Chapter 1453

Time is like flowing water; the fallen leaf that was just drifting with the current before one's eyes has already flowed two miles away in the blink of an eye...

How the world situation changes has nothing to do with Wang Yan, who lives securely in a corner.

He just uses the foreigners' resources to steadily engage in industrial development and economic construction.

There is a railway leading directly to the opposite bank of Chanda, a wide asphalt road leading directly to the opposite bank of Chanda, and the railways between other major towns have also been repaired. Although the roads aren't asphalt, the roadbeds have all been repaired and turned into hard roads, which can be considered flat and open, just waiting for the asphalt to be laid slowly.

He repaired the new government building, built countless hospitals, perfected all town and village planning, and conducted a census, just waiting to implement things step by step.

However, the census data was not accurate; the population obtained from the census was over 6.1 million, but afterward, the population kept growing, and the data was different every day.

On one hand, it was because the development speed was faster than that of the Southern government; various factories started production, various construction projects were launched, and there were job opportunities everywhere. The money Wang Yan printed was also useful, and relying on various outputs for supply, prices and currency value were very stable.

This had just begun, and his territory couldn't even be called a financial center. The foreigners didn't bother to harvest his leeks, so his money could be spent in his own territory, the Southern government, and the neighboring India, Thailand, and Laos.

With such job opportunities and such prices, people from the Southern government brought their families to work here, and once they came, they didn't want to go back; this was the growing population.

On the other hand, it was naturally because the neighboring India, Thailand, and Laos all had business dealings with each other, and the bustling activity here could be seen. Plus, Wang Yan's management of the border wasn't strict; as long as they registered, they could enter and exit, which brought another large group of people here to work and earn money.

Another aspect was naturally the motherland in the north.

People in nearby places also knew that it was lively here and that things were relatively wealthy. Some people purchased daily necessities here to sell back home, and some came here to work.

Furthermore, war for the ownership of the world broke out again, and many people fled here. There were also many remnants of defeated troops running here. Later, there were campaigns to suppress bandits, and these people also ran here. In short, whenever something happened in the country, those with guilty consciences or those who were defeated would run here.

This caused a non-natural population growth for a long period of time.

At the same time, he also faced severe public security problems; after all, the people who came were too mixed, and there were all kinds of people doing all kinds of things. This was something Wang Yan had long anticipated, and he had long since introduced laws for internal self-governance. Under the control of a powerful army, the chaotic internal society was quickly cleared up, and an extra construction team of over ten thousand people was formed.

This construction team worked very efficiently and didn't ask for wages; they only had one full meal a day, yet they all worked very happily, all grateful for Wang Yan's benevolence...

With more people, there needed to be more job positions. Various factories had to be newly built or expanded, goods had to be turned over, roads had to be built, and people had to do the work. When people earned money, they had to consume, and factories had to produce more and better things.

It could be considered the formation of internal benign development and circulation.

By the year '49, it had completely stabilized. Society was peaceful, and although the people's lives couldn't be called wealthy, they at least didn't have to go hungry. Their standard of living was also getting better day by day, surging with flourishing vitality...

It was also this year that Wang Yan established diplomatic relations with the north.

Regarding this point, neither the American nor the British foreigners agreed, but whether they agreed or not, of course, had nothing to do with Wang Yan.

With the north stabilized, they could also do business with each other. After all, there were always raw materials that were lacking and products that were in surplus. Maintaining a good relationship was of considerable benefit to him.

The foreigners didn't dare to force Wang Yan, as the "Little Overlord of Southeast Asia" was simply too formidable.

So they could only hold their noses, continue to provide aid to Wang Yan, and turn a blind eye to Wang Yan's occasional behavior of acting as a middleman to sell some mechanical equipment to the north.

If not, what else could they do? Mobilizing the masses to fight Wang Yan really wasn't worth it.

If Wang Yan were truly provoked, Southeast Asia would turn into a mess in the blink of an eye, which was seriously inconsistent with their interests, and they couldn't take Wang Yan down anyway. At the very least, Wang Yan still let them make money, and he still controlled the scale of border disputes.

Even if they mobilized a large army, couldn't Wang Yan take his men and run? Wang Yan had no intention of defending his territory to the death; he was originally a rootless duckweed, so why would he care so much? By then, with hundreds of thousands of battle-hardened troops running everywhere, and with Wang Yan being so formidable at fighting, wouldn't he be a huge scourge wherever he went?

