Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 248: Taking Advantage of Seniority? Southern Alliance, Stay or Leave as You Will

ten thousand years is too long, fight for now.

Almost all Chinese people in SAARC can feel that Zheng Yi has become obviously different after returning from Japan this time.

He is no longer easygoing, and has a kind of inexplicable dominance when doing things, which makes people feel uncomfortable.

You should know that Zheng Yi rarely took charge of things directly before, especially when Penang was just established. He was only responsible for formulating strategic plans and spent most of his time in the laboratory doing scientific research.

But now, we haven't seen Zheng Yi doing scientific research for a long time, and even the so-called strategic planning is not the same as before. He whispers with those Japanese all day long. Many people say that Mr. Zheng values ​​the Japanese more than these Chinese who have shared weal and woe with him.

After the secretariat was established, except for Qian Qiwen and Li Jianqiao who were confirmed secretaries, the rest of the secretaries were not recommended, but had to take exams. The questions seemed to be extremely difficult. The final result was that more than 400 people were admitted, but less than half of them were Chinese.

Although there is a rule that "new Southern Alliance people" cannot refer to it, which excludes this group of college students brought from Japan, even those old Japanese immigrants are generally more knowledgeable than the Chinese.

In addition to the Japanese, there are also a large number of Europeans, Americans, and even British.

Moreover, any discerning person can see that the reason why half of the Chinese in Southeast Asia can still become secretaries is because the Japanese who newly joined the SAARC this year cannot be used as a reference.

In a few years, when these people have mastered Chinese, how can these Nanyang Chinese still beat them in exams?

If everyone in the secretariat becomes Japanese by then, then our Nanyang anti-Japanese war will be in vain?

"Mr. Zheng no longer trusts his old brothers and has even betrayed us Chinese in Southeast Asia." Such sour words soon filled the streets and alleys.

Especially after the establishment of the Security Bureau, almost all middle and senior Chinese people felt that the power of this Security Bureau was a bit too great.

This thing was created by Zheng Yi imitating Park Kaka. Li Xiaowei's power is basically equivalent to that of Quan Xiaojiang before he came to power in history.

You have to know that Park Kaka divided the security work into three parts, with checks and balances between them, but Zheng Yi's subordinates have no checks and balances at all.

To put it bluntly, Zheng Yi did not really want to be a dictator after all, and he had fully learned from Park Kaka's experience and lessons. If Park Kaka had not thought he was smart and let his subordinates fight among themselves, he would not have died.

Although monkey shows can make the rulers appear clever, they do face the risk of being scratched by the monkeys.

The most important thing is that Zheng Yi has no time to engage in the so-called balance of power, and no energy to study the so-called political manipulation.

So he simply let Li Xiaowei take on the responsibility, to save himself the trouble. This guy has been running the police force for ten years, and the entire police system is composed of his people. He is qualified for this position. Moreover, like Hong Kong Island, at least the police system in Penang must be completely managed by the Security Bureau.

The power is indeed too great. If this department really develops and matures, if Zheng Yi is defeated like Park Kaka one day, Li Xiaowei will immediately be able to take over like Quan Xiaojiang, and no one will be able to check and balance him.

This is also the reason why Zheng Yi said that after this period of time, the department will be disbanded, or at least split up and its power will be restricted.

He was not trying to fool Chen Jiageng, but he really thought so. This thing was not suitable for permanent use.

Although in name, Zheng Yi only said that special surveillance should be carried out and special measures should be taken in special times, in fact, almost everyone felt that Li Xiaowei would definitely monitor all telephone lines, radio stations, and telegraphs in Penang and even in Singapore.

Although it was derived from the police system and its core members are mainly from the police, no one actually knows how many intelligence personnel are on the payroll or not. Moreover, it is like a big package. All disciplined forces are subject to the supervision and management of the Security Bureau, including immigration and fire forces.

Although people of this era don’t know who Quan Xiaojiang is, many people have already begun to compare Li Xiaowei with Hoover.

Then the question that follows is: Who are you, Li Xiaowei? Are you worthy of being compared with Hoover?

After all, it is really difficult to win the support of relatives by marriage.

boom!
A pile of documents fell directly onto Zheng Yi's desk. Xu Shengli angrily pulled open a chair in Zheng Yi's office and sat across from him. He said in a rather unfriendly tone, "Sign it for me. I'll leave after you sign it."

