Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 190 The Difference Between First-Rate and Second-Rate Armies

"Major General Tao Jun, in the previous battle, you were cowardly, engaged in factionalism and clique-based politics, and disregarded the safety of your allies, resulting in heavy casualties for the British Allied forces. I hereby express my serious criticism and inform the entire army as a warning."

Early in the morning, the BBC's front page headline was this internal criticism notice, which was said to be personally instructed by Zheng Yi.

By the way, he later issued another warning to Britain, calling on them not to continue to underestimate Japan, believing that there was an inexplicable and unfounded self-confidence in the British army, especially the navy.

Etc., etc.

Of course, at the end of the article, Zheng Yi solemnly published a statement in the newspaper, apologizing to the British people on behalf of Tao Jun and the entire SAARC, and taking the initiative to assume the main responsibility for the Battle of Kota Bharu.

Almost all English newspapers throughout Southeast Asia reprinted this article.

However, what is strange is that although it was clearly a so-called internal notice, no Chinese newspaper reported the news. At least most people who do not speak Chinese at all and do not read English media are completely unaware of this.

Pattani.

Zheng Yi actually came in person after a long absence. After all, the British army went north to challenge the Japanese army for a decisive battle. No matter who wins or loses, at least in the next few days, the Japanese would not be able to take the initiative to attack again.

He finally dared to go to the front line to offer condolences and calm the troops' morale.

At this time, Tao Jun, Wu Aihua, Chen Jingchuan, vice president of the Chaozhou Association, and a group of important generals were having a special meal in the cafeteria and were eating rice in big mouthfuls.

"The food tastes pretty good. The braised pork is delicious. The meat in a large pot is indeed much more fragrant than the small pot. Where did you buy the pork?"

Chen Jingchuan: "Some are from farms in Perlis, some are from Indians in Kedah, and of course, some are raised by people in Patani themselves. Because we Chinese like to eat pork, many Malays have started raising pigs."

Most Malays have religious beliefs, but objectively speaking, this so-called religious belief is really just that. At least before World War II, the degree of secularization of Malays was still quite high.

Besides, pork is not a big deal in their doctrine. If they follow it, they can just not eat it themselves. It does not prevent them from raising pigs and selling pork to Chinese people to make money.

In fact, among the Christians all over the world, except for those in China, no Christians in any other country really take pork as a big deal.

Most devout believers focus more on chanting scriptures and praying, and abstain from alcohol. The constraints of the scriptures on life are more reflected in things like helping each other among brothers and not charging interest when lending money. Even in a conservative country like Saudi Arabia, they occasionally eat pork, and it is not a big deal.

Zheng Yi ate heartily while casually saying, "Your criticism was meant for the British. In return, the Singapore Shipyard and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange were moved here. It wasn't my original intention."

"It's just verbal criticism. We in the Southern Alliance operate independently. Even Fatty Qiu can't control me. I'll give them face. When they criticize me, I'll just say sorry. If I don't give them face anymore, once the epaulettes are removed, who cares about that bullshit British lieutenant general?"

Tao Jun: "Yes, Mr. Zheng, I understand, and I was indeed not thoughtful enough on this matter. If I had sent some people to show some support, they wouldn't have had a reason to cause trouble."

"I was so ignorant that Mr. Zheng had to apologize in the newspaper because of me."

Zheng Yi: "Haha, an apology? What's the big deal? If an apology could build a financial center and a shipbuilding industry, I'd be willing to kneel down and kowtow to the British every day."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi took out a cigarette and asked Tao Jun to light it.

"Don't worry, I'm not taking the blame for nothing. Since I've benefited, naturally you've benefited as well. Since you're the one taking the blame, after the Hong Kong Stock Exchange moves to Hong Kong Island, I plan to formally merge it with OCBC Bank."

“OCBC Bank will completely transform from a traditional remittance bank to an investment bank focusing on comprehensive investment.

The Li family holds 18% of the shares, the Chen family holds 10%, I personally hold 18%, the remaining Nanyang Chinese businessmen hold 20%, listed retail investors hold 30%, and the remaining 3% of the shares are yours."

"I?"

OCBC Bank is currently the most important financial institution in Nanyang besides those foreign banks. Even in this small area of ​​Nanyang, its business capabilities and financial influence are not inferior to Citibank and HSBC.

