Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 220: Your oil field? Will it respond if you call it?
"The Nanyang Alliance is trampling on the dignity of the great British Empire! The Labour Party's scumbags are collaborating with the Nanyang Alliance, which is clearly a betrayal of the interests of the Empire!"

Early in the morning, Li Jianqiao took a newspaper and showed it to Zheng Yi.

This is the headline on the front page of the BBC's international edition, an article signed and published by Fatty Qiu himself.

Zheng Yi didn't take it seriously. He took it, glanced at it vaguely, and threw it aside.

"This fat guy is still a worry even after he retired. Let's just ignore him."

Zheng Yi really hates this fat guy. To a large extent, the Cold War was instigated by this guy, who is always trying to create chaos in the world.

"Uncle, I heard that there's a lot of criticism against you in the UK right now. Many people think you're provoking them. Although he's no longer in power, his influence is still there. The ruling party must also consider the impact of public opinion. If we stand in the forefront now, maybe..."

Zheng Yi sneered, "What else can he do? What can the British Empire do? Do you really think they're still the sun that never sets?"
The United States is the new ruler of this world. The old colonial system has ended. Whoever can change their mindset faster and embrace the new era will be the ruler of the new era.

Zheng Yi patted Li Jianqiao's face as he spoke, "Forget the glory of the British Empire. Next up is the era of multinational corporations. Whoever controls more multinational corporations will be the true overlord of the new era."

Yesterday, he only discussed the general direction with Ahmed on the same day, and did not have any further in-depth communication on aspects such as the share ratio. He just knew that he had this intention.

Then that night, he stayed in the old man's palace, while the old man himself found a place to sleep outside.

He knew that there were many reporters accompanying him this time, both local and international from SAARC, and he wanted this effect, so he deliberately acted in a domineering manner.

You have to know that at this moment, the Sultan of Brunei is no different from the Sultan of Kedah in Malaya. It is not an independent country, and no one internationally recognizes this place.

So there is no need to be too polite to him.

The entire Nanyang region still does not have the concept of a country up to now. Although the Malays on the Malay Peninsula have a vague idea of ​​establishing a country, it is still just an idea so far.

Moreover, even if a country was really established, without the British, I am afraid these people would have no idea what kind of country to build.

It's not just the sultans on the Malay Peninsula, the same is true in other regions, such as Pattani, Bukit and other places. Although Thailand has been liberated now, the three southern provinces no longer recognize them as Thai territory.

At this time and space, where exactly Thailand's territory will be located is actually an unknown.

There is no clear idea as to which country or ethnic group the Andaman Islands, North Borneo, and even South Borneo of Yangon belong to.

The world map that is familiar to later generations has not even started to draw its national borders.

These places are naturally the targets that Zheng Yi hopes the SAARC can intervene in. Some things must be decided and done before the nation-state is formed. No matter how the political system here operates in the future, the SAARC can hold the baton and squeeze the economic value of these regions in advance.

Otherwise, if these places really establish their own countries and their citizens have national consciousness, or if they belong to other major powers and involve serious national sovereignty, it will not be so easy for the SAARC to expand.

Brunei is a good example.

The capital of Brunei is Bandar Seri Begawan, a small city relying on oil and ports. It is not big, but the environment and climate are good.

The entire Sultan's Palace was occupied by the Japanese army during the Japanese occupation period. In fact, it was in a mess and was in a very bad state. The so-called royal garden was actually not as beautiful as an ordinary park, and the place was a bit small.

When Ahmed came to find Zheng Yi, Zheng Yi was running laps in the garden. Seeing Ahmed coming, he pulled him to run two laps together. Then he couldn't help but complain: "Look at you, you are a sultan after all. The palace is in such a mess. I feel sorry for you."

As he spoke, he took the white towel from his attendant and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Ahmed took a few deep breaths and then managed a forced smile, saying, "It was badly damaged by the Japanese, and we haven't had time to repair it yet. But I said it was the Sultan, and this... is indeed quite tight on money."

Zheng Yi casually tried to attract business, saying, "If Your Majesty is interested, you can entrust the renovation and expansion of the royal palace to the construction team in Penang. Our construction team in Penang is very professional. We have established the SAARC Construction Association, which has a total of six construction companies under it, all of which are SAARC members listed in Penang."

