June 2, 1665, Makassar.

Fossil fuels are of great significance to the history of modern geopolitics, especially the hegemons or dominant forces in the international system. Whether it is the Netherlands in the 17th century, the United Kingdom in the 19th century, or the United States in the 20th century, they have played an important role in energy supply and consumption.

Its political advantages played an important role in its political success.

The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States all have cheap energy. This energy advantage has been transformed into an economic advantage, allowing them to build an efficient and competitive economy on the one hand, and the ability to afford expensive and advanced military machines on the other.

As far as the United Kingdom and the United States are concerned, they not only have abundant coal and oil resources, but this low-cost energy advantage has also directly translated into military and geopolitical advantages.

Although the Netherlands has neither coal nor oil, it does have abundant reserves of peat.

Peat, to a certain extent, is made from decaying plants, the most important of which is moss, scientifically called "sphagnum moss" and sometimes called "bog moss". If this plant is buried underground and undergoes millions of

After years of high pressure, it will turn into coal; but if there is not enough time, it will become peat.

Most of the peat was formed in the past 6,000 years, and a wet and cold climate is a necessary condition for the formation and preservation of peat. Therefore, most of the world's peat is stored in high latitude and high altitude areas, such as Canada and Scandinavia.

Dinavia and Siberia. Although peat is widely distributed in the world, most of it is in places where access and transportation are inconvenient.

However, the Netherlands is an exception.

Although the peat resources in the Netherlands are not as abundant as those in Canada, Russia and Sweden, their supply areas are quite large. Unlike other parts of the world such as Scandinavia, where peat is usually located at an altitude of at least 50-150 meters, the Netherlands

Most of the peat is located 1-2 meters above and below sea level.

. Peat is very heavy, and it is extremely expensive to transport it by other means except water transportation. In this regard, the Netherlands is unique in the world. Its peat is shallow, and after being dug out, it can be loaded onto a boat or barge, and then

Through canals dug in the peat areas of the countryside, it can be transported to the city easily and cheaply.

Peat combustion cannot provide the high temperatures required for metallurgy, so peat cannot be used to smelt iron and steel. Despite this, peat still plays an important role in the development of the Dutch economy. The brewing industry and the lime burning industry are the most important industries in the Netherlands that enjoy the advantages of low-cost energy.

Two prominent industries. In 1

In the 7th century, lime was the most basic building material, and burning lime was an energy-intensive industry. At the same time, the Netherlands was also famous for brewing high-quality beer, and the brewing industry was also an energy-intensive industry. The Netherlands' low-cost peat provided the basis for these two industries.

laid a good foundation for its development.

The glassmaking, brick-making and salt-making industries are also energy-intensive, typically using fuelwood or charcoal. This means that wherever these industries exist, forests are destroyed because people have to extract them from the forests.

to collect firewood or burn charcoal, the ensuing industry will cut down all the

Forests. However, in the Netherlands, this type of industry could gain a foothold in cities because of its abundant and cheap peat. So, starting in the 1560s, the Netherlands continued to exploit its energy advantages in economic development until peat resources began

Exhausted (around 1680).

In some ways, the Dutch economy was the first modern economy in the world. In the 17th century, the Netherlands was certainly the most energy-intensive economy in the world because of its peat, and it was also to a large extent the most industrialized economy in the world.

The highest economy. The Netherlands is also probably the most urbanized country in the world. The development of industry and urbanization is conducive to creating a new society in the Netherlands. This society is very different from other societies, it is a city with more cities,

A market-oriented society with a more concentrated population and more emphasis on buying and selling habits.

In many areas of the UK, the coal base is quite close to the seaside, especially the area around Newcastle and South Wales. This is very important because it means that coal can be transported very easily from the place of origin to any place that can be reached by sea roads and ships. At this point

The UK is as lucky as the Netherlands.

But China is different. China's coal production areas are far away from sea routes, and it is expensive to transport it to places where most of the population is concentrated. China is very unfortunate in terms of the geographical distribution of coal.

Coal is of great significance to Britain's iron smelting industry and economic development. In the 17th century, Britain's iron mainly came from imports, most from Sweden, and a small part from the Baltic Sea region, including Russia. Britain produced very little iron itself, partly because

There was a lack of fuel at the time.

