Daming 1805

Chapter 124 If I Were Daming's Prince
After the Renwu Dynasty, the vassal state of Ming Dynasty was responsible for its own profits and losses, and at the same time paid taxes regularly in the name of tribute, according to a fixed ratio.

Some vassal states may be particularly rich, mainly because they have resources that are easy to exploit, or are rich in agricultural and animal husbandry products, and have a relatively large population.

Some vassal states may be extremely poor, mainly because the environment is extremely harsh, or they have nothing, and they may not even have people.

Dashiguo is a particularly poor one.

There are only a very limited number of residents, living in scattered oases in the desert, and communication and transportation are very difficult.

Liusha County is located in a small bay, surrounded by three oasis settlements that are relatively close to each other, so the country's capital was chosen here.

The people of Daming are farming people, and their favorite place is the fertile plain of Xintianfu, and they never thought of such a place to eat sand.

Xu Minghui, the judge of Dashi Wangfu, is the most senior official staying in Dashiwangfu. After Chang Shi left, he was responsible for managing the daily affairs of the palace.

A few days ago, Xu Minghui received a message from Zuo Changshi Liu Zhixin that craftsmen who could generate income for the Great Food Kingdom would come in two days.

There is also the future Xianbei Duke's family who will pass by here, wanting to visit the capital of Prince Dashi.

Liu Zhixin reminded Xu Minghui to be ready to receive him.

Xu Minghui is more welcome to the former. It is good intentions to create income, and you can try it.

But for the latter, Xu Minghui is not in a good mood, you just pass by, why stop to visit?
See how poor our palace is?

The key is how much the reception will cost...

But no matter what he thinks in his heart, how he buckles, Xu Minghui still has to be patient and come out to receive him.

Although the other party is only a Xiyi now, he will be the Duke of Ming Dynasty in the future.

Regardless of the thoughts of the passengers and the people who received them, the two large passenger ships carrying guests from different directions have completed their docking.

Because the wharf in Liusha County is relatively small, and there is no clear distinction between freight and passenger transportation, the distance between the two large ships is very close.

When Luo Yashan's family disembarked, they could see that the immigrant boat on the opposite side was also disembarking, and unloading soon began.

Xu Minghui and his group greeted Luo Yashan's family first.

The image of the other party is obviously mixed, but the whole family is dressed in Ming style, the wife is completely Ming, and the children basically cannot see the image of Xiyi.

The unhappiness in Xu Minghui's heart eased a little:
"Xu Minghui, who is on trial in the Great Food Kingdom, has met Prince Alexander."

Luo Yashan brought a very standard return gift from the family, so that Xu Minghui and other officials could not find any faults.

The accent is also very standard, which won some praise from the other party.

After a few polite words from both sides, Luo Yashan took the initiative to chat with the other party:
"Excuse me, is the other ship docked here coming to provide supplies or repairs?"

Xu Minghui waved his hand directly and said:

"No, that is an immigrant ship from Daming, and this is their destination.

"I'm also going to receive guests over there. The Duke can take a carriage to the post to rest first."

Luo Yashan and the wife and children behind him were all taken aback:
"Immigrate here?"

Xu Minghui didn't continue to explain, he casually confessed to Luo Yashan, and then left directly.

He directly led the team to receive the craftsmen on the other side.

Luo Yashan, Prince Lucia, the future Duke of Xianbei, was just left hanging by the roadside and handed over to a few ordinary receptionists.

Luo Yashan was a little uncomfortable, but he quickly got used to it.

After all, he is only the prince of a "barbarian", at most he can only be the son of the prince of Ming Dynasty, and in the future he will be the Duke of Xianbei at most.

The King of Dashi is the pro-vassal prince of Daming, and the official who adjudicates the Zhengda Shi Kingdom is second only to Chang Shi.

Although he can only be regarded as a sixth-rank official in the mainland of Ming Dynasty, he will not be inferior to foreign vassals and barbarian monarchs in places outside the mainland.

