‘I’m told it was through your efforts that we got about forty young men to volunteer for our Regiments, last year.’

‘Yes,’ sighed Quo Boon reminiscently. ‘They cost two thousand dollars apiece, my volunteers.’

The General pretended not to hear. ‘That was a noble effort, and we’re grateful. We know you’re not one of those sitters on the fence, waiting to see who’s going to win this war … you’ve come over on our side, and your son-in-law too … Sir Moksa’s going to be a great Malayan leader one day …’

Quo Boon’s glasses gleamed, and the General hurried on.

‘We don’t want to rush you, but we’d like to have you head our Committee to advise on recruiting in Chinese schools … Damn it,’ burst out the General, ‘a worse pack of hooligans and potential communists than those disloyal young people I’ve never seen.’

Quo Boon thought: ‘Loyalty is a word of many meanings. I suppose I am considered loyal, because I have made terms with the setup as it is now, as I have made money out of it. I can read the wind, see the way the leaves blow, and I keep out of the rain. I do not like bloodshed. I build.’

‘Tell me, Mr Quo,’ said the General, suddenly human and wistful, ‘is there a way out of this beastly muddle? I’ve had it before, harangues and speeches, from so many of you … how it was the Chinese who fought when this country was invaded by the Japs; how we the British got away in boats, leaving stay-behind parties of your people, and communists hurriedly released from prison, to fight rearguard actions while we got away. And how, when we came back, we were mean and paid only paltry sums to the jungle guerrillas. But you know, as I do, that this is not the reason why the Emergency happened. It happened because there was a straight bid for power through terrorism by a small section of people, many of whom had fought the Japs bravely, and now turned their guns against us.

‘I know that your people have got grievances. The Chinese half of Malaya, your three millions, half the population of this land, have had a raw deal from us in many ways. But it’s no good dragging up the past. We must get together to build the future. And that means, first and foremost, winning this jungle war.’

‘It won’t be won only with guns. It’s also a battle for the souls of men. And mostly for the souls of the young.’

‘I know my statistics,’ said the General. ‘I know that fifty per cent of the population of Malaya is under twenty-five. That means a hell of a lot of school children, and not so childish youngsters. Like those in Chinese schools I was talking about. Sixty per cent of the children of Malaya are in Chinese schools.