Chapter 2346 - Freshly Baked Nanyang Company (VI)

After getting to know him, Zhou Wei found Xu Yanliang's temperament steady and his work well-organized. The Senate's HR was no easy job. The work involved thousands of threads and ten thousand loose ends, requiring constant handling of massive forms and data... Managing to hold down a position independently for years without incident meant his work ability was far from ordinary.

He suddenly remembered that both Xu Yanliang and Wang Kai were members of the Great Navigation Club. Back when they'd advocated for the launch of Project 854, Xu Yanliang had been part of it.

Given that, persuading him to join seemed very promising.

Sure enough, when Zhou Wei approached Xu Yanliang, he agreed immediately.

"I'm tired of HR work anyway. A change of scenery sounds perfect." He said. "It's all routine work anyway. Naturalized citizens can carry on without me. I'll write a transfer application and come over. You prepare the appointment letter."

"Letter of Employment."

"Fine. Whatever it's called."

Three days later, Xu Yanliang arrived at the third floor of the Customs Building and officially became the "Board Secretary of the Nanyang Company." The Nanyang Company that Zhou Wei had labored to establish finally had a basic team.

The three members of the Nanyang Company convened a small meeting in Zhou Wei's office. The agenda was to establish the Nanyang Company's future development direction.

The topic was vast and somewhat vague, yet it would serve as guiding principles for the Nanyang Company's future development—what they should do, what they shouldn't, and how to do it. All of this would find its basis in the historic document they formulated today. Speaking loosely, this would become the Nanyang Company's Basic Law.

"Gentlemen, our Nanyang Company's future is in today's discussion," Zhou Wei began. "Let me first elaborate my basic views on future operations."

Without doubt, the Nanyang Company's blueprint was modeled on the various "India Companies" so popular in this era. Starting from the Dutch, who pioneered the establishment of the first East India Company, European nations had competed to establish their own "East India" and "West India" companies for colonization and trade. Though these companies met with varying degrees of success, from the Dutch East India Company at its most formidable to the British East India Company's ultimate exit from the historical stage, all without exception left their indelible marks on Asia and the Americas. Their influence echoed far into the future. The British East India Company even set an unprecedented precedent: a commercial enterprise that ruled an entire subcontinent spanning millions of square kilometers, controlling the regimes of dozens of native states and extracting wealth from hundreds of millions of people.

Whether the pioneering Dutch East India or the late-rising British East India, both were objects of envy and emulation for Zhou Wei and his colleagues.

Compared to administrative organs, a company's conduct was naturally much "looser." It could operate perfectly according to the principle of "Whatever the law doesn't prohibit is permitted." Almost anything could be done. Compared to the Colonization and Trade Ministry, which was controlled and directed by the Senate, the Nanyang Company could be said to have completely cast off its shackles, entering battle with light packs.

The blueprint drawn by the Southward Faction and Zhou Wei for the Nanyang Company was ambitious indeed. From India to Australia, from North to South America... anywhere with a coastline had attracted the Senators' covetous gaze and corresponding development plans. However, they understood the principle of eating rice one mouthful at a time. The Nanyang Company's current strength didn't allow for extravagance. They could only start with projects requiring little investment but producing quick results.

So things like America, Australia, and New Zealand—even including India—were all removed from Zhou Wei's agenda. Attempting to open branch mines in so many places simultaneously was beyond the capacity of his hollow shell company. Even if the Senate bet all its resources, it couldn't be done either.

"...Frankly speaking, the Senate and Administration Council are only willing to open this door now because of insufficient materials. The original Colonization Trade Ministry couldn't meet demand, so they're letting us try. My view is: we must generate profits as soon as possible—these profits must show immediate results. Time passes quickly. If by this time next year we're still just setting up layouts, establishing outposts, and opening bases, our company will be half-dead."

"Aren't your expectations too high?" Wang Kai said. "What can we accomplish in one year? Even building a ship takes half a year! Running ocean trade means trips calculated in years. One year is barely enough to build a framework. Besides, we're raising funds ourselves, not using Senate money. What right do they have to complain?"

"I understand Chief Zhou's meaning," Xu Yanliang nodded. "This time we seized the opportunity presented by the Wuzhou Incident and went all-in for a win. Many people remain unconvinced at heart. If we can't produce solid achievements by then, we'll immediately face inquiries. And if any problems emerge, hearings will follow closely..."

"It can't be that bad..."

"I think it's inevitable." Xu Yanliang spread his hands.

"Fine. What do you propose then?" Wang Kai said, somewhat displeased. His briefcase contained a plan for conquering Manila and controlling the Philippine Islands.

Zhou Wei spread a large map of East Asia and Southeast Asia across the conference table. But he didn't immediately point at mountains and rivers to elaborate on the Nanyang Company's grand vision. Instead, he said:

"The first thing we need to do right now is move." He said. "The company headquarters cannot remain in Lingao."

