The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

"Language is the bottom line."

At this point, Zhang Chi walked to the map again and traced his finger across the non-Chinese-populated areas.

"Gentlemen, everyone here is one of us, so I'll be frank with you."

Although our United States of Southeast Asia is predominantly Chinese, it also has a large number of Malays, Bago people, and Siamese people.

If we want long-term stability and security, and if we want to mold these scattered pieces of sand into a solid iron plate, what do we need?

Relying on guns? That's a poor strategy, the kind of foolish thing only the French and the British would do.

The best approach is through culture, language, and a sense of belonging.

He turned around, his gaze intense:

"We need to start with children."

Let those children from other ethnic groups attend our kindergartens from a young age, speak Mandarin, write Chinese characters, read our books, and listen to our stories.

Subtle and gradual influence, like a gentle rain nourishing the earth.

When they grow up, they will feel that they are Southeast Asians, a part of the Chinese cultural sphere, and not outsiders.

This is more effective than killing or arresting a large number of people.

The education sector bears a great responsibility for the long-term stability of the country.

It's huge!

Fu Minglang nodded repeatedly, his forehead beaded with even more sweat, this time from excitement:

"Your Excellency is wise."

However... the current primary school enrollment rate is only 63%, which is far from your requirements.

Many parents in remote areas, especially indigenous people, are simply unwilling to send their children to school, feeling that it's better to stay home and herd cattle.

"63%? I'm not satisfied at all!" Zhang Chi frowned. "That number is too low!"

money is not a problem!

No matter how poor we are, we must not neglect education; no matter how hard life is, we must not let our children suffer.

This is the wisdom of our ancestors, and it is also the foundation upon which our nation is founded.

Our biggest expenditure right now is on education, but that's not enough.

We must bring it up to 80%, or even 90%, as soon as possible.

Primary school education is mandatory; any family that dares not send their child to school will be fined, severely punished.

I was too soft-hearted before.

This time, we'll punish him until he feels the pinch, until he has no choice but to give it to us.

For those impoverished families, our grassroots staff can use free lunches as an incentive.

Even in those stubborn areas, you could use methods like distributing school uniforms or subsidies.

In short, we must pull the child down from the ox's back and put him in front of a desk!

“There are also adult literacy programs and night schools,” Zhang Chi added. “Many of the new immigrants who just arrived don’t know a single character.”

They need to learn culture, skills, and rules.

Only by understanding the rules and acquiring cultural awareness can they truly integrate into society and become qualified builders, rather than unstable time bombs.

Finance Minister Lim Wen-shu then raised his hand: "President, this... regarding the budget?"

We're about to start infrastructure projects and military buildup, and now if we keep throwing money at education, we'll run a fiscal deficit..."

Zhang Chi smiled, a smile that held a deeper meaning.

He walked up to Lin Wenshu and patted the shoulder of his slightly tight suit:

"Minister Lin, the accounts can't be calculated like this."

The one dollar you spend on education now can save you ten dollars in stability maintenance fees in the future, and also earn you one hundred dollars in taxes.

This is called investing, understand?

Moreover, it is the long-term investment with the highest rate of return.

Besides, didn't we just make a fortune in Persia?

There is also the World Bank loan that is about to be received.

Money can always be made if you squeeze it out.

But once you miss a child's growth, it's gone forever.

Lin Wenshu was rendered speechless.

The idea that one yuan of education funding could save ten yuan of stability maintenance fees was the essence of Zhang Chi's summary based on a wealth of information and experience from the internet age, which naturally astonished him.

So he could only nod in agreement.

"Alright, meeting adjourned." Zhang Chi waved his hand. "Get moving, everyone. Don't just sit there drinking tea."

I want to see concrete actions.

I want to see the streets of Yangon, Bangkok, and Singapore filled with the sound of students reading aloud.

I want to see every child have access to education and every worker have a place to live.

This is our Southeast Asian dream!

Everyone stood up, packed their documents, and prepared to leave.

Zhang Chi stopped the Minister of Education: "Minister Fu, could you stay for a moment?"

After everyone had left, Zhang Chi handed Old Chen a cigarette and lit one for himself.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Zhang Chi's expression became even more enigmatic.

"Old Fu, there were too many people just now, so there were some things I couldn't say in too much detail."

Zhang Chi exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes becoming unfathomable:

"Regarding Chinese language education, especially for teenagers from other ethnic groups..."

You need to find the right balance.

It requires both enforcement and flexibility.

Could you implement a reward system?

The previous strategy of giving priority to those who passed the Mandarin proficiency test worked quite well, didn't it?

Next, we could offer incentives such as priority housing allocation or even a small tax reduction.

They need to feel that learning Mandarin is not only an obligation, but also a golden key to changing their destiny.

Fu Minglang's eyes lit up; despite his age, he immediately gave a thumbs up.

"Commander-in-Chief, brilliant, truly brilliant."

This is about gradually transplanting their roots into our cultural soil.

"Stop flattering me," Zhang Chi said with a laugh, "Get on with it."

Fu Minglang walked away slowly.

Zhang Chi stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

He knew he was trying to do something unprecedented.

In this tropical rainforest, we will establish a modern industrial powerhouse, led by Chinese people and integrating multiple ethnic groups.

------

Meanwhile, in a rudimentary night school in Singapore.

Lin Dayou was struggling to hold a pencil and was writing crookedly on a worn-out notebook.

On the blackboard, the young female teacher was pointing to a large character for "person" and loudly proclaiming:

"The character for 'person' is composed of two strokes, one left and one right, standing upright and reaching for the sky."

“People…” Lin Dayou repeated, his voice loud and clear.

Although his hands were clumsier than when he used a plane, and his handwriting was as ugly as if scratched by chicken claws, he wrote very seriously and with great effort.

Because the squad leader said that as long as you pass the literacy test, you'll get a raise and priority in applying for... the workers' new village apartment building!

For the house, for my son, and to live like a human being in this new world.

Fight!

In the classroom next door, Ah Xiu was leading a group of sisters in red headscarves, learning to sing a new song praising the United States of Southeast Asia with their teacher.

Although the singing was off-key and mixed with various dialects and accents, it was full of power, piercing through the night sky and drifting into the distance.