章 147: Chapter 148: [Maidu People]
"good idea!"
"Yes, we should mint our own gold coins!"
Du Tiao's proposal was agreed by many people. It is almost always exciting to own something that belongs to one's own nation.
"I think we should also mint some of our own silver coins, and copper coins!"
Shulang hesitated for a moment: "Gold coins are easy to deal with, but as for silver coins and copper coins... we don't have silver mines or copper mines."
Du Tiao said, "Then let's melt the white people's silver and copper coins and make them our own!"
Ma Shao laughed and said, "Isn't this a losing business? You know, minting coins also has costs. On this issue, we should treat it the same way as we treat the calendar, and focus on convenience first."
"We will convert the gold produced here into gold ingots or bars, and then send them to slepping bear city to be used as the city's fiscal revenue."
Du Tiao: "Although gold ingots can be used, they are somewhat inconvenient... I think it would be better to mint them into gold coins, and even print your portrait on them, Great Chieftain."
Ma Shao said: "No need, for now we can just use the gold and silver coins made by white people, they are all gold and silver anyway. When we need and have the conditions to make our own currency, it will probably be paper money."
"Paper money?" Du Tiao was stunned. "Don't we never accept paper money?"
Ma Shao said slowly: "We just don't accept existing American banknotes. Those US dollar bills are issued by private banks, and the anti-counterfeiting level is mostly worrying. Of course, they have no value."
"But with the development of technology and social systems, the design of banknotes will become more and more mature. It will eventually become something issued and guaranteed by the state, and have excellent anti-counterfeiting functions."
People seemed to understand, but they couldn't help but wonder: "But...what value can something made of paper have?"
Ma Shao held up a piece of gold and said, "Does this piece of gold have any 'value'? It can neither be eaten nor worn, nor can it cure diseases or educate people."
Of course gold has practical value, and it is very high, but that is in the future industrial society.
For today's humans, the main use of gold... is probably to show off.
"Gold has no value either. Its value comes from people's trust. As long as it has the same trust, paper money will have the same value as gold."
"I actually mentioned to you in class that, in the final analysis, the real wealth of society is 'productivity', the living space, natural resources and power we have to transform the world, not gold, silver or any form of money."
"When thinking about money, we should not be obsessed with money itself. What is more worthy of our attention is the production and exchange of labor..."
"For example, the 'cost of minting' I just mentioned is essentially that we need to extract manpower and resources to do this work, which will inevitably lead to a reduction in manpower and resources engaged in industry and agriculture. The reduced labor output is the true essence of the so-called coinage cost."
Ma Shao gradually began to lecture, not getting tired of it.
The Donggu lumberyard was gradually improved, and logging and gold mining work were carried out in an orderly manner.
By August, the place looked like a proper settlement, with a wall and some wooden houses.
This Apache team heading west had a total of three hundred people.
Three hundred people were obviously too many for logging and gold mining.
So after the initial construction here was completed, Ma Shao left with more than a hundred people and headed southwest. Their target was naturally Sacramento, which was dozens of kilometers away.
It took them four days to complete the dozens of kilometers on horseback.
This is mainly because the forest here is dense, there are not many easy roads to walk on, and wild animals appear from time to time, so it is inevitable that there will be more delays on the road.
They also carried several carts of timber.
So it took four days for Ma Shao and others to arrive in Sacramento.
Or rather, the future city of Sacramento.
Ma Shao had naturally never been to Sacramento in his previous life. In fact, he had hardly ever been abroad, but he was basically certain that this place was within the future city of Sacramento.
Because if he were asked to build a city nearby, this would be his choice - the river splits into three nearby, extending in three directions: east, west, and south.
He believes that the gold diggers who founded Sacramento in history would have made the same choice as him.
"We'll build the new city here." Ma Shao said, pointing to an open space in front.
People then set up tents here, unloaded wood, and began to build a new city, or a new village.
In the following period, in addition to the East Valley logging camp, the Apaches here were also busy, and even busier.
After all, the Donggu Lumberyard is just a lumberyard, and what is about to be built here is a formal settlement, a city.
Every day, in addition to hunting and fishing nearby to collect food, the Apaches built houses and walls.
Fortunately, there are abundant materials for building the new city, especially timber. The lumberyard will deliver a batch of timber every few days.
Compared with the sufficient supply of wood, there is a shortage of manpower, mainly because there are relatively few professional construction craftsmen and most people's construction efficiency is not high.
A few days after the city construction began.
A group of unexpected visitors visited the new city which had not yet taken shape.
"Captain, there are some strangers outside." The soldier came over to report, "They should be from a nearby clan."
"How many people are there?" asked Ma Shao, who was writing a book in the room.
"About twenty people."
Ma Shao stood up, called Feihua and a few guards, and left the new city under construction.
Soon after leaving the city, they saw about twenty people not far away.
These twenty men were all riding horses, had long hair, and many were shirtless, revealing their yellow skin. They were obviously Indians.
"It may be Maidu, or it may not be." Nonsense said, "There are big differences among Maidu people, but generally speaking, they still have some similarities..."
After the two sides got closer, a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties walked out from the opposite side. He had very big ears - Ma Shao could probably guess his name.
"We are the Maidu people from nearby. My name is Da'er, and I'm the chief of the Wild Duck Clan." The middle-aged man introduced himself. His name was exactly what Ma Shao had guessed.
"You... seem to be outsiders?" he said again.
Waste acted as a translator for both parties, translating the words into Apache and informing Ma Shao.
Although he often talks nonsense, he is still competent as a translator. At least Ma Shao feels that the length of his translation is about the same as what Da'er said.
Ma Shao said, "Yes, we are from the East, we are Apaches."
"Apaches?" Big Ear was stunned for a moment, then seemed to remember something and looked Ma Shao up and down.
"Are you... the Son of the Sky?"
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