heard that he was going to meet Anand, he thought it sounded familiar and casually named his general, thinking that if he was useful, he would use him, and if not, he would replace him. After all, he didn't know any other Malays.

Others also thought that Zheng Yi might have liked him, and he happened to speak Chinese and English not very fluently, so he picked him out from a group of non-commissioned officers. Anand himself also thought so.

Naturally, Anand needed to do something immediately, and it had to be something he took the lead in, for Zheng Yi to see and for the people below to see.

Even if there is some risk, it doesn't matter. After all, if a person wants to be rich and successful, he may only have this one chance in his lifetime. For a person like him, if he doesn't seize the opportunity to succeed, he will not be willing to die.

"Captain, is there no other way?"

"Solution... Oh, forget it. I'd better think about it again. It's too dangerous."

After saying that, Anand put out the cigarette in his hand, turned around and went back to his room without chatting with them.

The others were left staring at each other in bewilderment, their hearts in turmoil and dismay.

However, Anand achieved his goal, because everyone lived in temporary tin houses, slept very crowdedly, and ate and lived together, so any gossip would spread very quickly.

Moreover, rumors naturally became more and more exaggerated as they spread. In less than a day, the news became: a Chinese had taken over the three prefectures in the Kra Isthmus. Mr. Zheng no longer needed them and planned to give them a severance pay and let them go back home.

They have nothing to do with the dormitories, factories and other things that are being built on the construction site.

After it is built, it will definitely be given to the Chinese in Siam who are both capable and trustworthy.

Rumors are bound to be as bizarre as possible. Soon someone said that Captain Anand seemed to have a solution, but it was very dangerous, so he did not intend to use it.

Someone immediately slammed the table and said, "Why should we be afraid of danger? We've all joined the army and fought in the war, so why should we be afraid of danger? If we can't do anything, Mr. Zheng won't want us anymore and sends us away to farm in disgrace. That would be truly humiliating, and we wouldn't even be able to survive."

So the next day, just after lunch, thousands of Malays surrounded Anand.

"Captain, when we left, we agreed with the village and our families that we would lead them to a good life. Please find a way to talk to Mr. Zheng and tell him not to let us go back."

"Yes, Commander, we've even got our guns and have been training for half a month. If we're disbanded and no longer wanted, what's the big deal?"

"Captain, do you have a solution? If you do, please tell me."

"Is it dangerous? Brothers, we are not afraid of danger. Mr. Zheng is so rich. Even if we die, Mr. Zheng will not ignore our family. Brothers, we are just afraid that our happiness will be in vain, so let us go back."

Seeing this, Anand couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

The big guys came to him on their own initiative, so the morale of the troops can be boosted.

Immediately, he sighed and said, "Mr. Zheng didn't say anything, but I can feel that he thinks we are useless. We are Malays. If we are useless, why would others trust us?"

"So if we want to break the impasse, we have to prove ourselves to Mr. Zheng. We Malays are useful. We have to do things that the Chinese cannot do. We have to show Mr. Zheng our loyalty. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Everyone nodded after hearing this.

"That's true, but what can we Malays do that the Chinese can't do, and how can we prove it to be ours, like Mr. Zheng?"

Anand: "Well, I can only think of one, but...oh, it's too dangerous."

"Captain, please tell me, we are not afraid of danger."

"Yes, Captain, the worst that can happen is death. We are not afraid of death. As long as we can prove to Mr. Zheng that we Malays can do it, that's all that matters."

Anand: "Okay, this is what I think. Mr. Zheng hired us because we are Malays. We are fellow Malays with the Malays in the three southern prefectures. He originally needed us to fight there."

Someone below couldn't help but interject, "Captain, are you saying that we should go to the Isthmus of Kra now and fight the Siamese, oh no, the Thais?"

However, Anand said, "What's so great about fighting the Thais? Can't the Chinese fight? The Chinese are already fighting, and if we go, it will just be icing on the cake. How can it show the importance of us Malays?"

"Then, what are we going to do?"

Anand suddenly said in a very serious tone, "As far as I know, Mr. Zheng and the Chinese in Penang all hate the Japanese."

"Japanese? Yeah, I think I've heard that their relationship with the Japanese is particularly bad."

"Don't we have Japanese in Kedah?"

"That's Bin Chen Japanese, it's different."

"Captain, what does this have to do with Japan fever?"

Anand said, "Fighting the Thais is nothing. Mr. Zheng probably wouldn't even look down on us. There's no need for us to fight. In my opinion, only by fighting the Japanese can we prove to Mr. Zheng that we Malays are capable and willing to follow him. We are even more willing to fight for the interests of him and the Chinese in Penang and show our loyalty."

Someone else asked, "But where can we find the Japanese to fight? What does this have to do with our Malay identity?"

Upon hearing this, Anand said very seriously, "In the eastern Gulf of Siam, there is a province called Phuket. There is a small island in the province called Koh Racha. I've heard that there used to be a Siamese navy on Koh Racha."

"The Thai government is said to have hired a large number of Japanese military instructors to teach them how to fight. This is also the reason why Mr. Zheng and his men broke with Siam and wanted to fight them."

"Brothers, the residents of Phuket Island are also Malays. It is a naval base, but the control of going on and off the island seems to be lax.
If we can find a way to sneak in with our weapons, if we can suddenly attack the naval base and kidnap the Japanese inside, what do you think Mr. Zheng will think of us? Will he be very happy? Wouldn't we be useful?"

"Of course, this battle is indeed too dangerous. If the plan fails, the brothers who went to the island with me will probably never return. Sigh~, otherwise, we should..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted: "The commander is right. To prove our ability and loyalty to Mr. Zheng, is there a better way than to fight the Japanese?"

"That's right, the commander is right. What's the point of fighting the Thais? This is our Malay Corps' first battle. If we have to fight, we'll fight the Japanese!"

"Well said, let's kill a few, no, kill a bunch of Japanese to show Mr. Zheng!"

(End of this chapter)