The other party took the initiative to come over and be courteous for a while, which was already giving him face.

If I were the prince of Daming...

Not to mention princes and grandchildren, even if he is just the earl of Daming, the other party will definitely welcome him into the city himself.

When his Dukedom of the Ming Dynasty is confirmed, the situation may be a little better.

Luo Yashan sighed secretly in his heart, and thought of the other party's answer just now, then subconsciously looked back at the surrounding environment.

Still can't believe that Daming wants to immigrate to such a place.

But Luo Yashan quickly remembered that when he got off the boat, he saw mechanical equipment being unloaded on the opposite side.

"Is it going to mine some minerals here?"

Zhao Xinlian shook her head subconsciously:
"I haven't heard that there are any minerals here..."

The family here can't see why.

Xu Minghui over there has already greeted Zheng Fuguang, and greeted Zheng Fuguang with a smile on his face:

"But Zheng Fuguang and Zheng Gong? I am the judge of Dashi Wangfu."

Zheng Fuguang is a graduate of the Artisan University, has a seventh-rank intermediate craftsman certificate, and is the person in charge of the aviation fuel raw material exploration project.

Zhu Jingyuan's mother, Liang Yunying, went to the Craftsman University to look for it at Wang Zhenyi's suggestion.

This kind of big project cannot be done without high-level craftsmen.

Zheng Fuguang's name was also specifically written on the telegram, and Xu Minghui was specifically notified.

But now Zheng Fuguang himself is in a complicated mood. Exploring oil is a bottomless thing.

I don't know how long I will eat sand in this big desert.

Zheng Fuguang cheered up and bowed his hand to Xu Minghui in return:

"It is here that I have seen the trial judge."

"you are welcome……"

Xu Minghui agreed with a smile, and then the other craftsmen saluted together, and at the same time called them to get on the car and enter the city:

"Everyone is exhausted all the way. Please go to the dormitory with me to settle down and rest. Tomorrow, the Japanese official will hold a banquet to clean up the dust for you."

Xu Minghui and Zheng Fuguang sat in the same carriage, chatting with Zheng Fuguang on the way.

Luo Yashan took another carriage with his wife and children.

Sophia watched Xu Minghui receive Zheng Fuguang through the window, and asked with some doubts and curiosity:

"Father, mother, who are those people? Why is that official from the Great Food Kingdom personally accompanying them instead of us?"

Zhao Xinlian could tell that the people over there should not be officials, otherwise they should change into official uniforms when they got off the boat.

The clothes don't look like nobles, but like craftsmen, and at such a young age, they can only be mid-level craftsmen at best.

The treatment of a group of craftsmen is higher than that of her husband, Prince Lucia.

Ming officials still discriminated against Thais and Westerners so seriously.

Zhao Xinlian felt helpless and touched her daughter's hair, but did not tell her the truth:
"It should be a nobleman from the Ming capital."

Although Liusha County has been established for hundreds of years, there is still only one rammed earth city wall, which looks very simple.

The houses and palaces in the city are at the same level as those in the local villages and towns of the Ming Dynasty.

The houses in the city are relatively dilapidated, and the potholed streets are deserted, and there is no popularity at all.

Both Zheng Fuguang and the craftsmen, as well as Luo Yashan's family, were once again shocked by the sights in the city.

Xu Minghui's expression was rather awkward:

"We... the Great Food Country, the land is barren and the population is sparsely populated. It's really... embarrassing.

"So really please Mr. Zheng and all the craftsmen, oil must be drilled in my Dashi."

Zheng Fuguang was also a little embarrassed, and at the same time quickly corrected:

"No, no, no, we're not here to find oil, we're here to find raw materials for aviation fuel.

"Although we have His Highness gave us a map and identified a few drilling points that may be useful, such things cannot be guaranteed.

"Let's just say we want to be able to get the oil out of it too... no, the feedstock for aviation fuel."

