Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 170 Mr. Zheng, how do you want to govern Kedah?

Alor Setar, Kedah.

Of course, Zheng Yi did not summon Anand in Penang, but went to Kedah in person.

Strictly speaking, their military action this time was an independent move. Zheng Yi was actually very averse to this. Showa Japan was heading towards destruction by constantly acting alone. Naturally, he hated it very much, even hated it.

If it weren't for the great victory, he would have shot Anand.

However, these 5,000 people acting alone were able to achieve such a record. It seemed that no one in the entire history of World War II had achieved such a brilliant result. It was so brilliant that it was a bit too much.

If we continue to investigate the issue of them acting alone, it would be a bit unreasonable. If there is no generous reward for this battle, not only will the Malays find it unacceptable, I am afraid even his Chinese army will not tolerate it.

Although Zheng Yi knew that they usually looked down on these Malays, but after seeing this achievement, everyone would be convinced and admit defeat to them.

Therefore, he could only say calmly, "This time, considering that this is your first offense and you've actually achieved good results, I'll let it go. Don't do it again. You won't be so lucky every time. If you do it again, I'll really kill you."

So he was let go without knowing why.

Anand had a serious expression, as if he knew he was wrong, but who knew if he took it to heart? He was being scolded, grinning, a look of smugness written all over his face.

So what? Winners are not to be blamed. This is a universal truth.

"sit down."

Besides Anand, there were two other Malays in the office.

One is Hussein W, who is now Anand’s adjutant, and the other is Hussein W’s father, the “Father of Malay Nationalism”, Datuk Onn Jahua.

After asking Anand to sit down, Zheng Yi took out a cigar from his pocket and threw it to Anand to smoke.

Anand took it with some satisfaction, but after fiddling with it for a long time, he still couldn't figure out how to order it.

Zheng Yi made a gesture, but it was Li Lili who stepped forward, bent down, cut off the cigar head for him, and lit it with a lighter.

Anand accepted it with a clear conscience, and even peeked into Li Lili's collar as she bent over, looking at things he shouldn't have seen.

But fortunately, it wasn't too blatant, so I just took a quick look and then turned away.

Then after a while I couldn't help but take another look.

Zheng Yi naturally noticed his movements and expressions, and even glanced at Datuk Ong beside him.

Dato' Onn saw Anand secretly looking at Mr. Zheng's secretary. It was obvious that his face was not very good and he coughed lightly, but Anand seemed not to react.

Zheng Yi himself did not feel any dissatisfaction. After all, Li Lili was just his secretary, not his woman.

Anand fought such a brilliant battle, so naturally his market value has soared, and now it is no longer what it used to be. If Li Lili herself is willing, these two people can be considered a good match, but Zheng Yi couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.

[After all, he is a Malay with little education, so he is not very good at dealing with people. ]

To put it bluntly, he was a little bit arrogant after winning the battle. Usually, Li Lili bent down to light cigarettes for others quite often, but this was the first time that someone dared to secretly look at Li Lili's collar.

After all, he was just a young man in his twenties, and he got a little carried away by his pride.

However, Zheng Yi felt that if this person was a Chinese, even if he was too proud of himself, he would probably not make such a mistake at this time.

So in the final analysis, there is still a gap between the Chinese and the Malays. The self-discipline and humility inherited by Chinese civilization for thousands of years are still different.

Any Chinese who knows how to behave will definitely show humility at this time, instead of... supporting the Malays anyway.

Li Lili quickly lit his cigar, nodded and smiled at him, and then stood behind Zheng Yi in a proper manner. Anand seemed to be stunned for about ten seconds before he came back to his senses.

Zheng Yi asked Li Lili to light a cigar for him as well. After taking it, he first said to Anand:
"Your contribution in this battle is truly significant. It can even be said that it shocked the world. You did a great job! You let the whole world know that we still have capable people in Nanyang, and there are also capable people among the Malays."

It is no exaggeration to say that in the mainstream public opinion in Europe and the United States, the vast majority of people learned that there is a race called Malays in the world because of this incident.

