Prince Su Shu was driving in a vehicle on the bustling streets of the capital city.
He had previously taken a horse-drawn carriage or a steam engine car, and it was simply impossible for him to drive through the streets smoothly like this.
Horse-drawn carriages and steam-powered cars were too slow.
Prince Su Shu did not want to be like a monkey in the zoo, stared at with curiosity by the people.
"Yunhan, the car drove really smoothly today.
I was traveling a few days ago and encountered a traffic jam.
Shuntian Prefecture also wants to expand the width of the road, but now it seems that there is no need to waste people and money."
Even when Dong Yunhan heard Prince Su Shu's questions, he was still focused.
He waited until the car turned the corner and he could relax a little, then he responded: "Your Highness, I also feel that there are a lot less cars on the road, and the lack of cars is a bit abnormal.
There are only a few scattered cars on the road, and a large number of cars before have disappeared.
The disappearance of the car may be caused by some reasons.
But the disappearance of three-wheeled trucks is by no means a normal phenomenon.
Horse-drawn carriages in the capital are constantly being eliminated, and merchants in the capital mainly rely on three-wheeled trucks for freight transportation.
The decrease in the number of three-wheeled trucks is by no means a normal phenomenon."
When Prince Su Shu heard what Dong Yunhan said, his eyes lit up.
He doesn't know much about things in the market.
However, three-wheeled trucks are absolutely in demand, and the number of trucks has decreased. This is by no means a normal situation.
Prince Su Shu decided to disguise himself as a businessman and go to Tongzhou Freight Railway Station to take a look at the situation.
Tongzhou Freight Railway Station is the largest cargo transfer center in Beijing.
Prince Su Shu was dressed in gorgeous silk, with a large gold chain around his neck, and he was holding two mutton-fat white jade balls that were rotating continuously in his hands.
The way he is dressed is that of a nouveau riche with no background in the empire, a common attire.
Only businessmen of this level would go to the train station in person to find work.
Merchants who are elegantly dressed and have extraordinary banners will not come to a place where people are mixed.
If Prince Su Shu changes his attire, it will not be able to function as a private visit in disguise.
If you want to know the real situation, you must not reveal your identity.
He walked on the road and found that even here, three-wheeled trucks were still very rare.
The freight carriage that had been abandoned before became active again.
When Prince Su Shu saw this situation, he frowned.
Something big must have happened among the people, but he didn't know anything about it. This kind of thing is very unusual.
Prince Su Shu was walking on the road, and his identity was too conspicuous.
Soon there was a tall man who asked in a low voice: "Sir, if you have any goods to handle, can you teach us.
Our reputation is very good, we can go to the government to sign a contract, and the goods can be delivered to the place designated by the master in time."
Prince Su Shu saw some old freight carriages behind them.
He shook his head and said: "This is frozen goods, transported to the capital in the severe cold of winter.
Now that the temperature in the capital is rising, the speed of your carriages is too slow, and the transportation process will easily cause the ice to melt.
How fast the three-wheeled truck is can ensure that the goods I transport are in complete condition, and the price is not an issue."
Xiao Longtao showed a bitter face and said: "Where the noble man is, are there no cars or three-wheeled trucks?"
Prince Su Shu made a displeased tone and said: "You are not looking down upon me, my place is one of the largest cities in the Northeast.
Of course I have seen the car before, what do you mean by this?"
Xiao Longtao smiled bitterly and said: "Sir, you must not have used a car recently.
Now there is a shortage of oil. We all have three-wheel trucks, but we are all staying at home.
A car without oil is really not as useful as a horse-drawn carriage.
If it weren't for some brothers who have been with horses for many years and have feelings for each other.
There are still some horses and carts that have not been sold, and we don’t know how we can make a living?"
When Prince Su Shu heard about the oil shortage, he was very surprised.
Oil shortages have already occurred near the capital, so how serious will the oil shortages be in other places?
With a heavy heart, he returned to the car.
Xiao Longtao also shook his head and said helplessly: "How many more days will we have to wait for such a frustrating day?"
Prince Su Shu was concerned about this matter. He returned to the East Palace and immediately contacted his confidants via telegram to verify the authenticity of the oil shortage and the cause of the tea oil shortage.
The authenticity of the oil shortage is easy to verify. Prince Su Shu waited not long before he received a report from his subordinates.
Nanyang provinces are rich in oil, and oil shortages are unlikely to occur in these places.
Places such as Cochin-Siam are very close to Nanyang and there is no oil shortage, but there are not many cars there either.
Except for Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, all the inland provinces of the empire were plunged into oil shortages.