It is even very likely that in the future we will have the ability to issue currency.

Even Zheng Yi only holds 15% of the shares.

The shares of OCBC Bank were actually quite scattered. It was during the economic crisis that Lee Kong Chian stepped forward to integrate three local Chinese banks in Singapore. In the following years, he successively acquired, merged and consolidated 18 small banks of all sizes in Southeast Asia to form the OCBC Bank.

To put it bluntly, everyone huddled together for warmth to survive the cold winter. Because Li Guangqian was Tan Kah Kee's son-in-law, he also borrowed Tan Kah Kee's prestige at the time.

After Penang became autonomous, Tan Kah Kee basically stopped all his messy businesses around the world, sold them out, invested in OCBC Bank, and became a major shareholder of OCBC Bank.

The Chen family was originally the second largest shareholder in Penang and the most prestigious person in Nanyang besides Zheng Yi. The Nanyang Alliance is an alliance, and the Chen family is actually equivalent to the deputy leader. They are also the leader of the Fujian Chamber of Commerce. Especially in Xiamen, people follow their lead.

Who is Tao Jun?
Just because he took the blame?

Zheng Yi: "Citibank, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, and OCBC Bank will jointly set up a new securities trading institution and be responsible for stock issuance. You took the blame and took over Hong Kong Island's business. Without Hong Kong Island, Penang is very important. Therefore, I propose that you be given a portion of the shares."

"These shares aren't just for you. There are also shares for the brothers and instructors who follow you. You should have a meeting together later to discuss and decide how to get a share for everyone."

"The Southern Alliance is different from other places. It is neither bottom-up nor top-down. It is an alliance where everyone works together and everyone adds fuel to the fire.
Penang is also a truly commercial city. Those who contribute to the SAARC should naturally share in the profits and the core power of the SAARC: stocks.

"This is just a special case in Nanyang, and it's not about taking care of you. You know He Shili, the He family still has many related businesses in Penang. To this day, he is still one of the important shareholders of Penang and Nanyang Alliance."

"Middle-level and lower-level soldiers get bonuses and pensions for their work, while those of you at the top get shares. Even if you die one day, your families can still live on the dividends from the shares."

All listed companies in the SAARC, although the tax within the SAARC is very low, with the alliance only collecting 10%, each company will issue a fixed amount of additional shares every year, which will not be sold but distributed to those who have contributed to Penang.

This is also to create a catfish effect, continuously injecting fresh blood into the SAARC, and avoiding internal corruption and becoming a reactionary class.

A typical case is Japan after World War II.

The form of the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is actually very similar to Japan's conglomerate alliance, except that it has an absolute core like Zheng Yi, which gives the entire alliance a backbone.

Objectively speaking, Japan was able to soar so quickly after the sanctions were lifted after World War II. It took only more than 30 years for it to rise from a defeated country in ruins to become the world's second largest economy. This consortium alliance definitely played a huge role in this.

However, after the 90s, Japan's economy was sluggish and never recovered. For decades, apart from relying on its old capital, it had hardly been able to get a share in any new industries or new tracks. This was also inseparable from this united and close-knit consortium alliance.

To put it bluntly, the consortium has completely suppressed social vitality. Ordinary people either work like dogs or leave, and the consortium itself has completely lost its enterprising spirit. It only wants to rest on its past achievements and reap the benefits. If the benefits are not enough, it will suck the blood of the people.

There is no perfect political system in the world. At least in the generation that Zheng Yi is alive, Zheng Yi does not want to see his Southern Alliance follow the path of corruption, rigidity and lack of ambition like Japan. Therefore, he designed such a system and will supervise its implementation.

As for whether this system will still be implemented after his death and how it will be implemented, to be honest, he doesn't know.

Each generation has its own mission. Although he is not an expert, through observation of world history, he found that up to now, basically the whole world conforms to the law of "one generation of struggle, one generation of happiness, and one generation of corruption", without exception.

On the contrary, the idea that poverty cannot last for more than three generations is just a beautiful luxury. There are many areas in the world where poverty has lasted for eight or even eighty generations.

Prosperity and development are luxuries of human society, but some people are too naive to take them for granted and do not cherish them at all.

"Mr. Zheng, I...thank you."

Tao Jun was also quite moved for a moment. Isn't this just like the ancient times where bad disciples were given titles?