"I've heard the details. As the saying goes, merit deserves reward. Is there anything you want?"

Anand: “I want…”

"Cough cough~, cough cough cough~"

On the side, Datuk Ong quickly used fake coughing to remind him.

Fortunately, Anand is not a stupid person after all. He just has little experience and shallow knowledge. To use a positive word to describe him, he can even be said to be simple and honest.

He understood Dato Ong's meaning and quickly said, "It's all right. I believe Mr. Zheng will not treat us unfairly, but..."

Mr. Zheng, many brothers volunteered to die in this operation. I promised them that their families would have a comfortable life, and their families would fill their positions."

On the side, Dato Ong couldn't help but roll his eyes at him.

However, he also knew that the child was still young and indeed lacked some experience, so it was not easy to force him.

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "Having enough food and clothing is the most basic thing. Don't worry, I know everything about your fight in this battle. Whether you volunteered to die or died tragically, I guarantee that I will give you a decent explanation for your afterlife."

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of the dead. Let's deal with the living first. First of all, there's the bonus. That's certainly not a problem. You know, I'm very rich, and I wouldn't treat my brothers unfairly financially."

"I can give each of you a bonus of one thousand dollars, and then give you two million dollars to distribute among yourself.

You can divide these two million dollars equally among everyone, keep it all for yourself, or distribute it according to the performance of the soldiers in this battle. It's all up to you."

"As a general, you must have some prestige. Where does prestige come from? First of all, you have to be able to lead them to victory and survive, so that they are willing to follow you."

"Secondly, you must be able to decide their futures and how to reward or punish them. You can't delegate this to others. I have no interest in bypassing you."

Anand nodded as if he understood what he said.

Dato Ong, standing aside, reminded him, "Rewards and punishments are always important in the military. Whoever holds the power to reward or punish possesses the authority within the military. Mr. Zheng is showing his complete trust in you and is completely handing over the army to you." "You've served in the British Army for eight or nine years. Have you ever seen the British show such trust to us Malays and Indians? Why don't you thank Mr. Zheng?"

"Oh."

Although Anand was confused, he knew what was right and wrong, so he quickly stood up and thanked Zheng Yi solemnly.

"Alright, alright, this is what you deserve. No need to thank me, just sit down."

Zheng Yi took two long drags on his cigar, a serious look on his face as he said, "The army is not like the navy or the air force. The navy and the air force rely on money, but the army is far from that simple."

"For me, most problems that can be solved with money are not problems. On the contrary, problems that do not require money to solve are troublesome.

That is why I have specially invited Dato' Onn here today to discuss with us matters concerning you and the future of Kedah."

Anand: "Our future and Kedah's future?"

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "To put it simply, why did you join the army? To make a living? To get rich? If it was just for wealth, you would have achieved it by now."

"If you're only interested in money, I've already given each of you one thousand US dollars. Honestly, considering the prices in Alor Setar, this amount is more than enough for you and your family to live well."

“You are all meritorious soldiers. If you wish, I can arrange for you and your families to be naturalized in Penang, allocate a house in Penang, and help you find a job.”

"With this, I wouldn't say I'm going to be rich, but I think it should be no problem for me to provide my family with a comfortable life with enough food and drink."

"So, are you still willing to serve in the military? If so, what is the purpose of serving in the military? If you were given a choice, would you rather take up citizenship in Penang or stay in Kedah?"

"When a man goes to the battlefield to kill the enemy, he must have a reason and a goal. He must put his head on his belt and think clearly: who are you fighting for? Are you fighting for me? For yourself? For your family? Or for a greater personal ambition?"

“Are you fighting for Penang? Or are you fighting for Kedah? Would you rather go straight to Penang, bring your families and learn Chinese, learn to be Penangites, or even Chinese? Or would you rather stay in Kedah and build Kedah?”

Anand was stunned when he heard this, and for a moment, he was really confused.

If Zheng Yi hadn't said it, he really hadn't thought about this question.