Before 1650, there were only very few forestlands left in the British Isles, and most of the remaining forestlands were far away from iron ore producing areas and were inaccessible. On the contrary, Sweden and Russia still had sufficient forests (and sufficient iron ore), so

They enjoyed energy advantages in iron smelting (at this period, the coal coking process had not yet been discovered in Europe, and most of them used charcoal).

We all know that Britain in later generations became the most efficient iron producer in the world from the end of the 18th century. From 1700 to 1850, Britain's iron production increased more than 20 times. In the 1840s, Britain established the most efficient iron producer in the world.

The metallurgical industry. By 1850, Britain produced half of the world's iron. The steel produced in Britain was cheaper and higher quality than that produced in other parts of the world.

The UK is just a small country, so why has such a huge change happened?

The key reason is that Britain uses its own coal efficiently.

British craftsmen figured out how to use coal in the iron smelting industry after 1709. Before that, coal could not be used to produce high-quality iron because the impurities in the coal would make the smelted iron brittle. Technological progress solved the problem

This problem opened the way for Britain to use its huge coal resources to smelt iron.

After the invention of the practical steam engine (1770-1780s), coal was also used for other production purposes. The application of the steam engine made it possible to drain water from coal mines deep underground, which in turn greatly expanded the supply of available coal.

By the 1820s, steam engines were being applied to ships and locomotives, giving rise to steamships and railroads. All of these changes relied on the energy provided by coal.

In short, from 1780 to 1880, Britain used the energy provided by its own coal reserves to build the most technologically advanced, dynamic, and prosperous economy in the world.

Just like the Netherlands used peat, the UK also developed a more prosperous economy due to the use of coal. But unlike the Dutch peat production, the UK's coal and iron production can be directly used in the military. Coal's low-cost energy advantage and this

Relevant advanced technologies allowed Britain to build a powerful military machine.

Starting in the 1850s, Britain established a steam-powered Royal Navy. The Royal Navy was the link that glued the British Empire together. In the era of sailing, it was difficult for the Royal Navy to establish maritime superiority over enemy countries, partly because

Timber is in short supply.

The switch to coal-powered iron ships was a very lucky development for Britain, which had abundant iron ore and coal mines. Coal also helped Britain make cheaper and better muskets. In the 19th century, Britain developed

It developed its own military and industrial complex. Its advantages in metallurgy allowed Britain to produce lightweight weapons and cannons to arm its army at a lower cost than its enemy countries. Therefore, energy substitution contributed to the strength of the British navy, making the British navy more powerful.

can more easily expand its world empire.

During this period, with the widespread use of steam engines in Hanzhou, coal became the most important and main energy source in Qi. And after more than 20 years of continuous exploration and development, coal was also discovered in the eastern part of Hanzhou.

There are several coal mines with huge reserves, which can provide a steady stream of coal resources for the industrial development of various local regions.

However, as the country began to research and manufacture ships driven by steam power, the whole country, especially the navy and several large domestic shipping companies immediately realized that it was necessary to store and develop coal at key supply points on many overseas routes.

Resources must be put on the agenda, and preparations must be made as early as possible to make corresponding plans and arrangements.

Although Qi State can completely use ships to transport the abundant coal reserves in the country to countless route nodes in advance to meet the supply needs for the later use of large-scale steam-powered ships. But if it is needed at those key nodes or in some Southeast Asia

If there are ready-made coal mines on the island that can be developed, it will naturally be much easier.

As for whether the distribution locations of these coal mines are in Qi's overseas territories, it doesn't matter. With Qi's current power, I believe no kingdom would dare to spend some money to lease or buy places with coal resources.

reject.

In 1652, the Nanyang trading community of Qi State, together with the Portuguese in Makassar and the Gowa Sultan Kingdom, took the opportunity to seize Sinjay, the capital of this kingdom, when they destroyed the Bernard Sultan Kingdom established by the Bugis people in the west.

It was regarded as an important stronghold of Nanyang Trading Company on Sulawesi Island and was renamed Guangchang.

After more than ten years of development, Nanyang Trading Company was based in Guangchang, and successively opened in Parobo, the capital of the Ruwu Sultan Kingdom in the south, Palu where the Mandal people gathered, and Toraja in the east of Sulawesi Island.

Kendari and Gorontalo, located in the northeastern region of the island, established several trading stations, placing this island that resembles the English letter "K" completely within the sphere of economic influence.

