Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 260: Turning Siam into a comprador country, the French army increases its strength

Haiphong Port

Boom~~
A bomb weighing over a hundred pounds landed on the battleship's deck, quickly creating a large hole with flames still burning.

"Damn it! Put out the fire! This is an American warship."

The attacking French army was really annoyed. Since the start of the Haiphong Port War, their warships had been bombed almost every day.

The Yugoslav Allied forces had no idea where the French headquarters was. In fact, even if the airport was located in Chiang Mai, there were only enough fighter jets to fly one round trip. If they really wanted to provide air cover, they would definitely not have enough time to provide support.

Wang Qiaoyun once suggested to Zheng Yi that the airport and the flight brigade's headquarters be moved to China, but Zheng Yi refused. After all, it would be very troublesome once anything was related to China.

Since air force support is unrealistic, then just bomb the ships. All the supplies of the French army need to be transported by ships, and they are not hidden. There are only a few strongholds, and patrolling and bombing them every day can cause considerable trouble to the French army.

The French were quite depressed because they had not prepared any air defense!
The French army basically had no aircraft. When Japan invaded, all the aircraft in Southeast Asia were destroyed immediately. They had no aircraft carriers and thought their opponents were only the Vietnamese natives, so they didn't even prepare any anti-aircraft guns.

No one told them in advance that they would encounter a fully-organized flying squadron.

Then came the most depressing point of the matter: the American warship was bombed by the SAARC flying squadron, so who is going to pay for the damn money?

In fact, Zheng Yi had overestimated his opponent. In the direction of Haiphong Port, the Yunnan Army and the Guangxi Army had a total of two and a half divisions. His guess was not wrong. Everyone's morale was indeed a bit low, and the battle was indeed fought in a panic.

No one knows what kind of changes will happen in the rear while they are fighting here.

However, in general, everyone still has a certain degree of trust in Mr. Zheng. After Long Yao took over the command, the entire army at least had a consensus: no matter what the situation in the rear is, the Southern Alliance will definitely provide a guarantee for everyone.

At worst, if the rear supply is completely cut off, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation will also transport supplies to everyone from Myanmar, Siam, or the sea.

The most crucial thing is that from the beginning of the French army's official attack, the military salaries of Haiphong Port and Hanoi were officially paid by Mr. Zheng.

Each soldier received a basic salary of 200 Nanmeng coins per day, and there was a gold exchange in Hanoi where they could exchange their Nanmeng coins for US dollars or silver dollars at any time.

In fact, the domestic legal currency had begun to depreciate slightly with the war. Although in early 1947 it was still far from the level of the following years, prices had more than doubled compared to the previous year.

Even in China, because of the special relationship between the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and China, the South African currency has basically become a currency that can be circulated in Yunnan, Guangxi, Fujian and Guangdong. Its strength is almost as strong as the British pound and silver dollar, and is second only to gold and the US dollar.

In fact, a large number of high-ranking officials who are corrupt try to embezzle as much South Alliance currency as possible. After all, they can directly deposit the money in Penang banks to earn interest, which is very convenient. When the crime is exposed, they can just fly over at any time. There is an industrial chain for this.

Many people have even moved their wives and children to Penang.

For the vast majority of Chinese people whose English is relatively average, Penang is much more comfortable than the United States.

The food standards naturally had to be aligned with those of the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation. Although supplies were indeed still difficult, with Zheng Yi's insistence, the flying brigade insisted on transporting sausages and canned meat to the Hanoi area every day, so that at least the soldiers could eat meat every day.

They were also given a large amount of cash for food expenses.

If there is no way to transport rice, then just transport some money. With the money, the soldiers can easily buy enough rice, fruits, vegetables, etc. locally. After all, Hanoi is still in their hands. It is one of the largest cities in French India. There are also many Chinese businessmen in the local area who specialize in this business.

Zheng Yi also promised that if there were any injuries or deaths in the war, his place of origin would be recorded and a pension would be sent to your family, at least 100,000 South African francs.

