Liang Xiao frowned, seeming to understand something, and immediately took a squad of personal guards to the scene.
Arriving at the high mountain, Liang Xiao was startled to see a vast expanse of black and dark brown viscous substance spewing from the ground in the distance.
"Marshal, what shall we do!" the soldiers worriedly asked.
The appearance of such a strange phenomenon on the army's marching path was an absolutely ominous sign in the past.
If the commander were not Liang Xiao, they would have already retreated to Zhongzhou, perhaps changing the date of their expedition at most.
Liang Xiao casually picked up an iron basin from the side and said, "Stay here, I'll go get a basin to examine it."
"Marquis, this thing looks very dangerous at first glance. I will fetch it, please do not go!" Yue Qingtian quickly blocked Liang Xiao's path.
Seeing everyone's insistence, Liang Xiao agreed, letting Yue Qingtian take a few men, along with the gas masks prepared by the army, to fetch several basins.
Led by Yue Qingtian, ten men went to the side and scooped up a full basin from the ground.
Looking at the ten basins of viscous substance on the ground from afar, Liang Xiao, with his extraordinary sense of smell, detected a familiar pungent odor and immediately ordered someone to light a torch.
Yue Qingtian again stepped forward to fetch the torch for Liang Xiao, walked over, and as per Liang Xiao's instructions, directly ignited one of the basins.
In an instant, a fierce fire ignited in the iron basin, and black smoke billowed straight up, astonishing everyone!
"Marquis, what is this?" Yue Qingtian was utterly bewildered.
Liang Xiao quickly had him return and explained to everyone, "This substance is called petroleum. It is toxic to some extent and should not be approached casually. Petroleum itself is a valuable resource that can be used as fuel, with advantages over coal. It is one of the most important future resources for the Great Qian Kingdom."
The generals heard the excitement in Liang Xiao's tone and were both surprised and delighted, "It's actually a treasure?"
"It is a treasure with a certain degree of toxicity and cannot be exposed for long periods, so workers must be summoned and protective measures taken. From now on, all sparks are strictly prohibited near petroleum."
After Liang Xiao's explanation, he took out paper and pen and began writing notes on horseback regarding the storage and precautions for petroleum.
His knowledge of petroleum was limited, but he understood the basic protective measures.
"So, this is not Heaven preventing us from marching, but the Old Master sending a treasure to our Great Qian. This is a great omen!" the soldiers exclaimed in joy.
For safety, Liang Xiao left only a portion of the soldiers to observe the site from afar, strictly forbidding any unauthorized personnel from approaching. He then sent word back to the entire army to mobilize for the urgent extraction and storage of the surface petroleum.
There was no petroleum extraction technology here, but fortunately, the oil well was likely a gusher, and the Great Qian Kingdom could directly collect a significant amount of crude oil.
According to Liang Xiao's estimation, the oil well, pressured by the crustal movement during the earthquake, had broken through the stratum. Its reserves were immeasurable, undoubtedly a large oil field, and it also indirectly confirmed that the geographical environment of this world differed from his homeland.
However, this oil field was too close to the capital and Zhongzhou, and it must not threaten the lives and health of the people in both cities.
Currently, the Great Qian Kingdom could only store this crude oil using iron buckets and iron basin covers.
"Marquis, since this petroleum is toxic, and we cannot use it to replace coal and charcoal, why not burn it all away..." Yue Qingtian and others expressed their lack of understanding.
"No burning it recklessly!" Liang Xiao repeatedly shook his head, his eyes then gleaming, "First of all, this is a gift we are preparing for the Chu Yun Kingdom!"
Zuo Wuji, who was accompanying him, was taken aback, "The Chu Yun Kingdom is so inhumane and even plots to invade our country, why should we give them petroleum? Is it to poison them to death..."
Liang Xiao shook his head again, "No, I have thought of a way to deal with the Chu Yun Kingdom's warships with even lower casualties."
The generals exchanged glances.
They were now heading to Jiangnan, and dealing with the Chu Yun Kingdom was the responsibility of Mu Hong and Nie Yuan.
Liang Xiao took out paper and pen from his horse again and wrote with great effort. After much deliberation, he handed them to He Zizhang.
"Captain He, you will personally escort these documents back to the capital as quickly as possible."
