Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 99 Penang’s unique political system

After Hu Wenhu left, the only people left in the house were his own people.

At that moment, everyone felt a little more at ease. Zheng Yi said, "Brother He, Brother Li, you have seen that here in Nanyang, we Chinese really need to form an armed force to protect ourselves. Stay, Brother He and Brother Li, Nanyang is your home too."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaowei nodded immediately to show his agreement.

In fact, he had no intention of leaving when he came back this time, and even borrowed many instructors, elite soldiers, and seeds from the Gui army.

At the same time, his military rank in the Guangxi clique did not change. He was still a major battalion commander, but his soldiers were led by new people. According to him, General Bai and General Li were very interested in in-depth cooperation with Zheng Yi and Penang.

After all, Penang has industrial production capabilities and even military production capabilities. In fact, there are quite a lot of domestic military generals who are willing to carry out in-depth cooperation with Penang. In addition to the Guangxi clique of Bai and Li, the Yunnan clique of Long and Lu, and the Guangdong Army of Chen Jitang, they have all sent envoys to contact Zheng Yi.

The reason why their contacts so far have been only superficial is, on the one hand, because Penang has not yet formally formed an army, and on the other hand, it still does not dare to overly provoke the British Colonial Office.

More importantly, Zheng Yi had a very simple reason that he didn't want the weapons he made to be used in civil wars. However, before officially doing business, friendship did not prevent them from getting to know each other first.

In a sense, Li Xiaowei could actually be placed in Southeast Asia as a representative of the Guangxi clique, becoming a bond and link between Penang and Guilin.

Then he naturally had nothing to be unhappy about.

As for He Shili, although he is still in the Northeast Army, he is actually more like a free man.

Seeing Li Xiaowei agree so readily, He Shili ate his delicious buns while smiling and looking in the direction where Hu Wenhu left. He said thoughtfully, "Professor Zheng, it seems that Penang's administrative system is not very clear. I wonder which country's management system you plan to learn from?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Qiwen, Li Xiaowei, and even the servants in the house couldn't help but prick up their ears.

After all, although Penang is now autonomous, to be honest, no one knows how and where to govern, and everyone has come this far in a muddle.

It is normal for He Shili to ask this question. After all, if you want to keep someone to do something, he must first understand how the political structure of your place works, and who he will report to if he comes to do military affairs.

Zheng Yi also knew that this was the main problem Penang was facing now. Without a set of rules and regulations, it would not be enough to reassure people.

Zheng Yi did not shy away from the question and said, "There is no system."

He Shili: "Then, I plan to follow suit..."

Zheng Yi: "I don't plan to follow anyone."

He Shili: ???

Zheng Yi said frankly: "Since the late Qing Dynasty, the Chinese have been learning from the West, and even from Japan. Even today, we have learned a little from the East and a little from the West, but there is still a problem."

"what is the problem?"

"Intellectuals, researchers, and even so-called progressives are often too fond of following the American model, the British model, the Japanese model, the Russian model, always trying to find a development path that suits us Chinese, hoping that by following the right path, we will reap the right results."

"Isn't that right?"

Zheng Yi shook his head and said, "I can't say it's wrong, but Brother He, your family is also in business, and you yourself have led troops. They say governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. In my opinion, governing a place and managing a business have certain similarities.

My personal opinion is that anyone with real management experience should know that in the real world, no matter what you manage, you rarely follow the clues to find the root. Most of the time, it seems like you follow the root to find the root. "Follow the root to find the root?"

Zheng Yi: "It means to do things first, no matter what method you use, first produce results, that is, melons. When there are many melons, the vine will naturally follow. The vine that follows the direction of the melons is the most suitable for us."

"On the contrary, directly copying other people's systems and experiences will inevitably lead to incompatibility, and there will be twists and turns, turmoil, and then there will be constant adjustments until we find a model that best suits our national conditions and the current situation."

"Penang is small to begin with. Ultimately, it's just an ordinary city-state. As the saying goes, a small boat is easier to turn around. I think there's no need to set so many rules and regulations from the outset. Once they're set, it's difficult to change them."

"Why not just run it randomly for a while like we are now? If we do something well, we can continue to do it. If we do something bad, we can correct it and not make the same mistake again next time."

Of course, "following the vines" is a nicer way of saying it, but in reality, most of the time, we just mess around. If there's anything important, we discuss it with everyone.

In this era, all Chinese people are actually confused about what system is truly suitable for China. Some things have a very clear main line in later history books, but the people in it are confused and chaotic.

Some people advocate for a federal state with autonomous provinces like the United States, some advocate for a constitutional monarchy like the United Kingdom, and some advocate for multi-party politics.

Some people advocate centralization, but there are still different opinions on how the central government should be centralized. Even as for voting, no one can clearly say who is eligible to vote.

This is the case in China, not to mention abroad. Zheng Yi deliberately put this issue on hold. Otherwise, he estimated that Penang would not be able to operate normally within half a year. The quarrels alone would cause several people to have cerebral hemorrhages. Zheng Yi does not have strong power. He would like to have the final say, but he does not have the ability.

It is better to follow the vines and deal with it in a confused way.

It's been several months, hasn't it?

Penang is a small city after all, so even if something goes wrong, how big can it be?
The current political structure of Penang is as follows:
The biggest one, the Kapitan appointed by the Colonial Office, who presided over the ceremony yesterday, is the leader of the Hongmen water and land forces, Zheng Yi.

But no one knows what power the Kapitan Zheng Yi has, not even Zheng Yi himself. The British only ask him for one million US dollars every year. What if Zheng Yi gives orders to others and they don't obey?
Zheng Yi had no way out, he did not have any coercive power.

The highest authority in Penang is the Penang City Council, which holds meetings for discussion. The meeting model is actually no different from that of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur.

As long as you are the president of the chamber of commerce, you can bring your own chair to the meeting.

As for what the president of the Chamber of Commerce is, you can just hang a sign anywhere on the street and you will be the president of the Chamber of Commerce, as long as your fellow villagers recognize you. So far, no one has dared to hang up a sign.

When encountering major events, the presidents of various chambers of commerce will discuss them at a meeting, but this so-called discussion is not one person one vote. Whoever has more people, more money, and more guns will speak louder at the meeting. This is why Tan Kah Kee, Xu Shengli, Hu Wenhu, and Li Jiqian are also known as the Four Heavenly Kings.

Whenever there are disagreements and quarrels, Zheng Yi will step out to mediate, make the final decision, and so far no one has disagreed with him.

What if someone really disobeys him in the future?

Don't know yet.

Anyway, there are no rules and regulations, and Zheng Yi relies on his personal prestige. However, Zheng Yi himself cannot clearly explain what prestige is.

"Brother He, Penang is not my Penang, it belongs to all the Nanyang Chinese. I don't know how to build an army. To be honest, I probably don't have much time to manage an army. You ask me how to do it now... If you agree to join our Penang, it will be my turn to ask you how to do it."

He Shili: “…………”

(End of this chapter)