Killing the enemy, seizing enemy equipment, and even various other merits all have bonuses, and they are often tens of thousands. Even if Zheng Yi has no other support, he is still open about the money.

As the saying goes, money can make you a god. The soldiers found that they could earn much more by fighting abroad than at home.

Everyone is indeed worried about the rear area, but not too much. Recently, many people have been fighting while studying ways to stay in the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation, and have even begun to arrange for local businessmen to bring their families back home to the south.

If something unexpected happens in the rear.

The worst that could happen is that we just don't go back.

Even if it's for the sake of money, the so-called low morale is far from the point where we can't fight.

Qian Qiwen didn't think the money was wasted. After all, compared to Zheng Yi's spending speed of hundreds of billions, it seemed that fighting a war would not cost much. The most important thing was that the emotions of the people in the Southern Alliance were quite aroused by the war.

When they heard that a war had broken out with France, the entire Penang, from top to bottom, was surprisingly happy and excited.

After all, there are few nations in this world that are truly against war. Everyone is just against defeat or a tragic victory.

The Chinese have been bullied too badly over the past century, especially the Chinese in Southeast Asia. They have been citizens of the British and French powers in Southeast Asia for decades. Now that they have finally upgraded their weapons, they all feel that they are powerful. Most knowledgeable people also know what is going on with France.

The mainland is 18,000 miles away from the South Seas. We have no air force or navy, so there is nothing to be afraid of.

Even if there is no territorial claim, everyone will support it just to vent their anger or for the sake of pure pleasure.

This is indeed a good opportunity to announce to the world that the Nanyang Chinese have stood up.

The funds raised from private donations alone are basically enough to cover military expenses.

Moreover, once the war started, the previously agreed bonds and fund raising went much more smoothly.

The pressure on the French side is much greater.

The Rangoon Corps first arrived in Chiang Mai by train, and then fought from south to north in the name of reinforcements, basically repeating the French army's offensive route.

Under Wu Aihua's tough attitude, Siam also gathered two divisions and marched north. Of course, they mainly fought in the later Laos region. The banner they raised was to liberate their compatriots, which immediately turned the regional anti-colonial war that was originally only in the coastal areas into a full-scale war with fighting everywhere in the French East Indies.

You have to know that most French soldiers were completely unprepared for this war.

World War II had just ended, and French soldiers were actually the most miserable in the war. They were fighting against each other, and the political purges and endless infighting among the top leaders had already exhausted them. For most of the French middle-level commanders, returning to Southeast Asia was a kind of escape, a vacation, or even a trip.

Aboriginal people?

What kind of combat effectiveness can it have?
At most, all people expected was to fight jungle guerrilla warfare or something like that. At least the city would definitely be safe.

As a result, there are planes and aerial bombs, first from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and then from Siam. Are we going to start another World War II?

The British, who were supposed to be allies, actually withdrew and even openly imposed a blockade on the French army. Of course, they could still buy whatever they wanted in private, but they just didn't accept IOUs.

The Americans continue to rent their warships. After all, if they don't rent them, these warships will soon rot.

But if it is damaged, France will have to pay compensation.

The morale of the French army was actually broken down by the fighting.

There isn't even a decent base!
For France, this war is not impossible to fight. After all, all the land forces of the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) together only have 70,000 to 80,000 people. In fact, it is indeed a local war. But if there is no reinforcement, they will not be able to fight this war.

Air defense, warships, aircraft carriers, armored divisions, all of these things are indispensable if this battle is to be won, otherwise the French would not have taken the initiative to attack and die.

In less than half a month, the French army retreated to several small towns and refused to take the initiative to attack until reinforcements arrived.

………………

Bangkok, suburbs.

By the way, Zheng Yi and Wu Aihua attended the opening ribbon-cutting ceremony of the first "Nanyang Department Store" in Siam.

Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang.

Countless fireworks exploded in the sky, and countless onlookers applauded. Both sides of the long red carpet were filled with a large number of Siamese beauties in gorgeous attire, almost all of whom were Chinese.

As Zheng Yi used scissors to cut the red silk in two, countless local Siamese officials who were accompanying the guests applauded loudly and flattered him.