"Don't worry, I will defend this position to the death. As long as we have this position and our people, we will definitely keep the Japanese out of the Malay Peninsula!"

However, Zheng Yi shook his head and said, "No, you really misunderstood me. The reason I came here in person this time is to tell you not to be like this. Do you still remember the original intention of our decision to send troops to Patani?"

Tao Jun: "Yes... In order to block the Japanese army layer by layer, delay time, and buy more time to prepare for the anti-Japanese war on the Malay Peninsula, this tactic was proposed by me."

Tao Junhei sighed with emotion as he spoke, "But when it comes to strategy, Mr. Zheng, you truly are a genius. When you proposed this to prevent the Japanese from invading Siam, almost everyone in the army, myself included, thought it was nonsense. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be spot on. Mr. Zheng's vision is truly admirable."

Zheng Yi smiled upon hearing this and said, "The Japanese destroyed eight American battleships at Pearl Harbor. Lin Shaoliang's spies in Japan report that the Japanese military is currently very optimistic about the strategic situation and believes that the United States will not recover for at least three years."

"As for the British, although their navy in the Far East is still quite strong, their German allies are now very powerful in Europe, and it is impossible for this fleet to remain permanently stationed in Asia."

"Therefore, Japan's assessment of the future war situation is that Japan will invade all of Southeast Asia as quickly as possible, relying on the resources of the entire region to conduct defensive operations, competing with the US military in a war of attrition, and ultimately wearing the US out through attrition." "Of course, this is the current assessment of the cabinet. You know the moral character of the Japanese military. I wouldn't be surprised if their navy bombed the US mainland one day."

"The Japanese top brass remained calm and aware of the huge gap between Japan and the United States. They wanted to adopt a defensive strategy and fight to attrition. However, even I could sense that after the Battle of Pearl Harbor, the middle and lower levels of the Japanese, and even the entire society, had gone mad.
They truly believed that the Japanese were invincible, and they also believed that they could continue to gamble on the fate of the nation and always win.”

"This kind of nationwide madness cannot be contained by a few high-ranking officials remaining calm. They are accelerating towards hell."

Tao Jun said with some worry: "I also believe in your judgment, Mr. Zheng. Japan is heading towards hell. However, it is an indisputable fact that the US military has suffered heavy losses.
If the British are also unreliable... before Japan goes to hell, will they also... "

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "When do you think the US military can restore its naval power?"

"Um...isn't it three years?"

"Three years is just a bunch of nonsense. Three years is just ignorant talk from the Japanese. They simply don't understand the terrifying productivity that can be unleashed when an economy with 40% of the world's industrial production capacity fully shifts to military production."

"In a year at most, the Americans will fight back. In two years at most, the US military will gain the upper hand. In three years at most, if the Japanese still don't surrender, the huge gap in industry will surely make the Japanese understand what despair is."

Tao Jun: "So fast?"

Tao Jun definitely doesn't understand this. If someone told him this, he would just think it was nonsense.

But since Mr. Zheng said so, it must be correct.

What Mr. Zheng said was not wrong.

Zheng Yi: "So our goal and expectation has never been to defeat the Japanese, or to actually stop the Japanese. We can't stop them."

“Our goal from the beginning to the end was only one, which was to delay and wait for the US counterattack. Given Penang’s current status and industrial situation, if the Americans launched a counterattack, the first thing they would have to do was to ensure Penang’s safety.”

"In the coming year, every day is precious. Every day you persevere means one less day of fighting in Penang, and the pressure will naturally be lessened."

"You must know that Penang is our only base camp. As long as Penang is still there, it doesn't matter how much territory the Japanese occupy or how arrogant they become. When the US military launches a counterattack, we can take it back."

"Even some places, like Singapore, might not be such a bad thing if they were lost now. Singapore belongs to the British now, and it will belong to the Japanese after a while. But after the Japanese are defeated...it can't still belong to the British, right?"

"People are the core resource of the Southern Alliance. I have repeatedly emphasized to you that in my eyes, the Showa Japanese Army can only be regarded as the pinnacle of a second-rate army. They are nothing more than fearless and brave in battle."

"However, the Japanese army's bravery was based on brainwashing, oppression, and even methamphetamine-like drugs. They actually didn't know when to be brave and when to conserve their manpower."

