Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 68 Amazement
The same Xuehuatang, the same conversations during meals, everything seemed not much different from when he came here a year ago.

When he came here a year ago, he still had to be cautious and was almost scared by the old rogue Zhang Yucai.

He also needs Chen Liushi to protect him.

But just one year later, when he came again, he was already strolling leisurely and sitting casually in the second-in-command position, exactly the same as Chen Liushi did back then.

Zhang Yucai was asked to sit in the first seat simply to give face to the host. Li Xiaoshi also sat in the second seat. After all, he was still the chairman of Xuehuatang. When visiting someone's home, there was no need for him to grab the host's seat.

And with just one sentence, he overturned the plan they had previously discussed and went in the opposite direction.

"Okay! I agree. We at the Panyu Guild Hall unconditionally support all of Master Zheng's decisions!"

Chen Taijie, the president of Panyu Chamber of Commerce, who had just made room for Zheng Yi to get up, expressed his support for Zheng Yi without saying a word.

He was originally sitting next to Zhang Yucai and opposite Li Xiaoshi. He was the third in command among all the chamber of commerce presidents present. Historically, he was the seventh generation leader of Xuehuatang.

However, at this time, this guy who could almost be called the second-in-command of Xuehuatang, after standing up and giving Zheng Yi a seat, did not pay attention to the empty seats made for him by others. Instead, he stood up and came behind Zheng Yi, as if he was Zheng Yi's younger brother.

Of course, in fact, it is indeed similar. Chen Taijie is now almost the same as Zheng Yi's younger brother.

He is from Panyu.

In Southeast Asia, the place you live in most likely determines the job you do. People from Panyu don’t dig mines, but run iron factories.
Before Zheng Yi came to Southeast Asia, the entire Kuala Lumpur, and even most of British Malaya, used iron made by the people of Panyu.

It also includes some small items such as steel bars, nails, springs and other hardware.

Objectively speaking, people from Panyu are relatively considered skilled workers in Southeast Asia.

It is most similar to the industry Zheng Yi is currently engaged in.

If Zheng Yi's power is only slightly greater than his, then there is nothing to say. Chen Taijie and the Panyu Guild will definitely become mortal enemies with him, and the two sides will fight to the death, and they will not stop until they kill him.

Is naked hatred only found among colleagues?

But the gap between the two is too big. The annual steel output of Panyu Steel Plant is only more than 2,000 tons.

The furnace that Zheng Yi repaired is located in Penang and has an annual production capacity of 140,000 tons.

Just a casual turn around is enough for them to produce for a year.

Then what’s the point of competing?
Almost as soon as the tempering furnace was pulled to Nanyang, this guy surrendered with all the people of Panyu.

Of course, Zheng Yi couldn't kill them all, and in fact, they were the only people from Panyu in Southeast Asia who knew how to smelt iron.

Zheng Yi directly moved the workers of his steel factory to Penang, and retained all the small hardware factories. Not only that, Zheng Yi also made Chen Taijie his agent in Kuala Lumpur.

The steel plant in Penang was only responsible for ironmaking, and all the smelted iron was handed over to Chen Taijie. Zheng Yi didn't care how he wanted to use it, how he wanted to produce and process it, or whether he wanted to sell it to others. He just had to pay the money, because he would get the wholesale price anyway.

It is precisely for this reason that over the past six months, Chen Taijie's business has not shrunk due to the existence of the Penang Steel Plant, but has grown bigger and bigger.

After the production of steel bars increased, he even got involved in real estate, and the Panyu Guild Hall became even more prosperous than before.

The vast majority of Panyu people now depend on Zheng Yi for their livelihood.

The employment crisis in Nanyang is so serious now. Whether they are being deported or rebelling, their jobs are all given by Mr. Zheng. Everyone else is getting a pay cut, but they are getting a pay raise.

So what the hell is the point of talking about position? I have the same position as Mr. Zheng.

After all, Chen Taijie was the second-in-command of the entire Xuehua Hall besides Zhang Yucai. His statement and actions stunned everyone at the table.