Zheng Yi also strolled around inside under the guidance of a group of senior officials and Chinese businessmen.

The so-called "Nanyang Department Store" is a simple warehouse-style shopping supermarket hosted by entrepreneurs from Nanyang. Of course, it was first proposed by Zheng Yi, but it was mainly carried out by the Chaozhou Chamber of Commerce, and the first pilot project was in Siam.

Facing the media, Zheng Yi openly said some nice words such as he hoped that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and Siam would work together and things would get better and better in the future.

Then he turned around and began to tour the place as the first customer accompanied by everyone.

There is no such thing as a large supermarket in Penang, but it is available in Bangkok first.

Chen Jingchuan, vice president of the Chaozhou Chamber of Commerce, proudly introduced Zheng Yi, "As you requested, the entire department store has four floors. The first floor sells a variety of food, snacks, and fresh produce. The second floor sells all kinds of daily necessities, pots and pans, bed sheets, quilt covers, and various textiles. Everything you need."

"The third floor is full of various high-, medium-, and low-end finished garments, almost all of which are SAARC brands. The fourth floor is full of bicycles, hardware, some small household appliances, and some general spare parts commonly used in factories."

"The entire store has over 30,000 different kinds of merchandise, and the vast majority of them are produced by our Southern Alliance. The overall price is at least 30% cheaper than similar products sold outside, and some products are even more than half the price."

Zheng Yi smiled and nodded, saying, "Security still needs to be done well. This Nanyang Commodities Pavilion will become a business card for Nanyang to the world. We absolutely cannot afford to be careless. The war has just ended, and many people are armed. Be careful of zero-dollar purchases."

Wu Aihua explained, "Don't worry, Mr. Zheng. I personally own 60% of this store. Across the street is a police station. The security guards are all active military personnel. Today, they are even my personal guards. Regarding security, I guarantee that no one in Siam will act recklessly here."

Zheng Yi nodded repeatedly: "Okay, that's perfect. How much is the franchise fee now?"

"It's not expensive, only 200,000 Southern Alliance coins. Isn't that what you said, Mr. Zheng, that we should grab land and expand quickly in the early stage?"

Zheng Yi: "Hahahaha, this is the testimony of the friendship between Siam and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation."

Zheng Yi had always attached great importance to this store. He happened to be in Siam, and when he heard that the store was opening so soon, he naturally hurried over to take a look.

To be precise, it is hard to say that this is a SAARC enterprise, but rather a genuine Siamese local enterprise, which just has a closer relationship with SAARC.

Siam is a special place. The Chinese dominate the business sector of society and basically play the role of a glove for the army. Several wealthy businessmen in the Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce have connections with various high-level military officials.

Because of the rise of the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Wu Aihua, the wealthy Chaoshan businessmen in this time and space and the senior Siamese military officials had more of an equal cooperative relationship. Moreover, Siam could indeed be regarded as the sphere of influence of the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and all classes were deeply infiltrated by them.

In order to develop the economy and to further establish cooperation, this thing came into being. It is not directly operated, but adopts a franchise model. It is invested by powerful leaders in the military and managed by Chaoshan merchants.

In addition to the franchise fee, the land, business license, etc. were all arranged by the military bosses, and the Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce was responsible for building it on the land.

Of course, the people who are generally responsible for the actual operation are Chinese.

Most of the industrial products sold here are produced in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). There are no tariffs on them. They are sold in bulk after being shipped here. The warehouse and purchase are integrated, so the cost is very low, much cheaper than goods from outside.

Bangkok still has a certain industrial base. Some simple industrial products will be gradually relocated here in the future. Local factories will be set up in Siam to carry out commissioned production and process incoming materials. At that time, they will just need to put the "Nanyang Department Store" trademark on them.

After all, the SAARC couldn't actually produce general merchandise. While these products were nominally SAARC-branded, most of them were actually purchased from the US under SAARC's own brand. According to Zheng Yi, the primary goal was to seize the initiative, stake out territory, and create the impression that SAARC could produce anything, and at a high quality level.