As for assassination, it had already been carried out several times. Wang Yan was always safe and sound, and for every assassination, Wang Yan didn't even investigate; he directly mobilized his troops to push twenty kilometers in the east, west, and south directions, looking like he was going to start a full-scale war directly.

The foreigners were disgusted, but they were helpless and had to hold their noses and accept it.

The Southern government was one thing; it had originally had constant disputes with Wang Yan's forces. Although it declared independence, if it weren't for the foreigners backing it, it would have long since been trampled flat by Wang Yan. India, Laos, and Thailand, however, had become true clowns; they couldn't beat him, and no one was there to stand up for them. It was truly bullying...

All of this was, of course, because Wang Yan's forces were constantly growing. Here, Wang Yan implemented a military government, where everything was based on military affairs, with people's livelihoods coming second.

Males had to serve in the military and participate in military training upon reaching the age of sixteen. Women, upon reaching eighteen, did not serve in the military but had to receive a certain degree of military education; they all had to know how to shoot and learn battlefield first aid and the like.

At the same time, while serving in the military, everyone had to participate in collective labor. In this way, it not only cultivated collective consciousness but also provided labor exercise, while simultaneously carrying out local construction, and the expenses were even lower. It was a good thing that achieved multiple goals at once.

With a population of over seven million, he could pull out a force of one million. Basic firearms and ammunition had already achieved autonomous production, and even artillery shells could be manufactured. Except for the north, what did these nearby countries have to fight him with?

Wang Yan was, of course, not invincible. Still, the same point stands: if they concentrated their fire and resources with the determination to destroy Wang Yan, although it was basically impossible, they could definitely drive Wang Yan away. However, the first to suffer would be the surrounding countries.

Originally an outside enemy, they would start fighting Mobile Corps Commander warfare in their own homes, and if they couldn't be wiped out within a few years, then they would be completely ruined. No force is an iron plate; there are always opportunities to be exploited.

Here in Southeast Asia, one couldn't find fairness or peace anywhere. Too many people had no other way; if they were shown hope, they would naturally pick up guns and fight.

If a major war truly broke out, Wang Yan had the confidence to sweep through Southeast Asia, cross the Middle East, and enter Europe; that would be another huge disaster...

Of course, this was just Wang Yan's confidence. Others wouldn't think that way, but even if they couldn't imagine where Wang Yan's upper limit was, they were clear about his lower limit.

After tossing and turning like this a few times and fighting a few battles that only lasted one or two months, things completely returned to peace and tranquility, and no more things like assassinations happened.

However, all kinds of other small actions were constant, and the infiltration continued. The teachers who were sent over all came with missions to propagate ideology and carry out peaceful evolution.

This was unavoidable; who told Wang Yan he didn't have his own talent? There weren't many teachers. If one wanted to obtain knowledge, one had to pay something, such as the defection of some talent that emerged in the early stages.

However, these people couldn't stir up any trouble. What Wang Yan wanted was industrialization construction; these people were all screws, all consumables. He would use them when they could be used, and when they couldn't, the construction team would have a place for them. This construction team was expected not to die out for a hundred years.

When there were fewer people, Wang Yan would clean up a batch; when there were more, he would slow down.

Correspondingly, along with the expansion and contraction of the construction team came every change in ideology, change in power, and redistribution of interests within Wang Yan's territory.

Wang Yan even sacked Bulat; this kid threatened a girl, and originally he was to be shot. Milong, Fanla, and others all came to plead for him, so Wang Yan raised his hand high and let it fall lightly. Remembering the bond of life and death with his old brothers, he didn't send him to the construction team, just dismissed him from his post and sent him to the factory to tighten screws.

During this period, Wang Yan also contacted the north, letting these old guys get in touch with their families, and they all went home once, yet not a single one brought their relatives over.

Because everyone had several family members at home, and it was hard to leave one's native land, they weren't willing to come over.

This was a lie; it was still because of the unique system and environment here, as well as Wang Yan's strictness. The families of these old brothers were afraid. On the other hand, these old brothers were also afraid that their families lacked vision and would come over and mess around relying on their connections, only to be shot by Wang Yan.

And these old brothers were naturally unwilling to give up the good life here to go back home and live a hard life. They just routinely sent some US dollars back to help their families and went to visit every two or three years.

They were all people who had held high positions for many years and already had considerable wisdom, deeply understanding the positional relationship between Wang Yan and them, as well as the principle that bonds become thinner the more they are used.