He Zizhang, seeing Liang Xiao's rare excitement, understood the gravity of the situation and immediately set off for the capital with Liang Xiao's secret letter.
"Heaven bestows the treasure of petroleum, protecting our Great Qian!"
After Liang Xiao's propaganda, the Zhongzhou soldiers and logistics troops, who had been filled with fear, now believed it to be an auspicious sign, not a disaster.
However, the soldiers, upon hearing that petroleum was harmful to humans, dared not approach it carelessly, and the army had to detour.
The Great Qian Kingdom had no modern protective suits. To ensure the safety of the workers, Liang Xiao immediately arranged for a massive influx of workers to rotate in collecting and storing the petroleum, wearing specially made gas masks.
These gas masks were the same tools Liang Xiao had used when investigating the golden deposits in the Fierce Tiger River years ago. Later, the Great Qian Kingdom further improved the manufacturing process of simple activated carbon and produced them in large quantities for emergencies.
Even though these gas masks were not as effective as modern ones, they could still adsorb most common oil and gas.
The Zhongzhou army did not retreat due to the earthquake and the appearance of petroleum; instead, they accelerated their advance towards Jiangnan.
The news of petroleum reached the imperial palace, leaving Xiao Qing and the officials bewildered.
Only after reading Liang Xiao's letter did Xiao Qing, with a pleased expression, explain to the court.
"It can burn and its effectiveness is even greater than coal and wood. As long as protective measures are taken, it is indeed an excellent resource!" The officials were overjoyed.
Coal mines, and the coke produced step-by-step from them, had brought about a qualitative improvement in the Great Qian's steel industry, and the kingdom had already tasted the benefits.
"Lord Liang estimates that the oil well may contain several hundred million catties of petroleum, or even more!" Xiao Qing said with a smile.
Several hundred million catties?!
A collective gasp of cold air filled the hall, everyone excited.
Even Wang Canghai's white beard trembled erratically.
Did this not mean that the Great Qian Kingdom had stumbled upon several hundred million catties of burning treasure for free?
"Your Majesty! Since this substance is flammable, our country must protect the oil well as soon as possible and strictly prevent fires!!" Gu Hong, the Minister of Revenue, was the first to step forward to remind, his voice trembling.
The officials unanimously agreed, and Xiao Qing immediately issued an order to send more workers to extract and store the petroleum as per Liang Xiao's suggestion.
"This petroleum needs to be used properly to prevent harm to the workers. But its greatest immediate use..." Xiao Qing raised an eyebrow and had the Shadow Guards hand the secret letter to Huang Xing, the Minister of Works.
"You, Minister Huang, and Minister Zhang will be responsible for mobilizing the Ministry of Works and, according to Lord Liang's concept, immediately rush to manufacture items and send them to the East Sea for safekeeping, to be used in naval battles, specifically against the Japanese pirates, so that the pirates understand what divine wrath and public indignation mean!"
Huang Xing took the secret letter and was initially excited, but his gaze fell on a line of text at the bottom.
[Upon igniting at sea, it shall burn all men and ships, leaving nothing behind.]
Huang Xing shivered on the spot, the secret letter slipped from his fingertips, and was caught by the quick-handed Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang was granted permission to glance at it and was also startled. The secret letter fell directly to the ground.
Regaining his composure, Zhang Yang picked up the secret letter, his breathing still rapid and his face somewhat pale.
Xiao Qing observed them and said sternly, "My ministers, do not forget that the Japanese pirates annihilated the Tai Chi Kingdom and committed inhumane atrocities. What our country can do is to annihilate them completely, as a way to atone for our guilt towards the people of Tai Chi, and also to reduce the casualties of our navy in naval battles, is that not so?"
The two men then relaxed and repeatedly agreed, "Your subordinate will do his utmost!"
Xiao Qing suddenly seemed to remember something and announced loudly, "This oil well, after all, needs a name?"
"According to the description of Marquis An Guo, this is more like a large field spewing petroleum. It should be called an 'oil field'."
"I mean, we need to name the oil well or the oil field," Xiao Qing reminded.
The officials understood and spoke one after another.
"Let's call it the Great Qian Oil Field!" "Let's call it the Capital Oil Well!" "Let's call it the Zhongzhou Oil Field, as it's closest to Zhongzhou..."
Seeing the officials unable to reach a consensus, Xiao Qing pouted, "How about Liang Xiao Oil Field?"