Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 139 Cloud Envoy
Penang, at the top of Penang Hill, inside Zheng Yi’s mansion.

"Salute~, I am Long Yao, commander of the Special Forces Regiment of the Yunnan Army's Imperial Guard Brigade, reporting to you!"

A young officer who looked quite heroic saluted Zheng Yi.

"Long Yao? It's you."

"Zheng, Professor Zheng...Have you ever heard of my humble...name?"

"Oh, nothing, sit down."

"Yes!"

This Long Yao was naturally the envoy sent by General Long to assist Zheng Yi and be in charge of Yangon.

The ethnic composition of Yangon is too complex, and the British forces will not withdraw immediately. Although Penang advocates that all citizens should have guns and has a certain amount of military force, it basically has no professional soldiers and is not suitable for overseas deployment.

So, General Long sent such a person here, intending to stop in Penang, meet Zheng Yi, and then send him to Yangon to be responsible for the siege of Yangon and the construction of the railway.

Zheng Yi knew that this man was a guard of General Long and his Yi confidant. He was indeed a top figure in the Yunnan Army. He was sent here specifically to show the Yunnan Army's attention to the Yunnan-Burma Railway.

Of course, this is also normal. After all, it is a large project that may not be able to be financed by tens of millions of dollars.
In his previous life, Zheng Yi heard that the so-called China-Myanmar Railway would be built in 08. After much planning, until Zheng Yi crossed over, he still had not seen any trace of this railway.

It is no exaggeration to say that with this railway, Yunnan's economy can be completely revitalized. We dare not say that it will be richer than Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but it will definitely surpass Sichuan and Guangxi by a large margin. For General Long himself, unifying Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan may not be a difficult task.

Naturally, it cannot be overemphasized.

Zheng Yi asked the man to sit down and ordered Xiaohuan to make tea for him. Long Yao also hurriedly took out the gift given by General Dailong.

When Zheng Yi opened it, he found that it was a fine piece of jade horse that was two feet in size. The carving was lifelike and looked very valuable.

It can be placed in the living room or study as a decoration.

Of course, considering his current wealth, this kind of precious jade artifact was just for fun, so he didn't take it too seriously and handed it to Xiaohuan to keep.

"Wait a minute," he said, "thank you, General Long. I heard that General Long has called the entire nation and joined General Li and General Chen's Anti-Japanese Military Committee."

Long Yao: "Yes, and they have already sent troops to Guangxi. At present, the armies of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan have almost merged and are heading north together to put pressure on Nanjing. They will soon enter Hunan."

Zheng Yi laughed and said, "But I heard that General Long and General Li have a deep hatred for each other. Wouldn't the brothers in the Yunnan Army feel uncomfortable if they cooperated with General Li to form a military committee?"

Long Yao: "Mr. Zheng, you are too critical of our Yunnan Army. Although there have always been conflicts between the Yunnan Army and the Guangxi Army, they are just some internal strife. It is hard to say whether they are right or wrong in the past. No matter how you look at it, it is just a difference of political views."

"However, at this time, the land of China is coveted by Japan. The destruction of the nation and the genocide are imminent. Hearing the Japanese army marching is even more outrageous to both humans and gods. It is like leading beasts to eat people. This is not the destruction of the nation, but the domination of the world.
As the saying goes, the rise and fall of a country is determined by the meat eaters, but the rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every man. In such a situation, what does the old grudge between the Yunnan Army and the Guangxi Army mean?

Of course, Long Yao also knew Zheng Yi and the Chinese in Southeast Asia's attitude towards domestic warlords and the Japanese, so he naturally said this in line with Zheng Yi's preferences.

But Zheng Yi really chose to believe it.

After all, the first battle of the Yunnan Army's northern anti-Japanese campaign was the bloody Battle of Taierzhuang, and its commander was none other than General Li, the former enemy.

There was no news of any command discord or discord between the Yunnan and Guangxi cliques. Instead, they cooperated well and won the first major victory on the front battlefield.

Although objectively speaking, General Long has received mixed reviews and both merits and demerits in modern history, according to later historical evaluations, his merits should still outweigh his faults, and he was still one of the more progressive warlords at the time.