When Prince Su Shu heard the news, his face turned livid.
He knew that his father's purpose was to promote the internal combustion engine, and the empire's craftsmen were also very capable in manufacturing cars based on internal combustion engines.
The huge sales of automobiles have led to the vigorous development of various industries.
Now, because of the oil shortage, people don't trust cars.
When my father finds out, he will definitely be furious, and many people will be unlucky.
Cars are just a small problem, but now major construction sites have begun construction, and the construction machinery on the construction sites are the real oil tigers.
Without a large supply of diesel, these construction machinery cannot be used, which will inevitably affect the overall project progress.
Prince Su Shu immediately sent a report asking if several important construction sites in the empire were currently short of diesel.
These construction sites responded to telegrams extremely quickly.
All replies were that there was a shortage of oil, but they still had some diesel in storage, and the main machinery at the construction site had not been affected.
If diesel is still unavailable after more than a month, all these machines will be shut down and can only be completed by manpower.
Prince Su Shu believed that this situation was extremely urgent and the court must rely on the court to resolve the crisis.
The current nationwide oil shortage cannot be solved by relying on his power alone.
He asked his confidants to continue collecting information on the reasons for the diesel shortage.
Prince Su Shu had the impression that oil exploration in Nanyang was very large.
They used to use oil as fuel for boilers, but now they have diesel fuel that is more expensive and has a wider range of uses.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Oil production will definitely increase, so how can it cause an oil shortage?
There was no oil shortage in Nanyang and its surrounding areas, which led Prince Su Shu to judge that the problem probably occurred in the transportation link.
…………………………
"Father, this is how it is.
Erchen also just discovered that there is an oil shortage in most parts of the empire.
This situation must be resolved promptly.
Otherwise, the people of the empire will lose confidence in diesel engines.
In order to promote steam engines, the imperial court made great efforts to ensure the supply of coal.
Now we should continue to ensure the supply of diesel."
After Emperor Su He listened to Prince Su Shu's report, his originally rosy face immediately turned blue.
The steady breath also began to gradually become heavier.
Emperor Su He thought more. This was simply an oil shortage caused by a lack of diesel.
Or after his orders were spread to Nanyang, those places followed the instructions.
Or maybe the vested interest groups formed in the steam engine industry are too large, and they are taking action to strangle the new diesel engine.
The first reason can be easily solved, but the essence of the latter two reasons is that the authority of Emperor Su He has been challenged.
Emperor Su He had to use thunderous means to solve the problem. At the beginning, it was just the border provinces that acted against each other.
Then there may be a situation where government orders cannot leave the Forbidden City.
Emperor Su He immediately ordered an imperial meeting to be held.
The imperial meeting in the morning had just ended, and the ministers who had returned home for a short rest were notified again that Emperor Su He had convened an impromptu imperial meeting.
These ministers immediately realized that things were unusual.
Cabinet Minister Wu Hongyi asked Cabinet Minister Lin Wenjing: "Mr. Lin, you are on duty today.
If any situation arises, His Majesty will convene an impromptu imperial meeting.
The probability of an impromptu imperial meeting happening is extremely low, and the number of times a year can be counted on one hand."
Lin Wenjing spread her hands and said helplessly: "I don't know the specific situation.
The cabinet did not receive any important news. After I left Qianqing Palace today, I did not enter the palace to meet the Holy Spirit.
There is a high probability that this matter has nothing to do with our civil servants."
Lin Wenjing looked at the hurried general beside him with surprised eyes.
Could it be that the empire is at war with another country?
He then shook his head, this situation was extremely unlikely.
The empire's powerful strength is already very clear to the surrounding small countries.
They would never be so unwise as to dare to attack the empire.
It has nothing to do with both the civil and military parties, and it can still alert Emperor Su He to convene an imperial meeting.
He really can't imagine it now.
After everyone heard Lin Wenjing's answer, they were unable to learn more detailed information from her mouth.
They had no choice but to go to Qianqing Palace.
The sound of everyone's footsteps was lower than usual.
They approached Qianqing Palace cautiously and anxiously.
Everyone saw the prince Su Shu who looked a little anxious, and the emperor Su He who looked normal but had a cold attitude.
The ministers who were familiar with Emperor Su He all felt a thump in their hearts.
They looked at Emperor Su He's expression and realized that something was very bad, someone might be in trouble.
When Emperor Su He saw the ministers arriving, he stood up from the dragon chair and sat at the table next to the aisle.
He slammed the table hard and said angrily: "A few months ago, I ordered the imperial court to fully promote diesel engines, which is a century-old foundation of the empire.
I said at that time that I would never forgive any yamen that made a mistake.