Ahmed nodded repeatedly and said, "The Penang construction team's professional capabilities are naturally well-known in Nanyang. However, I heard that prices in Penang are high, especially labor. This..."

Zheng Yi laughed heartily and said, "Your Majesty, I'm here to give you money, not to rob you. We're setting up a company together to drill for oil, and the profits will naturally be divided according to our shares. I'm not a stingy British person. A mere palace is nothing compared to our oil business."

Ahmed: "Ah, this... Mr. Zheng, how much stock do you think I can get? Well... to be honest, I don't know much about these things. Compared to shares, I would be more receptive to leases and other arrangements. As long as they give me... $20 a year, no, $, it's actually more than enough to cover the expenses of a small place like ours."

"Really? Haha, if that's the case, I'm taking quite a big advantage. But don't worry, I'm not some greedy British colonist. If you're willing to let me take such a big advantage, I'd still feel uneasy."

"Don't worry. The era of unilateral colonial exploitation by British and French imperialism is over. This is a new era, a new philosophy. SAARC emphasizes win-win cooperation. Once we divide up the equity in the Brunei oil fields, you will also be a member of SAARC and have a vote at the conference."

After saying that, Zheng Yi patted Ahmed on the shoulder and took him to have breakfast.

In fact, he certainly knew that he could easily eat up the Brunei oil fields at a very low price. So far, Ahmad and the natives of Brunei were not actually on this table. On the contrary, they were actually the meat on the table.

However, Zheng Yi knew better than anyone what the mainstream was after World War II. Anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, and the rise of nation-states were not just talk.

Saudi Arabia initially said that it didn't want any oil fields, so how did Saudi Aramco end up in the pockets of the Saudi royal family?
Is it really because Americans are kind-hearted?

If even Americans have to be kind, what qualifications do the British and French have to be unkind?
Then what reason does Zheng Yi’s Southern Alliance have for not being kind?
The advantage you are taking now will be felt by these natives sooner or later. They have plenty of ways to disgust you. The biggest characteristic of these people is that they make vinegar sour instead of sweet soup. It is impossible for them to use warships for any problem.

Force cannot solve all problems. For example, in Saudi Arabia, a family of several generations was able to use economic and political means, plus a little bit of rogue tactics, to take over Aramco, one of the most profitable oil companies in the world, from 0% to 100% of the shares.
There is no point in taking advantage in advance. It is better to do things openly from the beginning and establish a civilized image like the United States.

"Then, how much can I get?"

Zheng Yi also laughed: "Well..." Zheng Yi pondered for a moment, and was about to speak, but saw Li Jianqiao running over and said: "Uncle, Mr. Henry's plane has landed at the airport and will be here soon."

Zheng Yi: "Henry is here? That's perfect, Your Majesty. Let's go together. How much shares you can get depends on whether Mr. Henry cooperates."

…………

Twenty minutes later.

Inside the palace, Henry, who had come from afar, suddenly slammed the table in anger.

"Ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous, Zheng. You used to be such an honest businessman, gentleman, and scientist. I can't believe you've become a... a gangster, a robber, a shameless scum!"

Zheng Yi calmly handed him a cigar and said, "Mr. Henry, let's be reasonable. How can I be called a gangster, a robber, or a shameless scum?"

Henry: "You are a gangster, a robber, a shameless scum, humph! Are you doing business? Do you have even a little sincerity?"

"Brunei's oil fields belong to us, to Shell. All the oil fields in Borneo belong to Shell. Mr. Zheng, ten million? You want to buy 60% of Brunei's oil fields for ten million US dollars? You don't offer that much, right? Brunei's oil fields are worth at least one billion! One billion!!"

The figure of one billion is pure nonsense. Henry is actually asking for an exorbitant price.

However, objectively speaking, considering the current oil price situation, if the Brunei oil fields were really sold at market price, they would definitely be worth one or two hundred million US dollars.

This does not take into account the strategic value of the oil fields themselves.

Moreover, this is only unique to the current period of low oil prices after World War II. When the oil crisis breaks out, this thing may really be worth 1 billion.

