Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 259 Siam also declared war on France

"Mrs. May said she wants to carve out a city in Israel to join SAARC? Are you kidding me?"

In Bangkok, Zheng Yi had just gotten off the plane, exchanged greetings with Wu Aihua, and asked reporters to take photos. Before he had time to talk about business, Li Jianqiao told him such an unexpected news.

Li Jianqiao: "That's probably true. My father said that when he took Mrs. May to Alor Setar today, she suddenly had an idea. She wanted to build a city in the Middle East like Alor Setar, where Arabs and Jews could live together harmoniously but under Israeli rule.

"It's just that Mrs. May believes that Jews generally lack management experience in this area, and the newly born Israel also believes that they have a lot to learn from SAARC."

"Mrs. May also said she hopes SAARC can deepen cooperation with Israel. She also hopes to invite Mr. Zheng to invest in them and build a large oil refinery and chemical plant for them, as well as supporting facilities for the entire industrial chain, and invite our SAARC workers to work there."

"If possible, Mrs. May hopes that Israeli companies can become part of SAARC, and that Jews can become an important part of SAARC. Mrs. May said that SAARC's current members include American and British companies, and even a large number of Japanese, so there is no reason not to welcome Jews."

Although strictly speaking, at least the Jews in Israel do not have any multinational companies that the SAARC would look up to, it is indeed not difficult if they want to.

Again, if we can establish good relations with the Jews, it will be extremely beneficial to the future development of SAARC.

The influence of these people...

You can say they are bad, but you cannot say they are bad.

Of course, everything has its pros and cons. If Israel continues to be as crazy as it was in the past, Zheng Yi will be too deeply involved with them and may end up being isolated from the Arab world.

Zheng Yi: "But we are the SAARC, the alliance of Southeast Asia."

Wu Aihua, standing by, actually offered a suggestion: "Who says the Southern Alliance can only accept members from the Nanyang region? It's just a name, isn't it? Mr. Zheng, I think this is a good idea. The key to the Southern Alliance lies in the word 'alliance'. We Chinese have an old saying that goes, 'Many hands make light work.'"

"I've mentioned to you many times before that we should lease Phuket to the SAARC so that they can station troops there. We Chinese should have closer ties, but you said you never agreed."

Zheng Yi couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this: "We still need to be cautious about the garrison issue. The Southern Alliance itself doesn't have such big ambitions. As for Siam's affairs, I still hope that Siam can handle them on its own."

"If necessary, I can provide you with the necessary military and industrial support. Can you do it yourself?"

Wu Aihua: "The situation in Siam is quite complicated now. Since the establishment of constitutional government, the military's involvement in business has become the norm and is impossible to control. Moreover, although the war is over now and I have returned, the war has led to the proliferation of factions within the military, and the conflict between Thais and non-Thais has become increasingly acute. Even I don't have the prestige to completely suppress it."

"In today's Siam, even after the so-called democratic elections, I can no longer have the final say. My current identity is even a little awkward. On the surface, no one will say anything, but after all, I am Chinese now."

"Although, thanks to me, Siam ultimately achieved the political status of a victorious nation and avoided liquidation, due to the influence of Greater Thai nationalism, separatism among various ethnic groups is now very evident, especially in the three southern provinces. It's basically unstoppable."

"Besides, the King of Thailand... Honestly, I'm still able to maintain my current position thanks to the deterrent effect of our Southern Alliance. Although I really want to help, sometimes, Siam and Penang are so far apart that I'm powerless."

How could Zheng Yi not understand the hidden meaning behind Wu Aihua's words?

It's nothing more than blaming Zheng Yi for not caring about him for so long.

After all, no matter how high the status of the Chinese in Siam is, it cannot correct the fact that Thais are the majority in Siam.

Unfortunately, the Thai people do not actually occupy an absolute dominant position in Siam, and do not even account for more than half of the population.

In addition, the Greater Thai nationalism during World War II was actually fascism, which was political correctness that had been defeated. Naturally, this so-called main ethnic group could not stand firm.

