Chapter 924 Chapter 924, Exchange
After Xiao Yeyang returned from Xintunwei, Daohua mentioned the oil matter to him.
Xiao Yeyang looked surprised. "Petroleum? You mean lacquer? I've seen it in a book. It's a kind of oily water that can be ignited for lighting. Does Xiliang also have this thing?"
Daohua nodded quickly: "Lifu knows where it is. Let him take us there."
Xiao Yeyang still attaches great importance to oil, because he has read in military books that people used oil to attack the enemy with fire. If oil is really so useful, then Xiliang's defense capabilities can be greatly improved.
However, he did not agree to let Daohua go with him.
Daohua shook Xiao Yeyang's arm and said, "There's nothing going on at home right now. It's too boring for me to stay at home all the time. Just take me with you."
Xiao Yeyang went to ask Gu Jian, and only after hearing Gu Jian say that Daohua was in good health and could go out for a walk regularly did he agree to take her with him.
Afterwards, Xiao Yeyang called Wang Lifu to the Xiao Mansion and carefully inquired about the location where the oil was found. He learned that it was a bit far from Ganzhou City. After some preparation, he took Daohua out.
In late October, the temperature in Xiliang was already very low.
In the carriage, Daohua curled up in Xiao Yeyang's arms, holding a hand warmer in her hands.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Yeyang couldn't help but say, "You're so afraid of the cold, yet you still come out? Aren't you asking for trouble?"
Daohua buried most of her face in her fox fur scarf: "I just wanted to go out for a walk."
After a day's journey, when it was almost dark, Daohua and his group finally arrived at the Black Water Ditch that Wang Lifu had mentioned.
“It really is a black ditch!”
A gully less than one meter wide was filled with thick black oil. The pungent smell of the oil made Rice Flower afraid to get too close and could only watch from a distance.
Xiao Yeyang put the torch head into the petroleum and stirred it, then asked someone to ignite it.
"Boom~"
A huge flame suddenly burst out.
Defu saw it and said excitedly, "Torches stained with oil provide much brighter illumination."
Daohua took over the conversation, "Water mixed with oil is inextinguishable. It can be used not only for lighting, but also for lubricating axles to reduce friction. It has many uses."
This time, Master Wang also came and was standing not far away. When he heard Daohua's words, he thought to himself that this Madam Xiao was truly knowledgeable and talented.
She discovered cement and also discovered oil. She is truly a good wife to Mr. Xiao.
Xiao Yeyang looked at the Black Water Ditch and started thinking about how to use oil fire to attack the enemy.
"Bring over the oil drums you brought and see how much oil you can pump out."
Daohua added, "The oil here has already come out. There must be a huge amount stored underground."
Seeing Daohua covering her nose, Xiao Yeyang ordered Bu Gandang to get some oil, and asked Defu to send someone to look around, and then he took Daohua towards the tent.
“Huh~”
Away from the Black Water Ditch, Daohua immediately took a few deep breaths.
After she became pregnant, she did not have any adverse reactions, but she was very sensitive to smells. Even the slightest bad smell could make her feel nauseous and vomit.
Mei Lan Mei Ju had already taken people to tidy up the tent and lit the charcoal brazier.
Daohua entered the tent, took off her cloak, and sat in front of the charcoal brazier to drink the hot tea handed to her by Xiao Yeyang. Seeing Meilan and Meiju starting to prepare dinner, she said:
"Prepare more. We found the oil thanks to that little fellow Li Fu. I'll send some to him and Master Wang later."
When Mei Lan handed the food box to Master Wang and explained the reason, Master Wang was stunned for a moment, then smiled and touched Wang Lifu's head: "You are really lucky, little guy."
Looking at the raging fire in the distance caused by the oil, he could also imagine the role of this oil on the battlefield.
After dinner, Xiao Yeyang walked outside the tent with Daohua for a while.
At this time, Defu ran over excitedly.
"Master, Madam, our people just discovered that there is also oil coming out from the other side of the mountain."
Xiao Yeyang and Daohua were very happy to hear this.