What is the purpose of joining the army?
Of course, it was to give himself and his family a good life. He was sure that at least 90% of the people in their corps thought so.

Even when these Malays served as soldiers for the British, they were already satisfied with just having enough food and clothing, and they didn't even dare to expect their families to have the same food and clothing as themselves.

"Yes, food, clothing, and a good life... have they been achieved?"

Until he met Mr. Zheng today, he didn't dare to think about this question.

One thousand US dollars, this is definitely a huge sum of money that the Malays have never thought about.

What’s more, Mr. Zheng promised to allow them to obtain Penang citizenship and help them find jobs.

What does the Penang ancestral home represent? It represents a house with running water and electricity. Furthermore, working in Penang allows you to enjoy the benefits of labor laws and five types of insurance.

This kind of welfare condition may not be a big deal for the Chinese in Southeast Asia, but for the Malays, it is almost like one person's success brings prosperity to the whole family.

So...what's the point of continuing to serve in the army and risking your life?
Zheng Yi: "Have you ever thought about this question?"

Anand nodded.

Zheng Yi: "You have to think about it. The most important and crucial ability for any team leader is the ability to provide direction for those who follow you. If you don't know what you want, you won't know where to go."

"If you don't know what the brothers want, how can you convince them?"

"It's not just you who needs to think about this. I also need to know your needs. Honestly, if you haven't figured out this basic question and don't know why you're fighting, then even if I train you to be elite and equip you with the best weapons, then I'm not going to be able to do that any more."

"If you don't have a clear direction, and the time comes when you need to fight to the death, what if someone thinks, 'I already have $1,000, which I can't spend in a lifetime,' and then turns away unwillingly, takes their wife and children and goes somewhere else to spend the $1,000 I gave them? Wouldn't that be a disservice to you and me as well?"

Money is something that the army cannot do without. If you dare to treat soldiers harshly in terms of pay and treatment, the soldiers will dare to tell you what waste is on the battlefield.

However, having money alone is definitely not enough, because the essence of life is priceless. No matter how short of money a person is, he can only sell his life once at most. Once he earns enough, he will no longer be short of money.

There has to be something at least more advanced than money that is worth people working hard for, right?
Power, status, and honor are of course included, and Zheng Yi can give them all, but they also have to figure out where the power, status, and honor belong.

If it was an ordinary cannon fodder unit, then of course it wouldn't matter. Zheng Yi's original intention in establishing this Malay Corps was to have it be a cannon fodder unit.

But now that they have accomplished such a big and brilliant thing, it is naturally impossible to use them as cannon fodder anymore.

And to be honest, what Anand did did make him look at him with new eyes, and at least it reduced Zheng Yi's racial discrimination against Malays a lot.

For a moment, Anand was thinking hard, but his brows did not relax for a long time.

Zheng Yi himself did not say anything to inspire him, but just smoked a cigar while waiting for his reply.

To be honest, if Anand was a person without any ideals, Zheng Yi said that the two million could be distributed by him.

He could just take the two million and take his family to Argentina or the United States to buy a piece of land, ensuring that he could live a life that he couldn't even imagine in the first half of his life.

Everyone has their own ambitions, and in fact, any choice is right. To be honest, before Zheng Yi traveled through time, and even when he just traveled through time, he was actually a man with no ambitions. If someone was willing to give him two million US dollars, perhaps he would choose to fly to the United States to live his own life.

After waiting for more than twenty minutes, Anand's cigar was extinguished, and he seemed to have figured something out. He asked:

"May I ask Mr. Zheng, if we do not choose to join Penang, how will you build Kedah together?"

Zheng Yi laughed from the bottom of his heart when he heard this. This question really hit the point.

"If nothing unexpected happens, Dato' Onn will be the mayor of Alor Setar and will temporarily assume the position of Governor of Kedah. From now on, Kedah will no longer have a Sultan. I have already reported this appointment to the Governor-General's Office in Singapore, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Mr. Dato' Onn serves as mayor and governor? Then, what about you, Mr. Zheng?"

(End of this chapter)