After all, the proliferation of warlords caused by the military's involvement in business could not be suppressed by political prestige alone, and the failure of Greater Thai nationalism left Siam without a crucial ideology.

But when it comes to freedom and democracy, Wu Aihua's government is actually a military government. But when it comes to military rule, Wu Aihua's identity is now awkward. His core troops have actually become Malays in the three southern provinces, and the three southern provinces are still clamoring for independence.

But we can only rely on Zheng Yi.

If he couldn't hold on, then Siam, which was in complete chaos like a pile of loose sand, would probably have no choice but to restore feudalism as it did in history and invite the king out again as the greatest common denominator.

In essence, this is indeed a feudal society that is completely lacking in ideological construction, team building, and productivity infrastructure construction.

He really wanted Zheng Yi to come to Siam to garrison troops. To put it bluntly, Zheng Yi and the Southern Alliance are now his big legs. Until now, he still hasn't changed his name back and is still using the name Wu Aihua.

But the victory of the war has been over for a year and a half, and Zheng Yi has been very good to the Malays, so good that it has seriously shaken the interests of Siam, but Zheng Yi has not helped them in any way. How can he not feel resentful?

Now that Zheng Yi has come to him for help, shouldn’t he take the opportunity to complain?
He didn't even dare to say that this was a condition for his help.

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "Whether to station troops or not is a matter for further consideration. You are the president of our Nanyang Chaozhou Chamber of Commerce. Whether we station troops or not, aren't we all family? Why emphasize the importance of stationing troops?"

"If we station troops here without any industry, it would be a waste of money. To me, it's not worth it. If we develop some industry to support the army like in Japan, it would actually intensify the conflict."

"As far as I know, although Siam's military is engaged in business, it basically relies on us Chinese, especially the Siamese Chinese, as its glove. With you and me, the economic lifeline of Siam is actually in the hands of us Chinese. Things like stationing troops are actually only symbolic and meaningless." "I've been busy recently and really haven't been able to pay attention to the affairs of Siam. I hope Brother Wu doesn't mind. But whether it's the Chinese in Siam or the Thai who make up the majority of the ethnic group, how could I not care about them?"

"In fact, the Thai people are a relatively trustworthy group for us in the Southern Alliance."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi took out a cigarette from his pocket and gave one to Wu Aihua.

Wu Aihua mentioned it briefly, but seeing that Zheng Yi had already made a gesture, he stopped talking and turned to business. "Mr. Zheng, from my point of view—no, from the perspective of us Nanyang Chinese who don't live in Penang—the stronger the SAARC is, the better. The stronger the SAARC is, the more it can help us and protect our interests."

"SAARC is originally a non-state entity, and it is not limited to the interests of the Chinese or Southeast Asia. What's the point? An alliance should seek allies whenever possible, especially those with strong power who can help us. Aren't the Jews a very suitable ally for us?"

"If you don't expand SAARC worldwide, make it stronger, what's the point of not building a normal country?"

Of course, Wu Aihua still has some selfish motives.

The Jews are all rich people, especially in the financial industry. Although their power is far from being as abnormal as in the 21st century, where they almost control the whole world, any loans that slip through their fingers are at least enough for Siam to complete its post-war reconstruction.

Naturally, this would also make his position in Siam more secure.

Zheng Yi smiled after hearing this, but did not object immediately.

"What you said does make sense. While allies can increase our strength, they can also potentially cause us trouble. You know, one of the core industries of the Southern Alliance, at least for now, is petrochemicals."

"Whether or not to accept Israeli cities and Jews joining SAARC will be a matter of time. We still have to see whether they can maintain a basic, acceptable and stable relationship with the local Arab population."

"Let's talk about our situation here, Old Wu. I don't treat you as an outsider anymore. I'm afraid you can't stay in the three southern provinces of Siam. If you force yourself to stay, not only will it make us enemies, it will also be quite disadvantageous to you personally. If a civil war breaks out, wouldn't it be more harm than good?"

Wu Aihua frowned and said, "Of course I know this, but the three southern provinces, even before World War II, faced with the British's aggressiveness, the royal family never gave up. If I really lost them, how would I explain to the people of Siam?"