In June last year, Nanyang Trading Company unexpectedly learned that coal resources were discovered in the coastal area south of the Gowa Sultan Kingdom. After on-site inspections by several local prospecting experts, the news was finally confirmed, and they also claimed that the coal reserves were estimated to be

In hundreds of thousands of tons.

Therefore, Nanyang Trading Company immediately proposed to the Kingdom of Gowa Sultan to lease the place called Bontosungu and prepared to develop the coal resources here.

But the Nanyang trading community, which has always been strong, hit a snag. The Gowa Sultan Kingdom, which occupies a vast area in the southwest of Sulawesi, expressed its request for Qi's leased land with the most decisive attitude and said loudly, "No."

"Character.

Sultan Hasan Uddin of the Gowa Kingdom has always been highly vigilant about the expansion of Qi's power in the region. He also placed many restrictions on the expansion of Qi's business tentacles in the country and tried his best to prevent it. He was deeply

I can clearly feel that Qi State is completely different from the previous colonial methods of the Dutch. Not only did they dump countless industrial products in the vast area of ​​Nanyang, deeply tying up the various kingdoms economically, but they also wanted to occupy more territory.

He also seems to have great desires.

For more than ten years, the Qi people have used the stronghold in the east called Guangchang Fort as their core base, and have continuously encroached and occupied the territory of the Gowa Sultan Kingdom from the south, north and west. Many people once lived there

The Bugis and Gowa people were also transported away by the Qi State in one ship after another. It is said that they were sent to their native Hanzhou and put into countless mines and various plantations to serve as miserable slave labor.

Now, the Qi people have extended their claws to the southern coastal area of ​​the Gowa Sultan Kingdom. Although they claim that they are only renting land, King Hassan Uddin Sultan knows that once it is occupied by the Qi people, the Gowa Sultan will

The Vasudan Kingdom will eventually lose that land. Just like what they did in the Banten Sudan Kingdom more than ten years ago.

Although, rejecting the demands of the Qi people will inevitably result in their revenge and attack. But as a devout believer in the True God Religion and a dignified Sultanate King, Hassan Uddin must stand up bravely and do his best to

Resolute attitude to safeguard the independence and integrity of the Gowa Sultan Kingdom. If Qi is allowed to encroach and invade like this, all the Gowa people will eventually lose everything and become slaves of the Qi people.

Sure enough, a month ago, Qi State used the excuse that its merchants had been unfairly treated by the Gowa Sultan Kingdom, and sent several armed merchant ships to blockade the Makassar port, prohibiting any ships from the Gowa people from entering or exiting, and threatened the Gowa people.

The Vasudan Kingdom issued an ultimatum, demanding a positive response to the various conditions they proposed.

King Hassan Uddin Sultan immediately contacted the Portuguese in the north of Makassar and asked them to stand with the Gowa people to deal with the enemies who invaded Makassar, just like they had done decades ago.

The Portuguese vowed to reaffirm the offensive and defensive alliance between the two sides, stating that they would firmly stand on the side of the Gowa people and jointly defend the city of Makassar with the kingdom's army.

King Uddin Sultan was very satisfied with the Portuguese's attitude. With the coalition forces of both sides waiting for work on land, and the strong city of Makassar that could be defended, even if the Qi people blocked the port, they would not be able to do anything to Gowa.

The Kingdom of the Sudan. Unless they risked launching a landing campaign and then stormed Makassar City. If this was the case, the Gowa people would definitely make the Qi people pay a heavy price under the city.

However, what the Gowa people did not expect was that the Portuguese betrayed them shamefully.

Not only did the Portuguese not resolutely resist when the Qi people landed near their castle, but in the following days, when the Gowa garrison in Makassar was unprepared, they cooperated with the Qi army outside the city to attack.

Entered the city.

The entire city of Makassar suddenly fell into huge chaos. Under the attack of more than 2,000 Qi-Portuguese coalition forces, the Gowa army was defeated. More than 1,300 people were killed and injured, and most of the remaining troops surrendered.

King Uddin Sultan fled into the nearby Zomba-Op Fortress with less than a thousand remaining soldiers. He looked at the city of Makassar in flames and was in panic all day long.

Three days later, the Nanyang Trading Company sent an envoy to the gates of Zomba Opu Fortress, requesting an audience with King Uddin Sultan to negotiate on how to end the conflict between the two parties.

King Uddin Sultan hesitated for a long time, and finally closed his eyes in pain and ordered his guards to put the Qi people's envoy into the city.
Chapter completed!