During the post-war Great Depression, almost the entire world, except the United States, was in extreme product shortages. As long as there were products, no matter their quality, they would be sold without any worries, not to mention that the cost of such warehouse-style goods was low.

Because of its deep collusion with the Siamese military, it has tariff advantages over goods from other countries. All it needs to do is to first establish an initial impression that the "Nanyang Department Store" sells everything and has good product quality, and then slowly take things one step further.

A very important goal of SAARC next is to realize the self-production or outsourcing of all the American branded goods here. They do not need to be produced in Penang or Singapore. They can be produced in Malaya, Siam, Borneo or anywhere else, wherever it is suitable.

By then, the OEM factories in Siam will still adopt the model where the military takes the majority share and the Chaoshan Chamber of Commerce takes the minority share. After all, since it is processing with supplied materials, the raw materials used are all from the Southern Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

As for fresh products, mainly fruits and rice, which are now the main export products of Siam, they can also be gathered in such commodity halls first, and then sold to importers in the SAARC through the channels of the commodity halls. The SAARC currency obtained in exchange can be used to directly purchase various department store products from the SAARC.

It saves everyone trouble and there are relatively few hands involved. In the future, when the "Nanyang Department Store" blossoms all over Siam, the interests of the local warlords in Siam, or the military, can be basically tied together.

Isn’t this what a comprador is?

When the warlords in Siam and the Chinese white gloves became closely united, almost all walks of life in the entire society of Siam became compradors of the Southern Asian Alliance.

Even if this economic model cannot be sustained after the post-war depression, the brand image of Nanyang Department Store and the network of relationships left by SAARC in Siam can be preserved.

It is probably difficult for local national enterprises in Siam and products from other countries to compete with SAARC.

That's how compradors come about, so first come first served, and during the land grabbing stage it is very important who gets to grab the land first.

Zheng Yi turned his head and said to Wu Aihua, "Agriculture has been extremely important in recent years. In Malaya, the rubber supply this year is still less than 30% of the pre-war level. It's a huge difference. Moreover, after the war, a lot of land has been abandoned for rubber cultivation. Instead, it has been planted with bananas or other miscellaneous crops."

"We can plant more crops here in Siam. We can also consider relocating some of the rubber processing industry here. For example, we can relocate tires, insulation wires, and other things. These industries are no longer suitable in Penang. It's a waste of land. It would be better to move them all to Bangkok."

"For agricultural machinery, you can also get a loan from us. In Singapore, although the factory relocation has not yet been completed, some factories have already started production, especially agricultural machinery, and they are ready at any time."

The two were talking when Li Jianqiao suddenly came over and whispered, "Uncle, a White House advisor from the United States wants to see you."

"Advisor?" Zheng Yi was surprised for a moment and asked, "Isn't he sent from Japan by General MacArthur?"

Li Jianqiao shook his head: "No."

Zheng Yi couldn't help but sigh when he heard this: "McCoyle is really particular. I really owe him another favor. When I'm done with this, I should go to Japan to see him."

The Americans came to him to lobby for France and mediate, after all, the ships that SAARC is bombing are even American ships.

But logically speaking, everything that happens in Asia should be handled by Coach MacArthur. After all, Coach MacArthur's status today is even higher than in history, and Zheng Yi's friendship with Coach MacArthur is well known to the world. It is reasonable and logical that Coach MacArthur should be in charge of this matter.

Only if General MacArthur himself refuses to intervene and intends not to do anything will the Americans send the so-called White House adviser to find him.

Obviously, MacArthur was actually doing him a favor. White House advisers were far less effective than MacArthur's messengers. After all, MacArthur was the true representative of the military.

"Please ask them to wait a moment. I'm busy. His arrival was indeed a bit sudden."

"Ah? That's the White House advisor of the United States."

"I know he's an American consultant, but didn't he come here without an appointment? There are so many reporters here, and so many Siamese people waiting to buy things outside."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi waved his hand and arranged for Li Jianqiao to entertain the guests on his behalf.

Of course, he also knew that this White House adviser came without an appointment, just to give him a warning, to show that what he did had displeased the United States.