But in short, it is indeed a bit excessive for Zheng Yi to spend 10 million US dollars to buy this oil field.

Zheng Yi quickly interrupted, "Mr. Henry, your statement is not precise. What I meant is that my 30 million US dollars only buys 30% of the shares of the oil field. The other % is for you to give to His Majesty. Then, this oil field will be treated as an independent asset and join the Southern Alliance."

Henry: "Zheng, you called me to Brunei specifically, you are not kidding."

Zheng Yi: "Of course not, Mr. Henry. Believe me, I am sincere. If you accept my proposal now, Shell will at least retain a 40% stake in this oil field. Your Majesty and I will only take 30%, and you, Shell, will still be the majority shareholder of the oil field."

"If you have any concerns about this agreement, I have a second plan. Take a look at this."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi took out another document and showed it to Henry, while the original document was torn to pieces.

"what is this?"

"It's just another way of distributing the oil. Since we're good friends, we can return the oil fields to you completely at a friendly price of $200 million."

Henry: "What the hell are you talking about? Oh, damn, I must be crazy, this is my oil field!"

But Zheng Yi shook his head seriously and said, "Mr. Henry, you're wrong. That's not how the account should be calculated. All I can say is that this oil field did belong to you before the war."

"Look. During the war, you Dutch and British lost the entire Far East. Your oil fields were taken by the Japanese. They belong to the Japanese. What does that count as? It's your loss."

"Now that the Japanese have been driven away by us, the Japanese troops in Brunei surrendered to me, and even the entire Japanese army of the Southern Corps surrendered to me. These things are what I snatched back from the Japanese."

"Then what are these oil fields? Of course they were captured, my own captures, our spoils of war. Although they were once lost by you British, they are mine now."

"Should we return these things to you, the owner? This is a matter of our morality. Although returning lost property is an excellent traditional virtue, sometimes we lack virtue."

"Across the oil fields, most of the Chinese workers have returned to work, and the management has been replaced by my people. According to our traditional rules of conduct in the South Asian Alliance, everyone must carry a gun when going out on business."

"You said this oil field is yours. You can try and see if they will obey your orders."

Henry narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this, turned his head, and looked at Ahmed again: "Is this also what His Majesty the Sultan meant?"

Ahmed: "Ah? Ah, this...this I...I..."

Zheng Yi suddenly said, "I have decided to invest over $300 million in large-scale infrastructure construction in Bandar Seri Begawan. This will become one of the most important trading hubs for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Our SAARC mission is to achieve harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation with the governments in which we invest."

"Mr. Henry, I roughly know what you're going to say next. Just tell me what you're going to say. Why bother Your Majesty? Mr. Henry, the Brunei oil field is just the beginning. I hope it can serve as a model. I know that over 90% of the oil fields in Southeast Asia belong to Shell. If our cooperation goes smoothly, these oil fields can all follow this model in the future."

Henry couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Although our British Empire has declined somewhat after World War II, our Imperial Navy is still there. We have always been the ones bullying others, and it's never been their turn to bully us. Zheng, we are friends, and I have always cherished our friendship."

Zheng Yi: "Of course, I feel the same way, Mr. Henry. We are friends, and what we are discussing now is just business. I am not forcing anyone to buy or sell. You can agree or disagree. Of course, I know that such a big matter is not something you, as a CEO, can decide. Don't be in a hurry. Let your Shell shareholders and the royal families of Britain and the Netherlands discuss and think about it slowly."

"By the way, I heard that your British naval fleet will be returning to Singapore tonight. It's perfect. It's been delayed for so many days, and I'm also going to Singapore to accept the surrender. If you're on the way, Mr. Henry, how about we go together?"

Henry: “…………”

Zheng Yi suddenly put his hand on his shoulder, put his arm around his neck and said like a good brother, "Hey, cheer up. You're just an employee, don't worry so much about your boss. Let's put business aside and let's put private matters aside. Let's go to Singapore together. By the way, did you know that there are a group of Japanese girls who have recently arrived in Alor Setar? They are all very beautiful. Let's go have some drinks and watch the Japanese girls dance. Let's go."

(End of this chapter)