Daohua smiled and said, "It seems that there are quite a lot of oil reserves in this place. We can drill a few more oil wells to extract oil."
Xiao Yeyang: "I will discuss this matter with Master Wang, don't worry about it, I will go back with you to rest."
The next day, Daohua woke up from the warm bed and heard Bu Gandang reporting to Xiao Yeyang outside the tent.
"Master, the oil barrels we brought are all full. Once the oil in the Blackwater Ditch is exhausted, new oil will automatically emerge."
"However, the oil output is a bit slow."
"After reviewing the situation, Master Wang said we could drill a few oil wells, just like we did with salt wells, and proactively extract the oil from underground."
Xiao Yeyang nodded and said, "Leave the well-digging matter to Master Wang. Now go back to Ganzhou City and transfer a thousand soldiers to garrison here."
When Xiao Yeyang finished explaining things and returned to the tent, Daohua had already gotten up and washed up.
After breakfast, Xiao Yeyang thought that it was a rare opportunity to go out, so he took Daohua for a walk around the area.
Daohua sat on the horse's back, and Xiao Yeyang led the horse. Although the scenery was not very good, both of them were very happy.
After the thousand soldiers arrived and set up camp, Xiao Yeyang gave instructions for everything, left Master Wang to watch over the matter, and then he took Daohua back to Ganzhou City.
As soon as the two returned to the mansion, the secret guard came over with a carrier pigeon and said, "Master, this is the news just sent from the Xintun Guard."
Daohua saw Xiao Yeyang's face darken after he read the note, and couldn't help asking, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua and said, "Brother, I learned from the drunk Hong Zhong that Wei Hongcai has been drawing salary without working since he took over as the commander-in-chief."
"There are nine garrisons in Xiliang, and each one has border troops stationed there. However, as far as I know, the number of border troops in each garrison falls short of the required number. The Ganzhou Garrison alone is 10,000 short, yet the military pay provided by the court each year is in full."
As he said this, he snorted.
"Over the years, Wei Hongcai has embezzled a large amount of silver, amounting to hundreds of thousands of taels."
Daohua wasn't particularly surprised by this, but she was a little worried about Yan Wenxiu's safety: "Brother, you've only just been in Xintunwei for a short time, and you're already investigating Wei Hongcai. Isn't that a bit risky?"
Xiao Yeyang thought for a moment and said, "I'll write back to my elder brother later and ask him to pay attention."
In November, after building five oil wells, Master Wang returned to Ganzhou City.
Knowing that dozens of barrels of oil could be extracted every day, Xiao Yeyang first asked Bu Gandang to transport a batch to Ganzhou City and store it there, and the rest were sent to twelve military towns.
At the same time, Xiao Yeyang submitted another memorial to the emperor, preparing to exchange oil and the Five Military Commandery for a batch of military equipment.
The imperial palace.
The emperor handed Xiao Yeyang's memorial to Wu Jingyi.
Wu Jingyi was very surprised to see that there was oil in Xiliang.
As the governor-general commanding the entire nation's military, he had considerable knowledge of military supplies. He had long known about and used methods such as oil and fire attacks to defend against the enemy.
Unfortunately, there are very few places where oil is produced. He sent people to look for it, but they couldn't find any.
Thinking of the financial difficulties faced by the Five Armies Protectorate in recent years, Wu Jingyi immediately prepared to complain and bargain with the emperor, wanting to see if Xiao Yeyang could provide oil free of charge. However, before he could open his mouth, the emperor spoke first.
"The imperial court hasn't given much support to Xiliang. Originally, the replacement of military equipment should have been the court's responsibility. Now that Yeyang is willing to exchange it for oil, you can transfer a batch to him as appropriate."
"The oil can't be put out with water, so the oil we get back is just perfect for our navy."
Since the emperor had spoken, Wu Jingyi naturally had nothing more to say. He could only sigh in his heart that Xiao Yeyang was so lucky that he could find oil in such a barren land like Xiliang.
(End of this chapter)
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