After all, the position of White House adviser in the United States can be big or small. The specific power of American advisers in the United States actually varies from person to person, and is also related to the power of the US president himself. But no matter what, they represent the White House.

It’s like an imperial envoy in ancient times holding an imperial edict in his hand.

But Zheng Yi just wanted to do this on purpose. After all, he is not an American, and there is no reason for him to act like a grandson when meeting a special envoy.

In Zheng Yi's opinion, this is actually a manifestation of the United States' lack of attention to itself. Perhaps some people really think that their own Southern Association for Regional Cooperation can be manipulated at will by the Americans.

To put it bluntly, at least they didn't take the Southern Alliance too seriously.

Zheng Yi certainly admits that SAARC is the younger brother of the United States. In fact, the world has now entered the Cold War era, but it is not yet intense. After all, the United States is still the only nuclear-armed country in the world.

However, even among the younger brothers, there are two types: troublesome younger brothers and obedient younger brothers. There are also younger brothers who must be respected by each other and younger brothers who can be manipulated at will.

If you want to be a relatively equal and mutually respected younger brother, it is not enough to be obedient, useful, or even have a good relationship with him. Zheng Yi and Lao Du are also quite close friends, but didn’t Lao Du send a consultant this time without notifying him in advance?

To be this kind of little brother, there are two elements that must be met: being able to go up when there is something to do, being useful when there is something to do, and being a little bit of a troublemaker when there is nothing to do.

When you are provoking them, you have to give them a headache.

Both conditions must be met, and only then will Zheng Yi's connections within the organization be useful.

Of course, not all younger brothers are qualified to be troublemakers.

After all, in mature international relations, the scale of all international interactions is determined by national strength. Mature and outstanding politicians must also carry out various diplomatic planning and diplomatic positioning based on the actual strength of each country.

If everyone could abide by such unspoken rules in conducting international affairs, there would be no war in the world.

At least there will be no war between mainstream countries.

The reason why small-scale wars were so frequent after the end of World War II was actually because most politicians at that time had no idea how powerful the majority of countries in the world were.

This is also the reason why he is now determined to fight a war with France, and he must fight a big war.

After that, he continued to speak to Wu Aihua seemingly nonchalantly, "Siam, although no city has officially joined the Southern Alliance so far, I think it is simply unnecessary. In the entire Siam, the actual economic control is still held by us Chinese, or more precisely, by you Chaoshan people."

"All the Chinese in the Nanyang region are actually our own people, aren't they? If you don't mind, we can open up tariffs, trade, and personnel exchanges to each other. All major cities in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation will be open to Siamese citizens without visas, allowing you to come to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to work freely."

"In addition, I also plan to establish the Nanyang Bank with you. It will be located in Bangkok and will be responsible for your commercial loans, investments, and foreign exchange settlement business in Siam. In addition, all Siamese people, whether Chinese or Thai, who have suitable talents, can come to Penang or Singapore for some training."

"Although I don't have any plans to station troops in Siam in the short term, I can contribute funds and work with your warlords to establish an investment fund specifically to support military-run enterprises with financing and provide technical support."

"If your Siamese army needs to buy guns, cannons, motorcycles, armored vehicles, and even warships in the future, you can buy them from us, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. In the future, all of these things will be produced in Singapore and Penang. Of course, if you want to buy airplanes, I can only sell you some second-hand ones at the moment."

This is the disadvantage of the military system. It is much more difficult to control than the democratic system in Malaya.

This is actually the reason why, even though there were so many Chinese in Siam, including people like Wu Aihua, he was still unwilling to infiltrate Siam too deeply and regarded Thais as the second echelon of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) rather than Malays.

Ultimately, the door has been opened for the Siamese military to engage in business. Not to mention that there have been no democratic elections yet, even if there were, the country's power structure would have been ruined.

Unless a strong man comes down from the sky and turns Siam upside down from south to north, no one will be able to completely control this country.

The upper limit of this country has been fixed since the military gained its own financial power. It cannot be too high, but the lower limit can be frighteningly low.

