After discussing a preliminary countermeasure for handling the Songkhla issue and subsequent response to Thailand and Straits Settlements interference,
Mei Dongxing then told another important thing,
"The night before yesterday, a total of 17 Chinese people from Kapitan in the Malay Peninsula, including Kapitan in Kuala Lumpur, Kapitan in Perak, and Kapitan in Terengganu, and the relatives of Mr. Tuochang who stayed in Nanyang left us a letter saying that they are willing to
Cooperate with the Nanyang Army to expel the Indian colonial military police and laborers who entered the Malay Peninsula. In order to persuade the Nanyang Army to take the lead in organizing, they also prepared 300,000 taels of silver in advance and promised to deliver another 1 million taels of silver after the completion of the matter.
As a reward, what do you think of this matter?"
"The central government has just conveyed an order that peripheral organizations such as the Nanyang Army Corps and the Taiping Society must shrink their sphere of influence in Nanyang. Because the Indian military, police and labor affairs have come forward, I am afraid that the British will be more wary of our power, which is incompatible with the instructions of the central government.
On the contrary, I think we should not agree to their conditions and stand up for those Kapitans and the indigenous chiefs who support them."
“The introduction of Indian colonial troops and armed police by the British first harmed the indigenous chiefs of the Malay Peninsula and the Chinese Kapitans who relied on British influence. After the shrinkage of our power, our sphere of influence in Southeast Asia was mainly distributed in the Natuna Islands and Song Dynasty.
In these two areas, the presence of the Indian colonial police cannot threaten the security of the Natuna Islands and Songkhla. I also believe that they should not be involved in the conflicts between the indigenous chiefs of the Malay Peninsula and the Chinese Kapitans of the Straits Settlements and the Indian military police.
"
"Lord Mei, I have a slightly different view."
"Brother Chen, please speak."
“The British’s introduction of Indian colonial troops and armed police was nothing more than to balance the power of the indigenous chiefs and Kapitan people, create conflicts and discord among the three parties, thereby hijacking the growth of the power of the indigenous chiefs and Kapitan people, and achieve the goal of divide and rule.
The purpose is that the indigenous chiefs and Kapitans are all subordinate forces dependent on the British. Their conflicts with the Indian military and police have nothing to do with the Nanyang Army.
However, gentlemen, please do not forget another point. The British introduced not only the Indian colonial army and the armed police force from India, but also a larger number of Indian laborers. The central government sent troops to station in Nanyang, focusing on the distance between Nanyang.
The reason why the mainland is so close and there are so many Chinese immigrants is
In the past ten years, all kinds of waste have been developed in the local area, and there is an urgent need for young and strong labor to be supplemented. Local Chinese in Nanyang and workers from the mainland have been transferred to the local area in batches. Although disasters occur frequently in the Central Plains and Jiangnan, in the mainland
Compatriots who could not survive continued to go to sea to make a living, filling the manpower vacancy left by the local Chinese in Nanyang after they migrated to South America.
However, the emigrated and imported populations have been maintained at a roughly balanced state. From 1870 to the present, the total number of Chinese in Nanyang has not increased significantly. In the next ten or twenty years, the country opened up the Pacific route from the mainland to Nanyang.
There are more ocean-going shipping ships traveling to and from South America and the Southeast Asian countries, and the rate of local Chinese population loss in Nanyang may be double, triple or four times the current rate.
Nanyang is the central hub connecting the mainland and the mainland. We Chinese have been going to Nanyang to make a living since more than 200 years ago. Several important cities and mineral-producing areas in Nanyang were developed only after the Chinese came there.
, Nanyang has a hot climate, plague, and snakes and insects everywhere. The natural conditions are far inferior to the Pampas plains with fertile land and cool and mild climate all year round.
As the Chinese workers in Nanyang know more about the local area, the number of people who are willing to stay in Nanyang will only account for a small part of the total number of people. The Chinese population in Nanyang has been lost or the population has stagnated for a long time, leaving a vacancy in manpower.
Either they were filled in by local indigenous people or British laborers.