In any case, the Yunnan Army showed an extremely tenacious fighting spirit and admirable spirit of sacrifice during the Anti-Japanese War in history.
General Long himself has a close relationship with the Wang family, and can even be said to be a true pro-Wang person.

But during the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, 42 Yunnan Army soldiers went to war, 22 of them died, and more than half of them were killed or wounded. However, not a single general surrendered, and not a single puppet army was deployed. For this reason, Zheng Yi was willing to look up to the Yunnan Army.

Zheng Yi took a check for $20 from Li Lili behind him and handed it to Long Yao, saying:
"This $200,000 is my small token of appreciation. Consider it a small gift to you, the Yunnan Army."

"Ah, this... two hundred thousand dollars? No merit, no reward, this..."

Zheng Yi said, "The Penang City Council has already made up its mind: whoever resists the Japanese will be supported. After General Lee and General Chen raised the banner of anti-Japanese resistance, they both had these two hundred thousand."

"If we really come into conflict with the Japanese army, other aid besides these 200,000 will naturally be available."

"Also, I have another 500,000 yuan for the initial expenses of building roads and railways. The military situation is urgent. I also know that this section of the Yunnan-Burma road, whether it is a road or a railway, is difficult to build. We can only mobilize a large number of manpower."

"I have already purchased a large amount of road construction equipment from the UK and the US. I will send it to you through General Chen and into Guangdong.

However, even the advantages of machinery are not enough when facing the mountains and ridges. Ultimately, we still have to rely on the hands of the people."

"Consider this money as wages for the workers. I'll assign someone to oversee it. I'll give more money when it's all spent. If any laborers die while building the road, I can also help pay for General Long's funeral."

"This... I understand, Mr. Zheng. You are truly kind-hearted. On behalf of the 14 million people of Yunnan Province, I thank you very much."

"polite."

Zheng Yi was no stranger to social shame. General Long would definitely conscript a large number of men to build the Yunnan-Burma highway and railway, and there would definitely be deaths and even heavy sacrifices during the construction process.

Repairing mountain roads is always dangerous.

Not to mention this railway, even for the historical Burma Road, General Long mobilized more than 20 civilians. British and American experts believed that the project would take at least three years to build, but General Long completed it in just one year.

Most of them were elderly, weak, women and children, as all the men had gone to the front lines to fight the Japanese. It is said that on the 500-kilometer road from Dali to Wanding, six migrant workers died for every kilometer they traveled.

Building roads and building railways sometimes face the same difficulties, and the sacrifices may even be greater. Although the current situation is far less urgent than it will be in two years, emergency repairs are inevitable.

It's not just the Yunnan section where they need to conscript young men. It's also likely that a large number of Yunnan migrant workers will be needed to do the work in Myanmar.

Some roads cannot be paved without a certain spirit of sacrifice. After all, Zheng Yi only controls people with money. Money can buy work, but it is difficult to buy life.

Even if we conscript young men, the road cannot be built without some spirit.

All Zheng Yi could do was to offer these men a slightly higher salary when he was conscripting them.

Handing the check to Long Yao, Zheng Yi said earnestly, "President Luo of the United States believes that large-scale infrastructure construction is the most effective means to stimulate and develop the economy.

When workers have money, they will spend it, and with spending, there will be tax revenue, which will also drive industrial development."

"Ever since General Long took office in Yunnan, I know that Yunnan's industrial development has made very good progress. Once this railway is completed, Kunming and Penang will be able to directly exchange goods, and industrial development will be very rapid."

"Yes, Professor Zheng, you are right. Before I came here, General Long specifically told me that you, Professor Zheng, are the pride of the Chinese people, a world-class scientist and industrialist.

Being able to follow Mr. Zheng and learn even a fraction of your skills would be enough for the people of Yunnan to benefit endlessly."

Zheng Yi: "That's too much, that's too much. It's just... I've heard that Yunnan's cloud soil is world-famous. I also know that many things are done out of necessity. However, if Yunnan really wants to move towards industrialization, it's best not to rely on cloud soil and the like."

Long Yao immediately echoed, "Mr. Zheng, please rest assured. General Long said that as long as the construction of the Kunming-Myanmar railway really begins,
He will vigorously rectify the opium plantations in the province, and when the railway is completed, at least ensure that there will not be an inch of opium in the area where the railway is connected."