Zheng Yi was not angry. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Where are you going, Uncle Xu? What's the matter? Why are you so angry when you ask me to sign?"

"I'm going back home! I'm not staying in this damn Southern Alliance anymore. I'm not going to play around anymore, okay? Hey~, don't try to keep me. I'm not staying anymore, so just sign for me."

After saying this, he slammed the table angrily and rudely called out to Li Jianqiao, who was already a deputy minister, to come and light his cigar. He picked it up and started smoking, then raised his legs and crossed them and said:
"Damn it! You sent Li Xiaowei to spy on me. Where was he when Penang was founded? Ah Yi, the Southern Alliance wasn't founded by you alone. It was the result of the joint efforts and struggles of our brothers. We just won the war, and you're going to be like Liu Bang and kill all the heroes who made it happen?"

"They say it's easy to build an empire together, but hard to rule it together. Damn Zheng Yi, I'm so disappointed! I'm so disappointed!"

At the side, Li Jianqiao hurried over and personally brewed him a cup of tea and placed it on the table. He said with a smile, "Uncle Xu, calm down. Don't be so angry. Your uncle didn't mean that. Besides, how could my third uncle really dare to spy on you? Isn't this just a show? Even Mayor Chen has nodded. We have to put on an act among ourselves for outsiders to see. If you all act according to the law, then the people below will be fine."

Xu Shengli, however, refused to give him any face. He sneered, "What? Now that you've been promoted, even you can lecture me? Is it your place as a child to interrupt when adults are talking? Is this the Li family's upbringing?"

Well, Li Jianqiao immediately shut his mouth after hearing that, and left after closing the door.

I crossed my arms and sulked, but there was nothing I could do.

After all, Xu Shengli is one of the founders of the Southern Alliance and is twice as old as his father Li Xiaoshi. He and Li Jiqian are on good terms with each other on a daily basis. If we really talk about seniority, he is really a grandson.

But his status is there. There are a lot of old guys in Nanyang, and everyone has always been talking to each other. He is young in generation and age, so can he really call everyone "grandfather"?
This Xu Shengli,
It's obvious that he is relying on his seniority and seniority to bully others!
At this moment, Li Jianqiao suddenly understood why Liu Bang, Zhu Yuanzhang, and most dynasties that were able to maintain long-term stability had to kill many meritorious officials at the beginning of their founding.

Zheng Yi flipped open the document on the table and found that it was actually a share relinquishment letter, which required him to divest all of his properties in Penang, especially the shares of several chemical plants such as Penang Petrochemical, in exchange for US dollars.

No wonder he found me. Wu Wenhao is basically in charge of the affairs of the chemical plant now. After all, this guy is not on the same path as Lin Shaoliang. He needs to accumulate a lot of experience, so he has never been involved in government affairs.

Naturally, I don't dare to make the decision on such a big thing as withdrawing shares.

The financial situation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is relatively tight now, and Zheng Yi spends money lavishly. Those chemical factories are the foundation and pillar industries of the entire Penang. If he really withdraws his shares, it will be a huge sum of money.

If the Southern Alliance had to pay this money, it would definitely be a huge loss, and it would also be detrimental to the reputation of Zheng Yi and the Li family.

This Xu Shengli clearly came to him to seek a sense of existence.

Zheng Yi: "What's the matter, Uncle Xu? Are you so upset? You're a veteran of our Southern Alliance. Outsiders who don't know about this might think that a junior like me is bullying you. Calm down. What can't be said between family members in a peaceful way? Why do you have to be like this?"

"How about Uncle Xu, you take a look at which positions in the Southern Alliance you're interested in, and I'll arrange them for you?"

Zheng Yi finally gave Xu Shengli some face. When he was nothing, Xu Shengli helped him a lot, and he was indeed one of the founders of the Southern Alliance.

Of course my status is different from others.

When the Southern Alliance was founded, there were four great elders. Li Jiqian has basically retired now. After all, he is Zheng Yi's father-in-law and the former master of the family. If the old man does not retire, Zheng Yi will feel uncomfortable no matter what he does.

But it goes without saying that the Li family is very powerful in Nanyang. Zheng Yi has no family of his own and can only rely on his in-laws for everything. They are definitely a powerful family in Nanyang.