Zheng Yi: "As you know, Malaya is currently forming a provisional government. They have always held the political ideal of a Greater Malaya. In fact, according to the ideal of national self-determination, grouping people of the same ethnic group into one country will clearly benefit regional peace, stability, prosperity and development."

"What I mean is, let the people of the three southern provinces hold a referendum. If more than two-thirds of the local people truly agree to join Greater Malaya, then why not let them join? To put it bluntly, you Siam and they Malaya are both our own people in the SAARC. Why should we divide them into what's yours and what's mine?"

"Then I can take over those in the three southern provinces who are unwilling to join Greater Malaya but still willing to live with Siam. I can provide them with money or even buy property to help them settle down."

Seeing that Wu Aihua's brows were already furrowed into a "川" shape, as if he was considering turning against him, Zheng Yi said:

"As compensation, the Lao people in Laos are ethnically similar to the Thai people. If you are willing to send troops, I can support you in sending troops to rescue the Lao people, who are of the same ethnic group as you, from French colonial rule."

"You're helping me fight the French. You know, if it weren't for the current opportunity, even if I was willing to help you, the probability of the Southern Alliance's flight squadron directly sending troops would be low. But now it's different. Qiao Yun is stationed at Chiang Mai Airport and can cooperate with your actions at any time."

"Those Malay regiments in the three southern provinces are already yours. You can use this battle as the final condition for ceding the three southern provinces in exchange for their support. After the battle, I believe there will always be some among them willing to stay in Siam and continue to support you."

"So, these people have become your royal guards, right? Why do you still care about your king?
"You have the merit of expanding the territory, and you have a Royal Guard that is absolutely loyal to you and has no other way to retreat. In addition, you played a decisive role in the Second World War. If it weren't for you, Siam would have been defeated. And you are a former field marshal. Who can threaten your position?"

After thinking for a while, Zheng Yi added: "Also, I know that the Shan people in Myanmar and the Assamese people in India are also of the same ethnic group as you.

These two places are within the control of our SAARC. It's unlikely that they can be directly ceded to you, but I can discuss with the Myanmar and Indian governments to see if we can establish a visa-free personnel exchange channel between these two ethnic groups and your Thai people. It shouldn't be a problem."

"This way, if people from both regions want to work in Siam, or if you Siamese want to do business in these two places, there will be fewer obstacles. At least in Shan State, you can even try to influence the local laws."

Wu Aihua: "This... isn't Greater Thai nationalism a resurrection from the dead? World War II just ended, and Greater Thai nationalism is fascist ideology. Isn't this a problem?"

Zheng Yi: "What a bullshit fascist ideology! How can it be considered unforgivable and treasonous for people of the same ethnic group to want to live in the same country?
This mess of borders was originally the work of the British and French colonizers. If it weren't for their greed, how could political leaders around the world have fallen for their tricks, refusing to give up the extra territory they've demarcated and insisting on taking what they haven't?

"As for ideology, whoever wins is right. Ultimately, Siam's guilt lies not in Greater Thai nationalism but in its alliance with Japan."

"Consider this a deal. Release the Malays in the three southern provinces, and I'll support you in taking back all of Laos. Together, we'll drive out the last of the French colonizers. Then, across the Indochina Peninsula, you, Siam, will be the undisputed overlord."

Exchanging the three southern provinces for Laos is indeed a big profit for Siam. The most important thing is that the SAARC is a non-state actor.

So it is indeed as Zheng Yi said, if the banner of anti-colonialism can really be draped on him, wouldn't it be equivalent to restoring the glory of their ancestors for them, Siam?

So, if the Siamese were to liberate the entire French East Indies, excluding Laos...

No, the entire French East Indies has belonged to our Siam since ancient times. It is the sacred and indivisible territory of ancient Siam!
If it is really possible,

Who dares to say that they are not the most powerful country in Indochina? Even if we look at the world, can they be considered a great power?
"I understand, Mr. Zheng. I will prepare now and declare war on the French colonists within two days!"

(End of this chapter)