Tim was not too worried about the shipbuilding technology and gunpowder purification technology of these people. After all, the technologies mastered by these talents were the most cutting-edge technologies on the European continent at this time.

What Tim is most worried about now is iron smelting technology. At this time, the European iron smelting technology was not very developed, and the scale was very small, so it could not be produced in batches. Therefore, what he is facing now is to solve the iron smelting technology as soon as possible.

To carry out large-scale iron production, sufficient coal resources and iron ore resources must be provided. However, at this moment, Tim suddenly realized that the Kingdom of Portugal was scarce and seemed to have no resources. Now Tim has a headache.

If you have a headache, you will not be in the mood to do anything. You originally planned to leave Sanchez to discuss the manufacturing technology of muskets together, but now you don’t even have iron tools to talk about how to make muskets.

The meeting was over hastily ended and encouraged everyone to work hard. Tim returned to his study with anxiety and losses.

At this moment, he finally understood why the Portuguese Empire in his previous life did not develop industries that made the country stronger. I am afraid the most fundamental reason is that the country is small and the resources are scarce?

Tim knew that steel and coal were the inexhaustible driving force for the country's progress and development, even in the twenty-first century.

Expand the map, and Tim began to carefully search for the energy distribution status of the European continent based on the history in his mind.

The iron ore on the European continent is mainly distributed near the Ruhr region, Ukraine region, England region, northern Sweden region and southern Iberian Peninsula.

The iron ore problem is relatively easy for Tim to solve. Now he has obtained Kiruna, the iron ore center in the northern part of the Swedish Kingdom. The iron ore is of good quality and free to obtain. So Tim did not look at the iron ore problem, but looked directly at the coal resource distribution area. After all, there is iron ore on the Iberian Peninsula, but there is no coal around, so the coal problem is the top priority.

Based on the historical information in my impression, looking at the map of the European continent, Tim quickly found the corresponding area of ​​coal resources. The main coal fields in Europe are:

The British coalfields of the lower Carboniferous system and the Silesian coalfields in Poland; the Central Carboniferous system in northern France, Belgium, Federal Germany, Ruhr and Ukraine Donbass; the Carboniferous to Erdiedi system are the most famous; among them, South Wales of the United Kingdom, Saar-Ruer and Ukraine Donbass are the most famous.

After figuring out these countries and locations, Tim began to figure out where to get coal from?

It is definitely not enough to obtain coal from the Kingdom of England. After all, I had already broken up with the Kingdom of England on the Atlantic Ocean. How could I still go to England?

Ukraine and Poland are definitely even worse. At this moment, the route to Ukraine is almost shrouded by the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Poland is far away in Central Europe and is an inland country with extremely inconvenient transportation. I am afraid that coal cannot be transported at all.

As for Germany and the Ruhr region, it is even more distant, not to mention that the current German region is completely ruled and occupied by states of all sizes. If there is no consensus between them, then cooperation will be even more impossible.

Three rulers and two rulers were excluded, and in the end only the Kingdom of France and the Belgium region were left.

It is quite possible to obtain coal from the Kingdom of France. After all, judging from the current alliance between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of France, this requirement can still be put forward to the Kingdom of France. However, the Kingdom of France will definitely not be given in vain and will definitely have to collect money. At present, the state's funds are not sufficient, so there is no need to spend a lot of money on buying coal, unless it is forced.

Finally, Tim finally set his sights on the Belgian region, which seemed to be the most likely place for the Portuguese Kingdom to obtain coal for free.

Belgium is currently the Duchy of Burgundy, and its Flanders is the focus of the competition between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of England. It would be too unwise to intervene in Belgium at this moment. After all, the Kingdom of France, the Kingdom of England and the Principal of Burgundy are all competing here.

Tim's mind turned, and his thoughts looked back. After the end of the Hundred Years' War in Britain and France, the Kingdom of France expelled the power of the Kingdom of England on the European continent, and then the Kingdom of France defeated the Principal of Burgundy and achieved unity. This period was around 1470.

After the demise of the Duchy of Burgundy, its southern territory was occupied by the Kingdom of France, and the northern territory, that is, the Belgium, was occupied by the Habsburg dynasty.

Thinking of this, Tim suddenly discovered a loophole. If the French Kingdom in the future were to attack the Principality of Burgundy to achieve unity, then he would send his navy to support Louis XI. Then, as rewards and under the influence of allies, could he directly exclude the Habsburg dynasty and gain rule over the North Flanders and the Netherlands?

In this way, will the coal in Belgium, the textile profits in the Flanders region and the trade profits in the northern Netherlands all belong to the Kingdom of Portugal?

By then, I will be the common monarch of three regions, including Portugal, Naples and the Netherlands. With the support of the rich trade profits of these three regions, it depends on who can still stop me from unifying the Iberian Peninsula.

The more I think about it, the more I feel there is a way, and the more I think it is feasible. It seems that I need to first carry out capital penetration and influence of the Portuguese Kingdom in the Netherlands as soon as possible.

Based on this foundation, Tim replanned his future development situation.

Then, now you can buy coal from the Kingdom of France first. On the one hand, you can make up for the lack of coal resources in the Kingdom of Portugal as soon as possible. On the other hand, you can indirectly fund the finances of the Kingdom of France to make the two countries closer in economic ties. When you want to take advantage of the opportunity to intervene in the northern part of the Principal of Burgundy in the future, I believe that the King of France is embarrassed to refuse.

After obtaining coal resources from the Kingdom of France, the iron smelting industry was immediately developed, thereby enhancing the country's military strength

In addition, while developing the country's military power, we must first start the preliminary exploration of southern Africa, and at least reach the Gold Coast and Ivory Coast first, so as to obtain gold and ivory from the African region as soon as possible to provide the country with current development funds.
Chapter completed!