Mr. Tan Kah Kee, needless to say, is not only the mayor of Penang now, but Singapore's affairs are basically managed by his nephew Tan Lark Sye. Even his son-in-law Lee Xiangqian is in charge of the entire SAARC financial industry.

The reason why Zheng Yi did not have a financial industry consultant in the advisory group was to guard against his son-in-law.

The person Zheng Yi respected most in Nanyang was Mr. Tan Kah Kee, but to be honest, he was also the one he feared the most.

Hu Wenhu's situation was not so good, but after so many years in the sun, he had become a high-ranking official. He would not return to Penang unless he had nothing to do. The whole of Myanmar was his sphere of influence. He and his Hakka people did not get involved in the affairs of the city. They went around to enclose land, farm, and open mines. He was also a newspaper tycoon.

Recently, India's independence was imminent, and Zheng Yi did not have time for several negotiations in Kolkata. It was Hu Wenhu who represented the SAARC to communicate with them.

From this perspective, among the four elders, Xu Shengli is indeed the one who is doing the worst now.

Although he is nominally the deputy mayor of Penang, the power he holds now is actually less than Qian Qiwen's.

There is actually no way around it. On the Southern Alliance side, who has what power is not entirely determined by Zheng Yi, and Zheng Yi is not that powerful.

The reason why Xu Shengli was able to become one of the four elders was because his family was a local tyrant in Penang. His family had been tax farmers in Penang for generations. They were also big bosses of the Hongmen and had great influence in Siam.

When Zheng Yi first subcontracted taxes to Penang, it was equivalent to building his power directly on the power of their Xu family, which was quite similar to the meaning of Emperor Xian of Han entering Xuchang. Then Xu Shengli naturally had a greater say, and Zheng Yi sometimes had to do things according to his mood.

However, over the past ten years, the SAARC has developed too fast. When Zheng Yi first came to Penang, the entire city had a population of only about 300,000. Even if these 300,000 were all members of his Xu family, Penang now has a population of five million.

Who knows what your Xu family does?

As for the Hongmen boss, not to mention that the Hongmen was already disbanded, the key point is that the two brotherhood organizations, Hongmen and Huaji, are now being downplayed as much as possible in the Southern Alliance. Besides, if we really talk about prestige, Hei Gu Ren is still doing pornography in Alor Setar.

Isn’t Hei Gu Ren’s status in the Hongmen higher than his?

As for the claim that their family has power in Siam, that's nonsense. No matter how powerful a force is, can it defeat Wu Aihua? Wu Aihua has to behave properly when she sees Zheng Yi now.

It’s not that Zheng Yi doesn’t give face to this veteran.

It is indeed this elder now, but it is useless...

I think it is because he is really useless that he may not be mentally balanced during this period.

At present, the influence of Wang Zhaosong, the leader of the overseas Chinese community in Qiongzhou, in the Southern Alliance is much greater than his.

This anger must have been suppressed for many years, and now, taking advantage of the opportunity of Zheng Yi setting up the Security Bureau, he finally released it.

Did he feel embarrassed to let a junior like Li Xiaowei eavesdrop on him? Maybe he also wanted to take this opportunity to make his presence felt.

I understand. What's so hard to understand?
Since ancient times, such useless heroes have been the most difficult to deal with. You say you want to use them, but it will only delay things, and you don't actually trust them that much.

If you say you want to handle it coldly, they will be full of complaints and it will indeed easily chill people's hearts.

Anyone who sees such a thing as the cunning rabbit dies and the running dog is cooked will feel uncomfortable. Besides, this is not a feudal autocratic society anymore, so why bother?

Can we talk or should we talk?

"Uncle Xu, you've misunderstood me by saying I want to be Liu Bang. I'm telling you sincerely that I really don't have that intention, and I don't have that ability. The Southern Alliance isn't an ancient feudal dynasty."

"Uncle Xu, you really did provide me with tremendous help at the beginning of our Southern Alliance and my own business. I'm very grateful to you. You've been a benefactor to me. To be honest, if it weren't for you, I might still be working for the Li family."

"Well, Uncle Xu, I recently received news that the British have basically decided to give up India. However, there are still some details that the British and Indians are discussing. After they become completely independent, Kolkata will be officially incorporated into the management system of our SAARC."