"Agreed," Xu Yanliang said.

"Why?" Wang Kai couldn't understand. Currently, seventy percent of the Senate's "productivity" was in Lingao. And the supply of naturalized cadres, technical personnel, and workers depended on Lingao for more than ninety percent. Leaving Lingao would mean losing the convenience of nearby resources, wouldn't it?

"Lingao's waters are too deep. There are too many watching eyes," Zhou Wei explained. "While running around applying for resources would be more convenient there, once the company starts operating, much internal company news and information will quickly leak out—though we have operational autonomy, Senators have supervisory rights over National Policy Enterprises. If someone wants to find fault and seize on certain things to make trouble, company operations would be severely affected."

Xu Yanliang said: "In that case, I propose moving to Guangzhou. Most of our export materials come from the mainland. Setting up headquarters in Guangzhou would facilitate direct purchasing. If we want to colonize in the future, we can also recruit immigrants locally in Guangzhou without having to transfer through Lingao."

Direct purchasing and recruiting immigrants in Guangzhou would bypass the Planning Academy's constraints. As long as they had money, they could stock whatever goods and recruit however many people the Nanyang Company decided.

"If we go to Guangzhou, aren't we just the Colonization Trade Ministry under a new name?" Wang Kai objected. "Guangzhou isn't close to Southeast Asia. We people not personally visiting the front lines, hiding in the rear to issue commands—that won't work. Anyway, Lingao is closer to Southeast Asia than Guangzhou."

Zhou Wei nodded. "To be honest, I thought the same. But it probably can't be realized right now..."

Guangzhou had the Rat Plague. It would be at least several months before things settled down. The Nanyang Company couldn't wait that long. Zhou Wei's idea was to first move the Nanyang Company team out.

"Otherwise, let's just take Malacca..." Wang Kai said jokingly.

"I'd love to. But we can't consider expedition-level operations like taking Malacca for now."

Xu Yanliang suddenly spoke up: "Actually, I have a place in mind. It could serve as a temporary transition."

"Where?"

"Sanya." Xu Yanliang explained: Sanya Special City had originally been established to export local iron ore and other specialty products. The Senate had consistently held high expectations for it. Sanya had received massive policy, industrial, and funding support. Not only did it enjoy Special City status, but in various trade agreements, the Senate had listed Sanya as an Open Port—clearly intending to develop Sanya's foreign trade.

But Sanya's foreign trade had generally not been too successful. Despite having an excellent harbor, Sanya remained inconveniently distant from the Senate's Core Zone. Commodity transport was difficult. For many foreign merchant ships, trading at Sanya—except for a minority of cargo—usually meant longer waiting periods for ships. The selection of available goods was also narrower than at Lingao and Guangzhou.

"...These are all Sanya's disadvantages. But precisely because of these disadvantages, our going there would be welcomed by the City Government. We'd presumably receive local government support in many areas. This is far better than being in Guangzhou or Lingao. Departing from Sanya for Nanyang is also more convenient. The downside is that typhoons are relatively frequent."

"That's a fair point. The Foreign Trade General Company has strong influence in those other two places anyway. There's no point in us going there," Wang Kai said. "Actually, Kaohsiung would work too. It's adjacent to Fujian—also an important export commodity source."

"Kaohsiung's infrastructure is too poor," Zhou Wei shook his head. "And the Dutch are entrenched there."

The meeting reached its first decision quickly: The Nanyang Company headquarters would move to Sanya.

"And the Southeast Asia Company?"

"Moving too," Zhou Wei said. "We and the Southeast Asia Company are essentially one organization with two nameplates. But we need an office in Lingao to look after company interests."

"That would require a Senator."

"We'll need an agent in Guangzhou too," Xu Yanliang added.

"Yes. But these two positions don't necessarily need to be full-time. Any Senator who identifies with our company's purpose and operating guidelines would work. Consider it a part-time role," Zhou Wei said. "We can give them a Director seat. Of course, they'd need to invest in shares."

No one objected. Next, Zhou Wei began discussing the action plan.

"My plan is to tackle the Mekong Delta first." Zhou Wei pointed at the region that would later become Saigon. "The Senate's most pressing problem right now is food. Taking Saigon would help food security."

"That area's development is quite poor," Wang Kai shook his head. "There's some development, but it's far from what we know from our timeline."

"So we'll still need to colonize while acquiring food," Zhou Wei said. "To be honest, how much food can we really get from trade alone? It'd be faster to source it directly from the local area. Right—don't those Agriculture Committee people love running big farms? In the Mekong Delta, they can enclose land as much as they want—that temptation should be substantial."

(End of Chapter)