Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 53: With such a big appetite, aren’t you afraid of choking to death?
After all, the dinner on the table was the Li family's family dinner.

Li Xiaowei hasn't been home for several years. Regardless of whether he has other purposes for visiting his family this time, family affection itself cannot be faked. Everyone in the Li family has a lot of family matters to talk to Li Xiaowei about.

Soon, Zheng Yi and He Shili both made the excuse that they had finished their meal first and left the dining room to the Li family. The two began to take a leisurely walk in the garden of Li Garden, chatting as they walked.

"Before coming here, Shi Li heard that Mr. Zheng was planning to move the blast furnace from the Shijingshan Ironworks to Nanyang. Even I've heard of that furnace before. Its designed annual steel output is 140,000 tons. It's hard to imagine what Nanyang would need so much steel for. Is Mr. Zheng interested in military industry?"

Zheng Yi: "That's indeed the case. Not to mention other places in Southeast Asia, at least in British Malaya, the Chinese already make up more than half the population, exceeding the combined population of Malays and Indians. Yet, the Malays have their own Royal Regiment, and Indians also make up a large number of British military and police officers. Only we Chinese have money but no soldiers. Brother He, have you heard about the Siamese coup this year?"

He Shili: "Hey~, I heard that after the Siamese coup and constitutional monarchy, the Chinese were somewhat excluded. I heard that Siam has published a new book called 'The Jews of the East'? Just hearing the name, it sounds full of malice."

Zheng Yi: "I didn't expect that Brother He, who is on the front line, is also paying attention to the situation in Southeast Asia. Yes, something happened in Siam. As far as I know, the book "The Jews of the East" is also selling very well in Southeast Asia, and the sales are getting higher and higher."

"In Siam, the Teochew clique forced the pro-Japanese Siamese government to the point where it could no longer conduct normal trade with Japan. Imports and exports dropped by more than half. The backlash from the local ethnic groups following the coup was actually to be expected."

"The conflict between us overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and the local indigenous people is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile. We have money but no soldiers, we are united, and we are damn patriotic. The Chinese in Southeast Asia have already found a way to their own death. If we want to break the deadlock, the only way is..."

He Shili: "Training?"

"At least I have the ability to protect myself."

"Will the British allow you to have both money and soldiers?"

"Haha, I have my own way with the Colonial Bureau."

Hearing this, He Shili smiled and shook his head, saying, "Mr. Zheng, you are really different from what I imagined. I thought you were a scientist."

"Am I not a scientist?"

"But your ambition is far greater than I imagined. You want the Northeastern Army's military-industrial complex? Are you just going to exchange it for the powered delta wing?"

Zheng Yi: "Powered delta wings, I can give you 10,000."

He Shili: "How can you have such a large production capacity? Didn't the factory just start construction?"

Zheng Yi turned around and said with a smile, "How do you think that thing is made? Actually, if it's made a little crudely, you can just modify it from a motorcycle."

"Motorcycles? But where did you get so many motorcycles?"

"I've bought up all the civilian inventory of Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, and Yamaha, and I'm currently working overtime."

He Shili was stunned for a moment.

It took him a while to react and said, "So... you buy motorcycles from the Japanese, then process them into powered delta-wings, sell them to us, and then fight the Japanese?"

Zheng Yi nodded.

The frame of the delta wing is made of wood and is cut by machines, so it is actually very quick to produce. Cover the frame with a layer of canvas and it can fly. You only need to slightly modify the motorcycle and make the connections, and this thing can fly.

Even though the factory in Penang has not been completed yet, it has already started to receive materials.

Within a month, Zheng Yi was really confident that he could transform all these motorcycles imported from Japan into powered delta-wing aircraft that could fly in the sky.

He Shili: “…………”

For a moment, He Shili couldn't tell who was supplying ammunition to whom.

Japan has not yet entered a full-scale war mode. Several companies have a large number of civilian products, and Southeast Asia is a very important overseas market for Japan.

Zheng Yi bought so many motorcycles at one time, but in fact he did not put his motorcycles on the market at all, so that even the British did not know that he bought so many motorcycles.

You know, Li Xiaoshi and Zheng Yi, in Japan, are known as traitors and friends of Japan. They are good friends of the Japanese.

Some companies may have also thought about whether there was something wrong with Zheng Yi buying so many motorcycles at one time.

But they also didn't expect that Zheng Yi could install wings on these motorcycles.