Xu Minghui was taken aback when he heard that:
"Isn't aviation fuel fuel oil? Isn't the raw material for fuel refining oil?"

Zheng Fuguang immediately corrected:
"No, no, according to the treasurer Wang of the Royal Aircraft Machinery Company, petroleum is the exclusive industry of the royal consortium, but aviation fuel is not.

"At the very least, the business scope of our Daming Airlines includes the production and sales of aviation fuel, but does not include petroleum."

Xu Minghui finally realized that this was a policy loophole.

If it was someone else, even if they discovered this loophole, they would not dare to take advantage of it, nor would they have the ability to take advantage of it.

But Prince Dashi is fine, even if his father and grandfather find out, at most he will be scolded.

The point is that it is impossible for others to obtain the right to operate aviation fuel, so there is no chance to take advantage of loopholes.

Xu Minghui originally thought that even if Dashi Kingdom drilled oil by itself, it could only be managed by the royal consortium.

Now it seems that this big food country can do it by itself, drill and mine, smelt and even sell it by itself.

Xu Minghui nodded quickly after understanding:
"Yes, yes, the raw materials of aviation fuel, we must find this for our big food country.

"The iron ore and coal mines have already been determined to be gone, and we can only ask for this in the Great Food Country."

Zheng Fuguang agreed rather helplessly, and could only repeatedly express that he tried his best and hoped to ship.

After chatting like this, the two arrived at the dormitory that Xu Minghui had prepared for them in advance, a three-story simple tube building.

A former king of Liusha County planned to rely on his status as a king to open a machinery manufacturing factory in China.

As a result, it was realized after the start of work that there was basically no local market.

All raw materials are imported, the production cost is relatively high, the level of workers is low, and the product quality is relatively limited.

Whether it is in the mainland of Ming Dynasty or in the markets of other feudal states, it is impossible to compete with the imperial consortium.

In the end, they lost everything, leaving behind several factory buildings and several dormitory buildings.

Just in time to pack it up for the new guy from the aviation fuel company.

Using a dormitory from a closed factory might not bode well, but there's nothing you can't do in Liusha County.

I have to thank the former Liusha County King, otherwise Zheng Fuguang and his party would have to stay at the people's homes or even set up tents.

Xu Minghui settled down Zheng Fuguang and other craftsmen, and immediately went to the post house to accompany Luo Yashan's family for dinner.

The post house is just a garden surrounded by two floors, and it is used for both public and private purposes, otherwise it would be difficult to raise maintenance fees.

In a restaurant like a canteen in a small factory, several large plates are used to serve very rough food on simple or even rough wooden tables.

When Xu Minghui was with Zheng Fuguang, he kept complaining desperately about the poverty of Dashiguo.

But when facing Luo Yashan's family, they seemed to be very generous and extravagant, constantly persuading Luo Yashan and his son to eat and drink.

It's just that poverty is visible at a glance.

Luo Yashan is Lucia's prince after all, and the family has never tasted delicacies from mountains and seas. Now it feels like they are in an ordinary squire's house.

Although there are many types of meat, melons and fruits, and vegetarian dishes, the portions are also very large, and the diners will definitely not be able to finish them all.

But those were obviously not valuable things, so the whole family listened and frowned.

Sovia leaned close to her mother's ear and asked in a very puzzled whisper:

"Mother, why is the Great Food Country so poor, but these officials and servants are still very proud?"

Zhao Xinlian looked around, and sure enough, both officials and servants were in good spirits.

At least he behaved energetically in front of his family.

So he lowered his voice and answered in a low voice:

"Because they are all Daming people."

Sophia said with some doubts:
"No, they are just people from the Great Food Kingdom, people from the vassal state of Ming Dynasty, not the real people of Ming Dynasty."

Sophia spoke a little louder, but she caught the attention of an accompanying official not far away.

The other party's face suddenly became more difficult to look at.

