SEC Chapter 666 The Kangaroos Land in Java
Chapter 666 The Kangaroos Land in Java
Zhang Chi seemed to see through everyone's thoughts. He stood up, walked to the huge map on the wall, and pointed to the vast territory of Southeast Asia.
“Destruction and construction are two sides of the same coin.” He said with his back to the crowd, “What we do outside is to clear obstacles and gain space. But the real foundation is in our own home.”
Later that same day, at the first meeting of the National Construction Commission.
In the spacious conference room, long tables were filled with officials from various departments, including industry, transportation, agriculture, and finance.
Zhang Chi sat in the main seat, listening to reports from various parties.
"...Your Excellency, colleagues." The minister in charge of urban construction pointed to the planning map on the wall.
"With the continued increase in the number of immigrants and the acceleration of industrialization, major cities such as the capital, Bianzhou (formerly Mandalay), Myitkyina, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur, as well as emerging industrial towns in the interior, are facing enormous housing pressure."
New housing construction requires massive amounts of bricks, tiles, timber, and increasingly more reinforced concrete.
“Housing alone is not enough,” Zhang Chi said, looking at the head of the education and health department. “Supporting facilities must keep up.”
A large influx of immigrant families has brought new life to the area, establishing nurseries, primary schools, hospitals, clinics, farmers' markets, and supply and marketing cooperatives.
These public service facilities must be planned and constructed simultaneously; otherwise, the city will be unable to function properly and may even trigger social problems.
Then Zhang Chi looked around the room and set the tone for the next few years.
"Ladies and gentlemen, from this year, from 45 to 48, I intend to call it the 'Great Immigration and Great Development Phase' of our United States of Southeast Asia."
For Zhang Chi, a time traveler familiar with future developments, he was confident that these past few years would be the safest and least affected period of development for Southeast Asia.
At the outset of the Cold War, the White Eagle's attention will be firmly drawn to Europe, and events such as the Berlin Crisis will keep both the Eastern and Western camps preoccupied.
"Our top priority at this stage is to absorb as many immigrants as possible from the Republic of China era."
The goal is to attract 1000 to 2000 million Chinese compatriots within the next three to four years.
This staggering number caused some people in the room to gasp slightly.
But this is necessary; in fact, it can be said that no matter how many difficulties there are, Southeast Asia must go all out in absorbing immigrants.
"At the same time..." Zhang Chi continued, "We need to initially transform and cultivate at least 800 million industrial workers and technicians from among these immigrants and our existing local Chinese population through vocational training and education."
This is the core force supporting our future industrialization!
He pressed his palm against the map on the table, as if trying to suppress its booming momentum:
"At this stage, we must vigorously develop cities and complete the urbanization of the main areas and the town construction of the secondary areas as soon as possible."
The goal is to absorb this massive influx of immigrants and existing local population into cities and towns, making them workers, citizens, and the main force in building our country.
He looked at the official in charge of infrastructure: "To support such a scale of urbanization and population movement, our infrastructure construction must be ahead of schedule. I will make three points clear about the focus of our infrastructure construction going forward."
He held up a finger:
"First, highways, especially trunk highways connecting major cities, industrial and mining areas and ports, should be prioritized for hardening to improve traffic capacity and efficiency."
Currently, many roads in Southeast Asia are still dirt roads left over from the colonial era, without any paving, asphalt, or tarpaulin.
While various imported and counterfeit White Eagle trucks are indeed durable, poor road conditions hinder traffic efficiency.
Then he raised his second finger:
"Secondly, railways. Existing railway lines need to be expanded and upgraded, and new lines, especially arteries that run through the north and south and connect major economic zones, need to be explored and constructed as soon as possible. Railways are the lifeblood of industry."
Bulk commodities such as coal, iron ore, and rice are mainly transported by rail, in addition to shipping.
It can be said that since the Industrial Revolution, the invention of railways has enabled Western powers to embark on a fast track of development, and Southeast Asia naturally cannot be left behind.
The high-speed rail of later generations is unrealistic; mass-produced diesel locomotives and railways of sufficient length are the urgent priorities.
Finally, he raised his third finger and pointed to two winding blue lines on the map:
"Third, water conservancy projects on the Irrawaddy and Chao Phraya Rivers."
This is not only crucial for flood control and drought relief, and for safeguarding the lifeline of agriculture, but also for future hydropower generation and the provision of clean energy.
A dedicated project command center should be established to coordinate and advance the project.
The Irrawaddy River runs through Bago from north to south, and the Chao Phraya River runs through Siam from north to south. These two major rivers not only play a significant role in shipping, but also serve a range of functions such as power generation and water regulation.
Fortunately, the Chinese have been experts in flood control since ancient times.
Zhang Chi believes that as long as sufficient funds and labor are introduced, the economy along the Irrawaddy and Chao Phraya Rivers can be revitalized first.
The only sounds in the meeting room were the scratching of pens on paper and heavy breathing.
Everyone felt the grandeur and weight of this blueprint.
"Gentlemen," Zhang Chi concluded, his gaze sweeping over each face, "we must have the determination to drop incendiary bombs and 'Golden Flower' on Japanese soil, and even more so, the courage and execution to build millions of mansions and connect thousands of miles of roads on this land."
The future of Southeast Asia rests in your hands.
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Java, a long, narrow island in the heart of the Southeast Asian archipelago, will be home to more than 140 million people in the 21st century, making it the most densely populated region in the world.
It was also the absolute political and economic core of Sindhu Indonesia in the original timeline.
However, in July 1945, it was deeply mired in the power vacuum and chaotic turmoil characteristic of the late stages of the war.
At that time, the island was inhabited by about 50 million indigenous peoples of various ethnic groups, as well as a small number of Dutch, Chinese and other residents.
After being occupied by the Japanese in 1942, the Dutch colonial system collapsed and was replaced by about 50,000 well-equipped but increasingly demoralized Japanese occupying troops.
They relied on major cities and transportation lines for control, but as the war in the Pacific deteriorated rapidly, especially with the Nanyang Army's unstoppable advance in Southeast Asia, these Japanese troops stationed overseas had long become frightened birds, and their control was limited to their strongholds.
The old colonial order has been broken, but a new order is far from being established.
The poison of power exudes an alluring aroma, attracting hyenas from all sides who covet it.
The first to be unable to contain themselves were the kangaroos in the south.
Seeing the United States of Southeast Asia making rapid progress in Burma, Siam, Malaya and other places, and its sphere of influence expanding rapidly, the politicians and generals in Canberra were uneasy.
They absolutely cannot tolerate the entire Southeast Asia, especially the nearby Dutch East Indies, falling entirely into the hands of the South Seas or any single power.
With the tacit approval and limited support of the White Eagle, the Kangaroo government acted swiftly.
In mid-July, the 7th and 9th Divisions of the Royal Kangaroo Army's 1st Corps, commanded by General Thomas Bremer, with a total of about 25,000 soldiers, landed at places such as Peacock Harbour and Semarang in northwestern Java.