Nowadays, the only ones who still faced Wang Yan as they did in the beginning were Milong and the Veterinarian.

The Veterinarian was fearless; at his age, he didn't care about those things. He didn't have much pursuit for power or money, so he acted as the hospital director, muddle-headedly carrying out administrative management.

The old guy didn't die early; he had indeed changed his fate. Wang Yan found him a widow in her thirties who had fled from the country, and he actually gave birth to another son. He used his energy on his wife and children.

Milong had a bit of small cleverness and knew how to make trade-offs, knowing his own positioning. So he lived honestly, found several wives, gave birth to a bunch of children, and spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun; he was very carefree.

He was also familiar with his main job, didn't have many mistakes, wasn't greedy, didn't take what wasn't his, and had always been Wang Yan's guard. Now he was even the big boss of the Mandalay garrison, so his golden body was naturally flawless.

As for Wang Yan himself, he had a child with Shangguan Jieci and Qin Moqing respectively. The former gave birth to a daughter, and the latter gave birth to a son. His territory also had successors, which could be considered to have played a role in stabilizing people's hearts...

The international situation was chaotic. After World War II, the Cold War continued, and the encirclement and containment of the socialist camp also continued.

The location where Wang Yan was situated was a proper place of four battles, but also because of the "Little Overlord of Southeast Asia"—no, in the mouths of the foreigners, it should be the "Southeast Asian Shit-Stirrer"—Wang Yan was still quite important.

His sea-access channels couldn't be contained by the Southern government and the foreigners. From Rangoon all the way to the borders of Western and Southern Yunnan, there were railways and roads, and the transport channels were still smooth.

When the war was fought in the '50s, Wang Yan didn't care about the foreigners' nagging. Various materials were shipped from all over the world, and he acted as a middleman to resell them to the north.

At the same time, many outputs from the north were also shipped to his side and spread out through his network. He acted as a middleman again and made another profit.

In this way, he both provided help and exchanged for various resources. After fighting for a few years, it actually made his side wealthy...

By the time he digested the gains from war profiteering, his development had clearly surpassed that of the surrounding countries.

Beautiful buildings rose from the ground one after another, factories were operating, and machines were roaring. Wang Yan could even produce motorcycles and cars himself. Borrowing the textile machinery he had operated once before, the textile industrial chain expanded from that, and he finally had industrial products that could be brought out, adding value.

At the same time, after several years of hard work, the transportation network within his territory was basically built, accelerating logistics turnover and aiding economic development.

And this further absorbed the people of surrounding countries to come here to work and settle down, so the population growth rate also picked up. By the '60s, it had broken through ten million, which further aided development.

Especially Mandalay; after years of construction, it already had quite a bit of the feel of a big metropolis. With over three million people living and working here, it was the absolute center and super engine of Wang Yan's territory.

This also left the foreigners who were waiting for his forces to collapse dumbfounded and helpless...

At the same time, Wang Yan also increased his infiltration of the Southern government. By the '70s, when the Vietnam War was underway, he suddenly launched an attack, almost peacefully taking down the Southern government, and the two sides merged.

Afterward, he threatened Malaysia, snatched a long-term piece of food from the interests of Malacca, and thus began to develop and build maritime power...

In the blink of an eye, it was the '80s.

In the Northeast region, it was the dead of winter, and heavy snow covered the black earth.

Wang Yan, who was already over seventy, brought Milong, who was about the same age, back here.

Milong's old parents had long since passed away, and he hadn't been back for decades. A few days ago, he fell seriously ill and started clamoring to go home.

Supported by his children, he walked tremblingly into his old house, which had been repaired again and again but kept its original appearance without renovation according to his wishes.

My home is on the Songhua River in the Northeast

There are my compatriots there

And those aging parents

September 18th, September 18th

From that tragic time

Wandering, wandering

Milong sang the familiar ballad.

At the end, he stretched out his withered hand, covered in age spots, and grabbed Wang Yan's arm.

"Brother, I'm going first. Bury me here; just bury me next to my mom and dad."

"Alright." Wang Yan nodded with a smile.

Milong smiled, and he sang the song he often sang again.

You want me to come, everyone is willing to come, what kind of bastard wouldn't be willing to come...

His voice grew weaker, and finally, there was no more sound.

Crying resounded in Milong's old house.

Wang Yan walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back, his figure straight as he looked at the black earth in the heavy snow...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who tipped, voted with monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets, and who silently read the book for their strong support!