Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 39 A way to survive
Zhang Yucai's attitude made Zheng Yi both angry and amused.

After all, he is an entrepreneur who has left his name in history and the richest man in Kuala Lumpur.

The person who does things doesn't look like a decent person at all, he's clearly an old gangster.

If they can scare you, they will scare you. If they can't scare you, they will act like a rogue. When they are stronger than you, they will fight with you in a ruthless manner. When they are not as strong as you, they will roll on the ground and be beaten to a pulp.

This is not much different from the gangsters in the 21st century. The only difference is that the 21st century is a society ruled by law, and it is impossible for gangsters to become so big.

"Just now...that Gao Huan who said a few good words for me, is he really a traitor?"

"Hey, of course not. The president of the Chayang Chamber of Commerce is Mr. Lan Jingqing. Mr. Lan is a distant relative of Mr. Hu Wanhu. All the Hakkas in Nanyang are Hu Wanhu's people. How dare I touch him?

This Gao Huan is a younger brother of mine. He owed gambling debts and couldn't pay them back, so he sold his life to me, just to put on a show for Mr. Zheng."

Zheng Yi: “………………”

For a moment he didn't know what to say.

What a fuss! It's pure bluffing!

Old man Zhang, your status has dropped all of a sudden!

But if you think about it, maybe this is normal.

The purpose of the dinner was to resolve the issue. Would they really kill him and create a mortal feud with Li Xiaoshi, a fight to the death? With Li Xiaoshi's connections, he could really have hired the Colonial Office police force.

The then Chief Inspector of the Colonial Office, Perak, was also Li Xiaoshi's Cambridge classmate, and the two were good brothers.

Li Jiqian is no pushover either.

People like Zhang Yucai can do anything if they are pushed into a corner, but the problem is that he is far from being pushed into a corner now.

Isn't this the beginning of acting like a rogue?

At this time, he relaxed and was no longer so domineering. Some things he understood once he thought about them, but he was in a very emotional state just now and didn't see things clearly.

Fortunately, his performance was generally good, at least he did not embarrass himself. If he had really been intimidated by this group of people and was scared to his knees and beg for mercy, and if he had agreed to whatever they said, then he would basically have said goodbye to business negotiations in this life.

This kind of business negotiation really opened his eyes.

However, Zheng Yi had to admit that what he said was not without reason.

As the saying goes, porcelain doesn't clash with tiles. Even Li Xiaoshi had a headache with them. The British Colonial Office mostly had a cooperative relationship with them.

Since there is no official governance in the grassroots Chinese society, it is indeed they who are in charge of governance.

These were the social rules of Nanyang at that time. Zheng Yi had to abide by the rules and deal with them.

Zheng Yi: "I was assassinated a while ago, and the wound hasn't healed yet. I have a bonus issue with the Hongmen and Huaji. I can let it go without asking who did it, but can Master Zhang guarantee that it will be removed?"

Zhang Yucai: "I can swear on my ancestral tablets that this was not done by me. I can't find out who did it, but I can guarantee that everyone who should be removed has been removed."

Zheng Yi: "Haha, okay, Master Zhang, I believe you, but I also have a few words of advice for you." "Go ahead."

"The old era is over. Believe it or not, all industries in Southeast Asia will sooner or later move towards mechanization and industrialized production. Industrialized production will inevitably require more scientific management methods and models."

"I know that some of you here today want me dead, maybe even all of you want to kill me. But since I've come to Southeast Asia and haven't died yet, you should all die. The way you used to do things and the production model you relied on should die."

"Well, Master Zhang, everyone, I'll show you a clear path, a path to survival. If you all refuse to take it, then I have no choice but to die.

It's no use threatening me. At worst, I can just move to Singapore or Penang. I run a machinery factory, and Singapore and Penang are actually more suitable than Kuala Lumpur. Don't you agree, Mr. Zhang?

Zhang Yucai's face was not very good at this moment, but he did understand that Zheng Yi was right. He couldn't scare him, so what else could he do? He could still smile and say:
"Sir, please be kind enough to teach us and give us a way to survive."

Zheng Yi: "I plan to expand the scale of the machinery factory rapidly, but I also know that in Southeast Asia right now, there aren't many people who can readily come up with a large sum of money to invest in machinery, so I plan to take out a mortgage. Production first, repayment later."

"Or maybe we could offer a completely new cooperation model where I provide the machines, and I use them as equity. I calculate his production based on his monthly electricity consumption, and we split the profits. That's also fine, since British Power is my shareholder anyway."

"But you know, Nanyang isn't a society ruled by law after all. Even though I've dragged the British into this, I'm not afraid they'll really default on their debts. But if anything happens and anyone defaults on their debts, I'll have to trouble the Colonial Office to take charge..."

Zhang Yucai immediately understood: "It's inappropriate! It's absolutely inappropriate! Matters between Chinese people must of course be resolved among us Chinese. Letting the British interfere in conflicts between us Chinese is totally inappropriate. Brother, you should come to me about this matter!"

"Then, Master Zhang, I'll subcontract this business to you. How about it? You decide who will do it. I'll only be responsible for installing and debugging the machine, ensuring it's usable. I can even help repair it if it's damaged by no human error. But how much does it cost..."

Zhang Yucai: "It's all mine. Whether you make a profit or a loss, it's all mine. Isn't this also to quickly advance the industrialization of our Nanyang rubber industry? Only if we advance quickly can we snatch money from those Europeans and Americans!"

Zheng Yi: "Master Zhang, you're so straightforward. I'll take care of the British Electricity Company. We'll install independent meters for customers like these, and the Colonial Office will also recognize it. There will be no legal problems. Please send someone to keep an eye on the meter and make sure they don't adjust it. As long as no one defaults, I guarantee you'll make money."

"Of course, if you still feel it's not enough, I have no other options. It's up to you. I'll take whatever measures you can use. The worst that can happen is that I'll end up in Singapore. You're a local boss, but I won't necessarily stay in your territory."

Zhang Yucai burst into laughter upon hearing this, and actually grabbed Zheng Yi's hand and said, "Mr. Zheng, no, Brother Zheng, hahahaha, what year were you born?"

"Um... 08, what's wrong?"

In fact, Zheng Yi didn't know how old the body he was using now was. He didn't have any memory of his previous life at all. It was all pure fabrication.

Zhang Yucai said, "I was born in the year of Guiyou in the Tongzhi reign, a few years older than you, but we felt like old friends the moment we met. I wish I had met you earlier. How about we become brothers?"

Zheng Yi: “…………”

You are crazy!
You were born in the Tongzhi period, and you are sixty years old this year. You are too old to be my grandfather or my father, so why bother to marry me?
"What? Little brother, do you look down on me? Don't worry, as long as we become sworn brothers, I promise that no one in Kuala Lumpur will dare to touch you.
As your big brother, I manage real estate, dock warehouses, shipping, banks, and many other businesses. I'm also the leader of the horse gang, at least within the Hongmen. If you encounter any problems in the future, just tell me."

"No, we...are a bit too far apart. Isn't this too much?"

"What nonsense! We are friends regardless of age. Let's talk about our own things. Ah Chan, come on, get me the statue of Guan Gong from the main hall. Today, my brother and I will emulate the sworn brotherhood of Liu, Guan, and Zhang Fei in Peach Garden. Hahahaha."

As he spoke, the hands grabbed Zheng Yi's wrist like a pair of iron pliers and he couldn't get rid of it. Zheng Yi turned his head to look at Chen Liushi, but even Chen Liushi was a little bit helpless after this move.

After thinking about it, I decided to keep quiet.

This guy is really a fucking old scoundrel.

(End of this chapter)