There is nothing wrong with the diesel engine and I am very satisfied.
But if the prince didn’t realize that there was an oil shortage in the market, how long would you have to hide it?”
Prime Minister Qian Mingyi could tell that Emperor Su He was not in a good mood now.
He quickly spoke up to remove himself from the matter.
"In order to assign responsibilities to people, His Majesty assigned the supply of diesel to Cabinet Minister Wu Hongyi."
As soon as Prime Minister Qian Mingyi's plan came out, other officials breathed a sigh of relief, but Wu Hongyi felt like a big stone weighed on his heart.
Wu Hongyi saw the emperor looking at him.
He still doesn't know why the oil shortage happened, so he can only defend himself.
"Your Majesty, I am responsible for allocating diesel from Nanyang.
I am very dedicated to my work, and I remember that three 10,000-ton cargo ships have been shipped from Nanyang.
The diesel fuel loaded on it is enough for the empire to last for a long time.
I can’t figure it out at all, why is the empire short of oil?”
Wu Hongyi felt very aggrieved. He was responsible for a small matter, but something went wrong in this small matter.
Prince Su Shu immediately asked: "Master Wu has sworn that diesel has been shipped to the country, why is there still an oil shortage in the empire?
The empire currently has less than 10,000 cars, less than 100,000 three-wheeled trucks, and less than 50,000 various construction machinery.
With the diesel delivered by three 10,000-ton cargo ships, there is no way there will be an oil shortage."
Wu Hongyi was also very surprised. This thing was very strange, and he had to remove his suspicion.
"Your Majesty, I remember clearly that the freighters transporting diesel are Nan No. 037, Min No. 163, and Lu No. 426.
These three cargo ships departed from Zhenhai Port and their destinations were Tianjin Port, Qingdao Port and Quanzhou Port respectively.
This is a freighter belonging to the Imperial Ocean Shipping Company. Even if I want to intervene, it depends on whether the Young Master Qi Zi Zhangqi agrees."
Everyone in the court knew that Qi Zizhang was a very proud man.
The successive Shaofu orders have set a good example for him. As long as he does his job well and becomes a first- and second-grade official after being sent abroad, it will be very easy.
Wu Hongyi mentioned Qi Zizhang to show that even if he wanted to commit corruption, it would be very difficult.
When Qi Zizhang saw the fire burning on him, he immediately stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the cargo ship has a hull number, which means it has a household registration.
You can immediately send telegrams to Zhenhai Port, Tianjin Port, Qingdao Port, and Quanzhou Port to inquire about the entry and exit of these three cargo ships.
It doesn’t take long to figure out if someone is lying.”
Under the arrangement of Emperor Su He, several telegrams were sent to this port.
The atmosphere in Qianqing Palace was solemn until a reply telegram came from the port.
After Wu Hongyi read the telegram from Zhenhai Port, his nervous heart immediately relaxed.
"Your Majesty, these three cargo ships transporting diesel have already departed from Zhenhai Port."
Prince Su Shu nodded and said: "Quanzhou Port has the entry record of cargo ship No. 163.
After unloading the diesel, he returned to Nanyang."
Qi Zizhang took the telegram and said in surprise: "Something is wrong. There is no record of the arrival of cargo ship Nan 037 and Lu 426 in Tianjin Port and Qingdao Port."
Wu Hongyi said in surprise: "How is this possible? This is not the period of sailing ships. We need to consider the wind direction.
The steam engine is very powerful. According to my calculations, the cargo ship Lu 426 would have entered Qingdao Port as early as a month ago.
As early as half a month ago, cargo ship Nan 037 should have arrived at Tianjin Port.
It's been so long, why is there suddenly no movement?
How could such a huge cargo ship suddenly disappear?
Not to mention that the waters surrounding the empire have been cleared of pirates.
Even if they are pirates, they will not rob a freighter filled with diesel."
His suspicion of embezzling diesel fuel has been basically cleared, but now a more serious situation has emerged.
Two cargo ships that were very important to the empire disappeared without a trace on the sea.
Anyone who hears this situation will feel incredible.
Prince Su Shu frowned and said: "I think the disappearance of the freighter must be due to an accident.
It shouldn't be that the crew robbed the ship and escaped. This is illogical.
Diesel is relatively cheap overall and is not a valuable commodity.
These people really want to seize the ship and escape, why not choose to transport more expensive cargo.
Even a cargo ship transporting ore is much more expensive than transporting diesel."
Emperor Su He said worriedly and angrily: "The two freighters of the empire disappeared into the vast sea.
We must find out what happened to the cargo ship."