For the people of the Daming feudal kingdom, directly addressing each other as Daming people can gain their friendship the fastest.

Clearly saying that the other party is not from Daming is also the easiest way to irritate the other party.

Zhao Xinlian quickly stretched out a finger:

"Shh... don't talk anymore, eat, we should go after eating..."

The Luo Yashan family finished their meal patiently, took a stroll in Quicksand City, and then left.

This time Xu Minghui sent them to the pier and watched them board the boat before leaving.

Then I began to feel sorry for today's expenses, and began to look forward to Zheng Fuguang and his party's ability to dig out the oil.

The Luo Yashan family felt that what they ate and drank was not valuable, but they ignored one point.

This is the quicksand city of the Great Food Country, an oasis city on the edge of the desert, and the local products are very barren.

There are endless fruits, vegetables, and meat here, which is really luxurious.

Xu Minghui returned to the palace, and Dianbu calculated the expenses again, and calculated carefully for a long time.

The food that entertained Luo Yashan's family was all distributed to the servants, so it should not be wasted.

The next morning, Xu Minghui entertained the craftsmen again.

This time he was one of his own, so he stopped showing off, and started crying desperately again, Zheng Fuguang who was crying was a little speechless.

Zheng Fuguang also wanted to complete the task earlier, so he led a team out of the city to investigate the next day.

As a result, Xu Minghui followed him very curiously.

Zheng Fuguang asked very helplessly:
"My lord, why did you follow me outside the city? Don't you need to deal with official business?"

Xu Minghui smiled wryly and shook his head and waved his hands:

"There is no time to deal with it. The matter of you looking for raw materials for aviation fuel is the most important thing for our big food country.

"Mr. Zheng, where are you going to drill the well? To find... fuel raw materials? Is it outside Quicksand City?"

Zheng Fuguang could only patiently explain:
"According to the map left by His Royal Highness, first drill wells in the seaside around Liusha County, and then expand to the surrounding areas.

"The small bay where Quicksand City is located, the small island in the middle and the peninsula to the north, I will try it later.

"Finally go inland, about [-] kilometers southwest of Liusha County, and finally go to Baku."

The location of Liusha County is almost the later Saudi Dammam Port, which is the largest oil export port in Saudi Arabia.

It was originally a small settlement, but it developed rapidly after the discovery of oil.

Therefore, there is likely to be oil underground in Liusha County.

Around the small bays around the county seat, there must be places where oil can be drilled, so find it here first.

As for the place [-] kilometers southwest of the county seat, that is the location of the largest oil field in Saudi Arabia.

Zhu Jingyuan only knew the approximate location of these places, it was impossible to remember the latitude and longitude coordinates, so he could only draw a circle on the map.

Let Zheng Fuguang and the others search in and around this circle.

Xu Minghui then nodded slightly:

"If the oil is drilled just outside the city, it can be shipped directly to the ship, which is really convenient, but how deep should the well be drilled?"

Zheng Fuguang once again conveyed the words left by Zhu Jingyuan that he had seen:

"Drill 500 meters first, and if it doesn't work, go deeper to 2000 meters..."

Well drilling is considered an advantageous industry in Daming, because Daming people have long had the tradition of mining well salt.

In the historically agricultural era of the Qing Dynasty, a thousand-meter salt well was dug with traditional tools and animal power.

Salt wells produce both brine and gas. The brine is the ancient seawater that was pressed underground, and the gas is the natural gas used in modern times.

The ancients directly boiled brine with gas to obtain edible well salt.

In Zhu Jingyuan's previous life, the salt in the market was still mainly well salt.

In this life, Daming completed industrialization ahead of schedule, and drilling-related technologies also made great progress.

It is now possible to drill wells deeper than 2000 meters.

As for the depth of the oil reservoir in the Persian Gulf, Zhu Jingyuan remembers that it was no more than 500 meters.

Zhu Jingyuan had already told Zheng Fuguang to be lenient.

(End of this chapter)