Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 310: Cotton-padded clothes and fast food, the division of the Chinese in Southeast Asia and Zheng Yi's double act
呲~~
The quicklime mixed with water immediately began to boil hot. The hot steam heated the food, and a portable fast food was ready in a few minutes.

"Mr. Zheng, it's done. Please try it."

As he was speaking, the food expert brought a box of steaming hot rice and placed it in front of Zheng Yi.

However, the hot rice was unremarkable. It was packed in a small silver box with a small plastic spoon. It looked very simple, just some simple rice with some curried potatoes.

Zheng Yi took it and tasted it. He couldn't help but frown slightly and swallowed it with great effort.

“Is it salty?”

"No, this is just right. After all, this isn't made for someone like me. If you exert too much physical effort and don't replenish enough salt, you won't be able to hold on."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi picked up the curry and took one mouthful after another until he finished all the hot rice with a frown. Then he asked his secretary to bring him some Latour wine and he gulped down half a bottle in one gulp to rinse his mouth.

"It tastes pretty good, actually. Rice and curry shouldn't be too bad. There seems to be a little chicken fat in it, right?"

"Mr. Zheng, you have a really good tongue."

"Hmm... It's a shame, the nutrition is still a little lacking. Can't we really add some vegetables? The technology for dehydrating vegetables should be very mature by now."

"Of course, it is possible, but if dehydrated vegetables are added, the cost will rise sharply. In comparison, the cost of tuber crops such as potatoes is indeed much lower."

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "We still need to continue researching the dehydrated vegetable project. It has a wide range of uses. Besides, we can also make some vegetables from this batch."

"These are still minor issues. The key lies in the output of lime. What is the current output?"

"The new factory uses the most advanced production line you designed. The daily output is approximately 50 to tons. Judging from the current situation, there will be about tons left over every day without anyone noticing."

Obviously, this kind of portable heated lunch box will not be sold locally, or at least the sales volume will not be too high.

Curry is a very cheap spice in Southeast Asia and an authentic common condiment. In fact, such a meal is not very attractive to Chinese people, and for non-Chinese, such as Malays, it is not halal enough and is not necessary.

The weather in Nanyang is hot and humid all year round. If you really want to go out, you can just bring some rice cakes or something like that and eat them anytime without heating them up.

Naturally, this thing also needs to be supported domestically.

Now Zheng Yi has returned to Southeast Asia from the Middle East. He no longer pays attention to the barking of the British defeated dog and is completely focused on domestic issues.

The situation on the peninsula is turbulent. The Democratic Party indeed launched a damn war before the end of its term, trying to help its election by provoking ideological conflicts. Of course, there are still some differences from history, so I will not go into details.

The entire Nanyang was plunged into an inexplicable panic and division. The impact of this war on the distant Nanyang was far greater than imagined. It is no exaggeration to say that it directly tore Nanyang apart.

After all, this is not a Nanyang matter, but it is indeed closely related to every Nanyang Chinese.

Some people advocate that we should contribute to the motherland just like during the Anti-Japanese War. This is also for the sake of our own situation in Nanyang.

Westerners fear power but not virtue. For example, although the Japanese lost in World War II, we have to admit that the Japanese did break the white myth of the world, greatly improved the status of Asians and yellow people, and made those white people pay more attention to us.

None of these people dared to think about winning.

The other group of people naturally advocated that these Southeast Asian Chinese should immediately draw a clear line with the mainland and line up to obtain American citizenship.

There are even some extreme people who will try every possible way to donate money and supplies to Americans, or even organize collective petitions to join the US military.

What's more, a very small number of psychopaths have even begun contacting local warlords and the remnants of General Liu in Hanoi and Shan State, and are contributing money and manpower to plan a counterattack.

Most of these very few mentally ill people are remnants of the evil.

Naturally, the conflict between the two groups of people was very serious. Even in Penang, if the two groups held marches against each other, they would fight each other, and people might even die. This has seriously affected public security and, in turn, the economy and production.

This is in places like Penang and Singapore.

In Hanoi, especially in the Red River Valley, there have been many rounds of fighting so far.

It was a real gunfight, both sides used guns, even rocket launchers.

In theory, this matter has nothing to do with the indigenous people of Southeast Asia, but in Southeast Asia, all the big and small matters are decided by the Chinese. Now that the Chinese are starting to split, what do people of other races think?

Li Xiaoshi, who had been following Zheng Yi and watching him devour an entire box of lunch, suddenly said, "Ayi, are you really going to support the country?"

Zheng Yi smiled when he heard this and asked him to sit down. The two brothers lit up cigars and started smoking.

"Brother, do you have any ideas?"

"Well... it's not an idea. It's just that things have been very chaotic in Nanyang recently. Although Mr. Tan Kah Kee is not here now, he has been remotely controlling the situation. In this situation, you are the only one who can step in and suppress it. Since you have your own political stance, why don't you step in directly? If you join forces with Mr. Tan Kah Kee, those other demons and monsters will be nothing to fear."