"That's a big city, a big market, so I think I'd like you to go to Calcutta and take charge, and become a local lord. What do you think?"

Zheng Yi tried his best to do his utmost by first praising the other person and then giving him a way out.

Of course, SAARC in Kolkata cannot get real power. Because India is a big country, Zheng Yi made many concessions when negotiating with Gansu and Nepal.

Besides, there are not many Chinese people there, and the SAARC does not have the right to bear arms. In fact, the initiative is indeed on the side of the International Congress Party, and Zheng Yi also promised to retain the British interests in Kolkata.

As the ruling center of British colonial India, the British interests in Kolkata are not small, and the British will definitely leave a representative at that time.

By then, the three forces of SAARC, Britain and India will be mixed together. SAARC has nothing but some money, and will definitely be in a relatively weak position. Zheng Yi does not want the city, but hopes to use it to open up India, the world's second largest population market.

This kind of position, which is in name only and looks good and sounds nice, is just right for assigning this useless veteran.

Zheng Yi certainly could not be like Liu Bang or Zhu Yuanzhang. If we really use ancient dynasties as an analogy, Zheng Yi has always believed that in terms of treating meritorious officials, he should be comparable to Liu Xiu.

That is to say, he wanted to make those veterans who had started the business with him as high in position but with as little power as possible, but give them plenty of money so that they could enjoy wealth and prosperity.

Arrange more minor officials, that is, the secretariat he is now forming, who have low positions but great power, and pay them less salary so that they will be more respectful to these elders.

He felt that among the entrepreneurial emperors in ancient times, this one was the best, as it neither hurt the relationship nor delayed things.

You have to know that Xu Shengli holds shares in Penang Petrochemical. Over the years, with such a large industry, has Zheng Yi ever failed to give him a penny in dividends? He has never cooked the accounts.

Isn’t this equivalent to the meritorious fields that Liu Xiu gave to the founding heroes during the Eastern Han Dynasty?
However, Xu Shengli didn't seem to appreciate it.

He also knew what was going on in Kolkata, but he seemed determined to go against Zheng Yi. He said:
"Mr. Zheng, when you asked us all to pool our money, we trusted you and entrusted our lives and fortunes to you. You also promised us that we could withdraw our investment at any time. Isn't our SAARC a non-state actor? Are you forbidding me from withdrawing my shares?"

Zheng Yi laughed upon hearing this and said, "Uncle Xu, of course the Southern Alliance allows for share withdrawals. However, as far as I know, Penang Petrochemical's stock price hasn't been very good recently. You know, we recently acquired over twenty large oil fields in Borneo."

"Add to that the inevitable post-war decline in prices for chemical fibers and plastics. Just taking Penang Petrochemical as an example, its debt-to-asset ratio is extremely high. I haven't seen this year's financial report, but I'm afraid it's already approaching 80%."

"This is mainly due to the sharp drop in oil prices, but I believe that oil prices will not remain this low forever. It will recover in no time."

"By then, the asset prices of these oil fields will undoubtedly be much higher, and the stock prices will naturally look better."

"If you believe me, it would be better to wait until after the 70s, preferably the s, to exit. That would be more cost-effective for you. I guarantee you that by then, the market value of Penang Petrochemical will be at least ten times what it is now, or even dozens of times more."

"When you get the money, you will be one of the richest people in the world. Whether you stay in SAARC or go somewhere else, even to the United States, you will still be a top tycoon and a wealthy man."

Zheng Yi's words came from the heart. After all, in the economic golden age of the 60s, there was almost no major stock market in the world that did not rise, if only they could wait until the oil crisis.

Not to mention dozens of times, it may even be hundreds of times.

However, Xu Shengli obviously didn't think so, nor did he think Zheng Yi had good intentions.

The more Zheng Yi tried to stop him, the more he felt that he had Zheng Yi under his control. He firmly believed that Zheng Yi had run out of money and could not come up with the money, which was why he was in such a difficult situation.

Besides, in his opinion, these petrochemical companies are no longer that valuable.

The high profits in the past were entirely supported by the high-tech nature of by-products such as chemical fibers and plastics. Now these things are no longer so rare and the profits are no longer so high.

As for the refining itself.

Now that the war is over, there are refineries everywhere in Europe, America and the Soviet Union. But if there were no war, where would such a huge consumption of gasoline come from?