Whether he comes here to station troops or not will not help the South Asian Alliance to control Siam. Instead, it would be better to do as it is now, to improve the status and financial resources of the Chinese in Siam as much as possible, to find ways to win over military leaders and turn the upper elites of their entire country into compradors. This would be better.

This is Siam's positioning in the future regarding the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It will try its best to maintain a certain influence, but compared to Malaya, it is not completely one of its own, and it does not intend to treat this place as its own private territory.

Even Wu Aihua, although he wants to call himself a Chinese now, Zheng Yi still doesn't dare to regard him as a Chinese in his heart.

After all, the reason why he can have such a status in Siam today is that his basic base is not actually Chinese. Chinese, and even himself, are icing on the cake for him. It is not that he cannot survive in Siam without the support of Chinese. They can only help him to survive better.

Although it is also acknowledged that he is the president of the Chaozhou Chamber of Commerce and one of the important shareholders of the Southern Alliance.

Zheng Yi chatted with him for about forty minutes, and knew that it was impossible to leave the American envoy alone for too long, so he received the White House adviser in Wu Aihua's official residence, which served as a temporary office.

"I'm sorry, Consultant Smith, you came so suddenly, and we were completely unprepared. I'm sure you've kept me waiting. Fujiko, quickly, go get Mr. Consultant another cup of tea."

He said sorry, but his expression didn't show any apology.

"No need. I've already drunk a lot. Mr. Zheng, it's really not easy to see you."

Zheng Yi: "I'm busy, after all. I'm a businessman, not like you politicians. I was just saying the other day that it's been a year and a half since the war ended, and I've only lived in my own home for a total of three or four months. So, please forgive me."

"Businessman?"

When the consultant heard what Zheng Yi said, his face, which was not very good to begin with, immediately turned green.

Which businessman can do such a big thing?
"Mr. Zheng, you won't even give us, the United States, face? France is our ally after all. Is there anything we can't discuss?"

Zheng Yi said, "France and Britain, these two old empires have already encroached on too many interests in the international arena. Their territory is too large, which has seriously affected the future. The international order is destined to be dominated by the United States."

"Europe is now devastated. Now is a new era. I personally believe that all colonies should be liberated. That way, we, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and you, the United States, can embark on a more equitable international business competition with the established European powers."

"The world has entered a new era, and you Americans are the new hegemons. Why should the world order still be based on the old British and French colonial order? There is no such thing as that."

"You Americans are the largest shareholders of our SAARC. More than half of the companies there are American multinational corporations. We Chinese are acting as your vanguard and battering ram. Shouldn't you be grateful to us?"

The consultant frowned slightly when he heard this, but he didn't dwell on this issue.

Instead, he said, "Even a rotten ship still has three pounds of nails. France is the old hegemon after all. If you are willing to negotiate, we can help you make the decision. Don't you just want Haiphong Port? We can ask them to hand over all the land north of Haiphong Port to the Southern Alliance, and you and France will each make a concession."

"But if you refuse, we will continue to provide ships for the French army. France plans to deploy more than 100,000 troops to Asia. We will even lease them aircraft carriers."

"You will be facing the full force of a European colonial empire that has been competing with Britain for two hundred years and is one of the two major powers in the world!"

Zheng Yi shrugged, but said nonchalantly, "If they had been willing to talk to me before, I really wouldn't have had any interest in the land and people south of Haiphong Port. Now Siam has declared war on France and is ready to completely expel the French colonists. How can I stop them?"

"Just give it your all. I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, I'll take on any tricks they throw at me."

Advisor: "However, if the war between you drags on for a long time, it will undoubtedly greatly weaken the power of our free world. We, the United States, will be caught in the middle and will likely fall into a quagmire of meaningless consumption."

Zheng Yi: "How can you say it's a long delay? Mr. Advisor, you're overestimating France. In my opinion, this war will only last six months at most, or even three months, and it will definitely end with the victory of our Southern Alliance."

"Three months?"

"Haha, Mr. Advisor, when the United States leases warships to France, I advise you to be cautious. If they are blown up, I will not compensate you."

(End of this chapter)