Besides the economic crisis, Japan is still a long way from fully launching its war machine and expanding its production capacity. As long as there are orders, even if it is known that there may be some problems, who can care so much?
If it is discovered later, it may not be allowed to be sold, but the problem is that it has not been discovered yet.

Whenever he discovers something, he will make it himself. Maybe at that time he will not directly import the whole vehicle, but ask Kawasaki Heavy Industries to directly import the engine, and Kawasaki will still sell it.

He Shili: "If that's the case, then the technology of powered delta wing is very easy, right?"

Zheng Yi: "I didn't say it was difficult. The hardest part was the motorcycle."

He Shili: "If you can do it, then the Japanese can do it too?"

Zheng Yi: "Yes, the Japanese can indeed do it, but the problem is that the Japanese can already build airplanes. You are a soldier, so of course you can see that powered delta wings are used by the army, not the air force. They are best suited to guerrilla warfare and small-scale infiltration. Did the Japanese fight guerrilla warfare against the Chinese in China?"

"To put it bluntly, in the Sino-Japanese confrontation, China's military industry should be thinking about how to narrow the gap as much as possible, to catch up or even surpass them. If Japan has the same equipment, and we have it too, and the quantity is not less than theirs, isn't that already good?"

He Shili: “…………”

That makes sense.

Zheng Yi: "The biggest problem facing the Northeast Army right now is that they have no territory of their own, no organized military factories, and they have to rely on funding from Nanjing for everything from logistical supplies to guns and ammunition. Even military expenses need to be allocated from the central government. They are living under someone else's roof, and I'm afraid Nanjing's poaching has never stopped."

"I know that when you evacuated Jinzhou, you certainly took more than just the soldiers with you. You must have also taken some factories and workers with you. But think about it, you don't even have your own territory now. How are you going to resettle these factories and workers?"

"Some of them are probably family members of soldiers, or perhaps even technical soldiers? Are they following the army? Are they living in the barracks? Nanjing will certainly help you get resettled, but those who are resettled may not necessarily be your people anymore."

"What I mean is, if these workers and factories are willing, they can be arranged to come to Nanyang. Nanjing can't control Nanyang. I'll sell the products they produce to you at a discount, and then send them back to you. I'll pay their wages, and I guarantee that the products they produce will be supplied to the Northeast Army first. In this way, we in Nanyang can also initially establish our own industrial system."

"I know only one out of ten of the workers you brought here survives, but you're the bosses, aren't you? Even a plucking hair from yours is thicker than our thighs, and your leftovers are enough to fill us up. Everything is difficult at the beginning, right? With the one you give us, we can produce two, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets everything. Maybe this will be of some benefit to you, too."

Seeing He Shili frown, Zheng Yi added: "Think about it, if the Northeast Army can always get supplies from Southeast Asia, then this trade route must be smuggling from Hong Kong Island to Tianjin, and from Tianjin to Rehe."

"We can use British ships to transport goods through Hong Kong Island. The Japanese wouldn't dare seize them. In fact, this route is safer than the domestic supply lines. Furthermore, with your father's influence in Hong Kong Island, I believe he will be able to assist in this process. Brother He, your status within the Northeast Army will surely rise accordingly."

He Shili was stunned for a moment, then he began to think seriously.

"Send the people and the factory to Southeast Asia. You provide the wages and raw materials, and the products you produce are sold to the Northeast Army at a fraction of the cost?"

"good."

Anyway, it won't be long before the Great Wall defense battle begins. The Northeast Army will be frustrated all the way and can't even stay in Hebei. It will be kicked to the west. By then, they won't even have a port, and all the agreements will naturally be invalid.

perfect.

A lean camel is bigger than a horse, and a broken ship still has three pounds of nails. Even if it is the leftovers of the Northeast Army, it may be only one percent of the Northeast Army's military industry in its heyday, but for Zheng Yi, it is undoubtedly a feast.

Even if he brought the workers to Southeast Asia and converted them all to civilian use, he was confident that he could use these workers to accomplish some great things.

He Shili: "With just a small company like Taiyou Machinery, you dare to swallow up the Northeast Army's foundation. With such a big appetite, aren't you afraid of dying of bloating?"

Zheng Yi: "In troubled times, I have a good appetite. Even if it's a snake swallowing an elephant, I'm sure I can digest it in my stomach."

(End of this chapter)