The local indigenous people are lazy by nature. They occupy the land and do not know how to develop it. In the end, they still have to rely on the Chinese to cultivate and develop it. Although the Indian laborers are not very efficient, they are obedient and docile by nature. In addition, India is close to Nanyang and the native Indian population
Due to two reasons: their large number, they are likely to replace the Chinese compatriots and become the largest foreign population in Southeast Asia.
Lord Mei, General Wang, General Li, and Lord Liang must all understand that His Highness is wise and powerful. Based on the current speed of local development and His Highness's talent and strategy, within twenty years, the local population will definitely be two to two times what it is now.
Three times. At that time, the country's comprehensive strength was far greater than it is now, and the Nanyang region will be more important to the country's development. Your Highness and the central officials will not always watch Nanyang being controlled by Western powers.
However, if the worst-case scenario develops and Indian workers replace the Chinese as the largest foreign ethnic group in Southeast Asia, and the local people have the ability to project military power to the Southeast Asia region, it will be difficult to achieve this goal under the conditions of cooperation between Indian workers and Western powers.
Purpose."
"His Royal Highness does have plans to intervene in Nanyang in the future."
Liang Xing nodded and said, "However, Brother Chen believes that the continued immigration of Indian workers will replace us Chinese and become the largest foreign ethnic group in Southeast Asia is a bit unnecessary."
"Master Liang, please clarify my doubts."
"There are four reasons."
Liang Xing explained, "First, India implements a caste system. The lower-class Indians have no personal freedom. Their migration and overseas immigration require the permission of the landlords and feudal kings, and the lower-class Indians are equivalent to the feudal kings and landlords.
Generally speaking, they will not allow lower-class Indians to move overseas.
Secondly, there are hundreds of small states in India,
When an Indian leaves the place where he lives, he has to pass through many territories ruled by different princely states and pay the taxes set by each territory before he can leave the sea. However, the lower-class Indians themselves have nothing, and it is impossible to pay the expenses and taxes for going to sea.
Third, Nanyang was influenced by the Eastern cultural circle, and people in the coastal areas south of the Yangtze River had the habit of going to Nanyang. After the Chinese went to Nanyang, they were able to quickly establish themselves there, but Indians did not have this advantage.
Fourth, the migration of Indian laborers into the Malay Peninsula was not spontaneous in itself, but a passive migration under the leadership of the British. In this case, every time a group of Indian laborers moved in, the Indian Governor-General and the colonial government needed to negotiate with the Indian natives.
After the two parties reached an agreement through coordination with the princes, a portion of the transportation cost was spent to transport the people to the Malay Peninsula.
The Straits Settlements accepted the leadership of the Governor-General of India. Small-scale immigration of Indian laborers could be resolved through coordination between the Indian colonial government and Indian princes. However, large-scale labor exports would not only bring huge costs, but also intensify the Indian colonial rule.
Due to the conflict between the government and the princes, it is not cost-effective to export Indian immigrants on a large scale in terms of economic and potential political benefits.
Therefore, considering the four factors, it is impossible for the British to introduce Indian labor on a large scale. However, based on the analysis of the current actions of the Straits Settlements Government, the small-scale import of Indian labor and the permanent presence of Indian military and police in the Malay Peninsula are probably already a problem.
It was a foregone conclusion that the obstruction and opposition of the indigenous chiefs and Kapitans of the Malay Peninsula could at most delay their immigration, but it could not change the determination of the British."
"The Kapitans cannot achieve anything by relying on the indigenous chiefs, but by using their hands to provoke conflicts with the British, it will be somewhat helpful to improve the situation of the Nanyang Army in Nanyang.
Brother Liang, if you reject their invitation for me, just say that the Nanyang Army is not strong enough to support their actions. However, in order to show support for their just actions, the Nanyang Army is willing to deal with a batch of German rifles for them, and at the same time suggest that they
Limit the development of the situation and only target the Indian military, police and workers to cause trouble, and do not extend the matter to the white British colonial army, otherwise it will end badly."
"My subordinates understand that the Nanyang Army and the Taiping Association will stay out of the conflict between the indigenous chiefs, Kapitan and the Indian military and police, and will not leave any excuse for the British."