Zheng Yi: "So what next? How do I explain this to the Americans? In three days, Coach Mac will fly over to discuss this with me personally."

"They want to..."

"The U.S. Department of Defense places orders with us for oil, steel, and nutritional supplements."

"This...can't be stopped?" "It can't be stopped. General MacArthur has already mobilized our congressmen in the United States to collectively oppose it. There have been anti-war marches in major cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, but it's useless. The parliament voted to pass it anyway."

"Why are these Americans like this? Don't they always say they love peace?"

Zheng Yi scoffed at this, "Peace-loving bullshit! The American people's cultural underpinnings are based on a martial spirit. Their so-called love of peace simply stems from the fact that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the US economy was developing too rapidly, and war was no longer worth the cost."

"But things are different now. World War II itself brought huge benefits to the United States, and they are indeed too strong now. Fighting is too easy for them, and they can't see the so-called cost."

"What's more, this is still an issue of wartime transformation. Don't forget that many American steel workers still can't find jobs."

Li Xiaoshi frowned: "Then, what should we do? Should we take this business?"

Zheng Yi: "Of course I will answer it."

"What? This, doesn't this mean we're helping the Americans fight our own people?"

"If I don't do this business, do you think the Americans can't find someone else to do it?"

"Who else can they turn to?"

"Japan."

"Japan is also our territory now."

"If the Americans say yes, then it's true. If the Americans say no, then it's also fine. If this order goes to Japan, we're finished."

Li Xiaoshi thought about it after hearing this and nodded. The Japanese are now second only to the Chinese in Southeast Asia, especially the technical workers in major factories, the Japanese are the main force. Although the Chinese have been catching up in terms of worker quality and basic education level since World War II, the results will not be seen in a short time.

If Japan obtains orders from the US military and the US relaxes its control over Japan's national normalization, then a large number of Japanese originally under their control will definitely return to Japan, and the SAARC's control over the Japanese community will inevitably decline greatly.

It is even possible that they will bite back at the Southern Alliance.

No, it is very likely.

If the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation takes over this business, it will not be Japan's turn, and Japan will have to send only women to accompany the army.

"So, you deliberately didn't express your political stance? Then those cotton-padded clothes and lunch boxes you prepared are..."

"Hey~"

Zheng Yi sighed and said rather dejectedly, "I don't dare to support weapons. I do have oil, but I don't really need it. After thinking it over, I can only support these kinds of things. At least they can keep themselves well fed and clothed, so they don't have to endure the hardship of eating fried noodles and snow in that kind of hell."

"This will make it easier for us to explain and account to the United States. Ultimately, SAARC is a non-state actor. The core foundation of SAARC comes from the pure spirit of freedom. Since it is a spirit of freedom, how can I interfere with your political inclinations?"

"That's why even if the Americans knew that materials were being sent back from us, they wouldn't care. This is the cornerstone of the SAARC. Even the SAARC shareholders in the United States would agree with me on this point."

"So to put it bluntly, if Americans can buy steel from us, we can certainly sell cotton and fast food back home. It's a market economy after all."

After thinking for a moment, Zheng Yi admitted to Li Xiaoshi, "In fact, I have prepared 500 Fury multiple rocket launchers to sell to them. They can be secretly taken from the Soviet Union and disguised as Katyushas. Big brother, you need to negotiate with the Soviet Union about this matter. My target is too big to leave."

Li Xiaoshi frowned: "Sell? But where can I get the money in China?"

Zheng Yi: "Why not just accept RMB?"

"Then what's the difference between this and giving it away? Can it fool the Americans?"

"Of course there is a difference. The difference is that I really plan to use the RMB from Harmony to buy things. Do you know China Resources? Next week, China Resources' trade representative will come to negotiate in person. Big brother, please meet them and see what they have to sell. We have to buy it. We have to spend the RMB we collect."

Li Xiaoshi frowned. "I'm the one to talk again? You're not trying to make me the political leader this time, are you?"

Zheng Yi: "That's what I think. At the moment, the momentum of the pro-nationalist faction in Southeast Asia is still relatively small. I can't do it myself, so you are the most suitable person."

"I don't have to go to the United States anymore?"

"Not really. You and I are different after all. In a few years, no one will mention this anymore. With the political climate in the US, people forget things quickly. It will be fine after a while when the Republicans come back."

"And it would be more reasonable if you came to represent me."

"Why is this? Isn't Hu Wenhu being unreasonable?"

"The trade representative sent by China Resources is your son Jilong."

"Ah...ah? What can that little brat talk about? What does China Resources think?"

"If Li Jilong doesn't come, can we collect RMB? For a father, it's reasonable to do something for his son's future, right?"

Li Xiaoshi: “…………”

(End of this chapter)