Oil production is increasing, but consumption is decreasing. This oil business will definitely have no future.

I'm not giving up my shares and am keeping them because of the friendship we have had in the past.

But if you don't show any mercy to me, why should I show any mercy to you?

You want me to be kind to you, so now, shouldn't you also be kind to me?
At the very least, you can't let that junior Li Xiaowei interfere with me, a veteran.

Thinking he had Zheng Yi under control, he immediately lifted his legs higher and said, "My dear nephew, it's not that I don't give you face, but please don't misunderstand me. I, your uncle Xu, am not that petty."

"It's like fallen leaves returning to their roots. When I get old, I want to go back to my country and take a look. It's just right. Mr. Song and I have some friendship, and he said that he wants me to return to Shanghai to be responsible for planning and coordinating the development there."

"Although Nanyang is now wealthy, the country is still poor, isn't it? Alas, national affairs are no small matter."

Zheng Yi was quite surprised. "Shanghai? They are really... generous."

After the war, many presidents of chambers of commerce and senior Chinese businessmen returned to China to buy property. Even among ordinary workers, there was a large number of people returning to China.

Chinese?

The idea of ​​returning to one's roots and returning home in glory has always been deeply rooted in the Chinese people's bones. The national government must welcome and warmly welcome the wealthy businessmen returning from Southeast Asia.

For some people, no matter how good the SAARC is, it is not home, and no matter how bad the country is, it is still home after all.

Didn’t the civil war break out in the first two years? Even this year, the civil war situation seems a bit one-sided, especially since the main battlefields are in the north, while the south is relatively stable.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, as the connection between Southeast Asia and the mainland became increasingly close, the National Government was willing to give many powerful positions to people from the Southern Alliance.

Historically, Chinese businessmen returning from Southeast Asia have always been an important part of the domestic democratic government.

Even though only a very small number of them return to settle down completely, most Chinese businessmen still buy property when they return.

If you can't return home when you are rich, it's like walking in the night in fine clothes. You can just buy hundreds of hectares of land and invest in a big factory.

Even if it has no practical significance and is not for making money, it is still fun just for showing off.

There were even people from Fuzhou who kept coming to Zheng Yi, suggesting that he go back to his hometown and buy land. He didn't even have to pay for it himself. As long as he nodded, they would give him at least 3,000 hectares of land.

It’s just that Zheng Yi really didn’t have this need and always rejected the other party’s kindness.

"Shanghai... Uncle Xu, are you planning to sell your assets in Nanyang and buy property in Shanghai? Things are still not peaceful in China right now, and it's still unclear who will be the winner in the future."

"Hmph, there's nothing I can do. I love my country, right? Mr. Zheng, you don't have to worry about me. Do those red bandits really think they can break into Shanghai? I'm just returning home to contribute to my country."

Zheng Yi's mouth twitched unconsciously when he heard this, a little unable to hold it in. He said, "Uncle Xu, have you really thought it through? If you withdraw now, Penang Petrochemical can only give you the market price. Based on the shares you hold, I'm afraid it will be difficult to get more than 200 million US dollars, right?"

Xu Shengli said, "It's okay. I'm not afraid of being at a disadvantage. Since Mr. Zheng doesn't respect us, we old guys naturally have other places to go that respect us."

Zheng Yi: "Is that so... Then, I wish you a bright future and a safe journey."

After saying that, Zheng Yi signed the document happily.

I handed it back to him and said, "Let's make it a round sum, 200 million. I'll give you the US dollars. Please give me three days. In three days, I'll give you the 200 million US dollars."

"Anyway, Uncle Xu, I'm always extremely grateful for the help you've given me. Penang will always be your home, and you're always welcome to come back whenever you want."

“It’s a pleasure to travel with you and an honor to have worked with you for so many years.”

"Goodbye."

After saying that, Zheng Yi returned the documents to him and took the initiative to extend his hand to shake hands with him.

This time, Xu Sheng was stunned. "You, you, you agreed? That's 200 million US dollars. You, you let me go? Let me leave with 200 million US dollars?"

Zheng Yi: "Of course, SAARC, you can stay or leave as you please. We are a free port."

[It won’t be long anyway, you still have to come back with the money]

(End of this chapter)