The other chamber of commerce presidents, who had just thought that what the British said made sense and were about to cooperate, were stunned for a moment and didn't understand.

Zheng Yi, however, looked calm. He picked up the chopsticks from the table and started eating.

He had flown in directly from Penang and hadn't eaten lunch yet, so he was quite hungry. Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall's food was quite good, if nothing else. Awe-inspiring by his boldness, no one dared to stand up against him for a moment.

It was Li Xiaoshi who broke the silence first and said, "Ayi, this is too impulsive. This is challenging the British..."

Zheng Yi: "We can't always be soft. We have to be tough when we need to be. Perak is far away from the emperor, and there are no British people there. What's wrong with the Chinese having some guns? What can the British do to them?"

"Before coming here, I have contacted Mr. Hu Wenhu, and he also agreed with my plan. Let's start the first battle of our Chinese armed forces in Perak."

Everyone: "…………"

Wow, have you finished discussing this with Hu Wenhu?
For a moment, everyone felt a little uncomfortable.

Zhang Yucai couldn't help but sigh slightly.

It's only been a year, but this young man who he could scare a year ago has now made him dare not even speak.

Kuala Lumpur has changed a lot this year. Zhang Yucai now relies on Taiyou Machinery for his livelihood. Besides, he is not good at playing dirty tricks. He is now the leader of the Fuqing Gang.

When it comes to playing dirty, the Fuqing Gang is really not afraid of anyone.

The Perak state that Zheng Yi mentioned is actually the northern region of Malaya, where the number of Indians is greater than that of Chinese.

The entire northern part of Malaya was actually originally Siamese territory, which was seized by Britain through unequal treaties, and it has only been a few years since Siam officially recognized it.

In other words, it is a wild land that has just been developed.

The entire northern region of Malaya, including the four states, is still in the development stage due to its low level of development. If workers are to be hired, they must be offered at least twice the salary of Kuala Lumpur.

After all, the Chinese already had power in Malaya, and there were really not many people willing to go there. There were tigers in the mountains of that undeveloped area, so the British used Indians in large numbers.

After all, the lower castes in India have lower demands and their lives are worth less.

However, although there are few Chinese people, they still exist, and that is the Hakka people.

The Hakka people are also a very special group among the Chinese. They are extremely good at and willing to open up new land. Although the risks of opening up new land are high, the benefits are also high. The Hakka people are not willing to work for others. They often work in groups of three or five, or as a partnership in a village, to work together.

Just find a hill and dig a few shovels. If you find tin, this hill will become their tin mine, and they will be able to transform from poor losers to tin mine owners.

I would rather starve to death as a boss than suffer humiliation as a dependent.

This is the distinctive feature of the Hakka people of this era.

If we compare going to Southeast Asia to going to Guandong, those who stayed in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore were actually stopping in Liaoning, and those Hakkas who went to the north were equivalent to diving into the vast black soil of Heilongjiang.

Anyone who dares to go and survives is a ruthless person.

All the Hakkas in Southeast Asia regard Hu Wenhu from Myanmar as their leader. Although this group of Hakkas is small in number, they are the most brutal. When Zheng Yi talked to Hu Wenhu about this, Hu Wenhu agreed without saying a word.

After all, clearing the land means no one to protect them. The British didn't care about them anyway. They were fewer in number than the Malays and Indians in the north, and they were fucking rich. If they didn't have guns, they would have nowhere to complain if they were robbed.

Even if Kuala Lumpur really had a police force, it would not be able to help the Hakka people.

The Mo family business was built through hardships and dangers, and every penny they earned was stained with their own blood.

Whether it is Indians, Malays, or even the British, if anyone tries to seize their heritage, they will fight you to the death.

Since he and Hu Wenhu have already finished the discussion, then indeed, for them this is just a notification, not a discussion.

Anyone who dares to oppose will first be offended by the Hakka people.

After three days of absence, one will look at him with new eyes!

(End of this chapter)