"I heard there's a miracle drug in Penang that can help people quit smoking. This is another reason I came here. General Long wanted to ask me how much this drug costs."

Zheng Yi: "Oral methadone? I'm making this entirely for the public good. Since General Long is interested in using it, I'll send you some. I'll arrange for someone to deliver a batch to you along the Old Burma Road and the Guangdong sea route."

"However, this substance is also addictive and is only used for drug rehabilitation. Never allow people who are not addicted to drugs to blindly use it to relieve pain. Remember this, otherwise, not only will it not save people, but it will harm them instead."

General Long asked him for methadone, which was really new.

Zheng Yi didn't know whether he was trying to please him or was really serious about banning opium, but Zheng Yi was indeed willing to give him a chance.

You have to know that General Long was a man of integrity and was also quite good in small matters. However, the reason why he received mixed reviews from later generations was because of opium.

The natural conditions in Yunnan are suitable for growing opium. After years of war, although the quality of officers is high due to the Yunnan Military Academy, the economy and people's livelihood in Yunnan have long been in decline, and the people are really poor.

Simply put, fiscal revenue is lower than military expenditure, and there is really no other way to make money except large-scale opium cultivation.

Moreover, a lot of opium was grown in the territories of ethnic minorities. These ethnic minorities were actually chieftains, and General Long had no control over them. He himself was also an Yi, and the many Yi habits in the army were also criticized.

Therefore, several successive Kings of Yunnan were also called Opium Kings. Opium was extremely common in Yunnan, and the number of people addicted to smoking was the highest among all provinces.

In essence, General Long could actually be called a chieftain, and he had similarities with the chieftains of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and was not much different from Qin Liangyu of the late Ming Dynasty.

If you look at it as a modern general, you will naturally find many criticisms of it, but if you look at it as a chieftain, you will immediately feel that this chieftain is really fucking progressive.

As for the limitations of the times, Zheng Yi would not use the standards of later generations to judge the warlords of the Republic of China, but he was somewhat disgusted by it. In particular, he was afraid that after the construction of this railway and highway was completed, the warlords would sell the so-called cloud soil to him.

If General Long is really determined to ban opium, that would be a good thing.

"Mr. Zheng, when are we going to Yangon?"

Zheng Yi: "General Long, please go ahead. I've already sent Old Hu there first. The most urgent tasks right now are, first, surveying, second, ironmaking, and third, repairing the Yunnan-Burma highway to facilitate the transportation of supplies for the railway."

"I've already agreed with U.S. Steel that they will soon open another ironworks in Yangon specifically for the production of rails. My people are also preparing other factories there, such as cement, gravel, and sleepers."

"It is estimated that production will be able to commence in about half a year at most, and by then the exploration work should also be completed."

"War is a dangerous time, and the battlefield waits for no one. When the time comes, I hope that the entire railway, with more than a dozen sections, can be constructed simultaneously, and strive to complete it in the shortest possible time. Some sections will inevitably require the lives of our Yunnan Army brothers to fill."

"I estimate that if the entire section of the road is really put into construction, the number of civilians required to be mobilized may not even reach one million. As a mere merchant, I absolutely do not have the ability to do this. When the time comes, I will have to rely heavily on the soldiers of the Yunnan Army."

Hearing this, Long Yao grinned and said, "We, the officers and soldiers of Yunnan, all know the importance of this railway. With this railway, more than 14 million people in Yunnan Province will have a better life.

As long as Mr. Zheng is willing to provide the money and materials, you don't have to worry about anything else. Even if it means sacrificing lives, we must build this railway. There is no ambiguity. We provide the people and our lives."

Zheng Yi immediately nodded and said, "That's good."

"But Mr. Zheng, this... is such a big deal, don't you need to go to Yangon in person to take charge? This... this railway business worth tens of millions of dollars, are you going to hand it all over to Mr. Hu?"

Zheng Yi thought for a moment and said, "I'll go check it out after a while. Right now, I do have some mundane things to attend to. I have a distinguished guest coming from China, and I need to entertain him."

"what?"

Long Yao was slightly stunned.

Is there any guest more valuable than me?
Of course, he is not a big shot, but after all, this is a big business involving tens of millions of dollars in investment. What kind of distinguished guest and what kind of matter could make Mr. Zheng ignore such a big thing?

(End of this chapter)