"It's not that I don't advocate sacrifice. In the end, competition between any country or any nation comes down to which individual is more willing to sacrifice for the collective. But the key is whether it's worth it."

"The biggest problem with the Japanese army is their inability to advance or retreat. In other words, they only advance, never retreat. Anyone who retreats is considered shameful, and their superiors might commit seppuku. As a result, they often suffer heavy casualties for seemingly inexplicable reasons for a target of little strategic value. Don't you think this is crazy?"

"Not to mention, they have a tradition of going it alone."

"This war is sometimes like a game of chess. There are advances and retreats, gains and losses. That's the way to play chess."

"It's not too late to talk about the vow to live and die with the battlefield when the Japanese actually attack Penang."

"You are all the elite troops I have carefully trained, the essence of our entire Southern Alliance. So, if you and your position perish together, who will help me defend Alor Setar? Who will help me defend Penang?"

"I don't understand military affairs. I'm going to entrust you with the proper balance and control. You can decide for yourself when to defend and when to withdraw."

"I'm here today to establish a rule for you. When issuing orders, if they involve dangerous missions like covering the rear, acting as bait, etc., they must clearly inform the team members carrying out the operations."

"There is no such thing as a war without death. Some missions are indeed a life-or-death situation, or even a 100% chance of survival. However, absolutely, absolutely, there must be no deception. Soldiers assigned to a mission where they are certain to die may refuse if they do not wish to do so."

"Of course, for any soldier assigned a mission where they must die, I will triple their pensions and consider issuing additional stocks to their families."

"As for the distribution of the pension, it will be overseen by the martyr's hometown chamber of commerce, the Penang Labour Department, my wife, your military brass, and most importantly, the martyr's designated comrades."

"I can promise you that, at least before I die, anyone who lays a hand on this will die a miserable death."

"When to fight, when to flee, and when to die, I leave it to you to decide. You can also leave it to the soldiers on the front lines to decide."

"Also, the first batch of cameras produced by the Penang factory has rolled off the production line. I plan to delegate the photography unit to the platoon level. During any battle, please prioritize protecting the film. Even if the entire battalion is wiped out, please be sure to return the film to me."

"Even if these films fall into the hands of the Japanese army, it doesn't matter. I will spend money to redeem your films."

"In short, in my mind, a first-rate army should deeply bind the individual and the collective. Decision-making power should be delegated to the platoon and squad when necessary, allowing each squad leader to decide for himself whether to fight, how to fight, whether to defend, and how to defend."

"This is an army where every member has a brain and initiative. Even if they are afraid of death, isn't that human nature?"

"On the other hand, an army with no brains at the grassroots level, relying solely on coercion, deception, and the so-called glory of the samurai code to send them to their deaths, like a giant machine, is second-rate."

"I don't want a second-rate army."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a gentle knock on the door. A guard came with two plates and respectfully handed them to Ma Kui, who then took them to the table.

"Mr. Zheng, this is the food for the Siamese and South Allied forces. They are all from the grassroots kitchens. Our people exchanged their plates with the officers' kitchens. These are all freshly cooked meals."

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi did not explain, but took out his chopsticks and tasted the food on both plates.

"It tastes okay, but it seems a bit too salty, especially this. The Siamese army's meal is a bit too salty. Old Wu, do you Siamese people generally have a strong taste for food? I do know that salt is produced in Pattani."

Wu Aihua: "The Malays in the three southern counties generally do tend to speak with a stronger tongue."

"Ah."

Zheng Yi nodded.

But he stretched out his hand and asked Li Lili to take out a scale.

"This balance is laboratory grade, made in the USA, and its precision is top-notch."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi first rummaged through the food from the Southern Allied Forces, picked out all the diced meat and chunks of meat, and actually put them on the scale to weigh them.

"Meat is... 70 grams."

As she spoke, Li Lili had already opened her notebook behind her and started taking notes seriously.

"Eggs, 20 grams."

"400 grams of high-quality carbohydrates from grains."

"Green vegetables, 100 grams."

"Dietary fiber, 100 grams"

"Fruit... no?"

“No seafood either.”

Tao Jun didn't know what Zheng Yi was trying to do, but he suddenly felt the hairs on his back stand up. He felt as if something terrible was grinning at him.

(End of this chapter)