Volume 4: How big is the heart, how vast is the earth Chapter 104 Grassland Copper Coin
About half a month after the Nightmare Knight incident, the forest elf trading team arrived at the Fire Tribe as scheduled.
Xiao Yun personally received these important guests and invited this team of elf warriors to the mobile home for a good meal and drink. When he turned his back, the smile on his face was a little cold.
Ms. Evelyn , who was responsible for signing the contract with the Snow Wolf Tribe, did not come.
Regardless of whether it conforms to aesthetic standards or not, Ms. Evelin, who is a little immature and always tense to pretend to be mature, is somewhat cute in Xiao Yun's eyes. Well... for a veteran in the workplace like him, teasing such a fresh and "young" person is also a kind of relaxation.
In last year's transaction, Ms. Evelyn made it clear that she would still be in charge this year. However, when the transaction period came this year, Ms. Evelyn did not show up, and only a group of elf warriors came.
The temporary replacement may seem insignificant, but combined with the previous attack on the Snow Wolf warriors, the amount of information involved is huge - Ms. Evelyn's teacher is an elder of Ananas City, and she herself is also a candidate for the Council of Elders. In terms of the right to speak and the credibility of her "testimony", Ms. Evelyn is undoubtedly N times higher than that of an ordinary elf warrior.
She was temporarily replaced, and the explanation given by the elf warrior was that "there was an urgent mission". Does this mean that someone does not want Ms. Evelyn to understand the current situation of the Fire Tribe, or even... does not want someone like Ms. Evelyn who has a certain say to know about the changes on the grassland?
So the question is, who has the status and power...to openly send Ms. Evelyn away?
Xiao Yun walked out and arranged for the people in the canteen to prepare a banquet to entertain the guests, with a lot of thoughts running through his mind.
There is no doubt that there is a person in Ananas City who is no less powerful than Ms. Evelyn's backer - her teacher and member of the Council of Elders - who deliberately sent Ms. Evelyn away and only let a group of warriors be responsible for the transaction. It is clear that he does not want the forest elves to "accept" the "testimony" of the Snow Wolf Tribe.
This person's status is very likely to be higher than that of the Elf General Crest - because part of this year's transaction is about military rations. If he were in General Crest's position, he would naturally hope that someone with a higher status or his own soldiers would be responsible. However... the team sent to the Snow Wolf Tribe was composed entirely of elf warriors in the city. Xiao Yun did not see any of Crest's soldiers on duty at the port among them.
"It's watertight." Xiao Yun sneered. Until now, he still didn't know who the enemy was, but judging from the means adopted by the other party, this was undoubtedly a deep, experienced, arrogant and cold opponent. From the beginning, he had no intention of giving the Snow Wolf Clan a chance to question him, and he didn't take the Snow Wolf Clan seriously at all.
Xiao Yun actually didn't care much about this matter... Be it "complaining" or questioning, if he wanted the questions he raised to be taken seriously, he himself needed a certain size. Otherwise, not only would the problem not be solved, but he would also become the person who raised the problem and be solved.
Therefore, he sent Yu and Hongye away before the transaction date. From the very beginning, Xiao Yun had no intention of making a fuss about such a trivial matter - "Who is kneeling in the hall, and why is he suing me?" This kind of funny drama, Xiao Yun had no interest in participating at all.
The cordial, friendly, lively and harmonious transaction ended. The elf warriors were sent off, and the sun cloth exchanged for porcelain and the precious metals exchanged for sauces and vermicelli were put into the warehouse. Xiao Yun calmly opened the "Draft of the Basic Law of Grassland Currency" bound with bark paper and began to calculate the currency coefficient of the internal circulation monetary system.
Credit notes are obviously more practical than precious metal currencies, but Xiao Yun has his own ideas. He is not so arrogant as to think that a small tribe of only 700 people has the nerve to issue credit notes...
Therefore, the precious metals that we have worked so hard to obtain cannot be kept in the warehouse for viewing, but must be used.
Directly using the currency from outside would not benefit the grassland economy, so Xiao Yun had to consider minting coins. There was no problem with the technical support in this regard. When the tribe began to use hydraulic power to press soybean oil, the gray dwarves had already figured out the hydraulic forging equipment for minting coins. Now some of the farm tools and small parts in the tribe are forged by hydraulic power. Otherwise, they all depended on the manual work of dozens of dwarves, and how could they keep up with the consumption?
This is also a growth forced by demand. In the Snow Wolf tribe, one adult can do the work of ten strong laborers in farming, but it also consumes a lot of farm tools. The hoes, shovels and other tools in the tribe can no longer be equipped with wooden handles, and they must be equipped with detachable metal handles. Even so, there are still people who break or break the metal handles, which is very unacceptable...
If you want your homemade coins to be recognized by the tribe members, you must make sure that the homemade coins have value in internal transactions, that is, ensure the purchasing power of the coins.
At a time when all means of production are shared, you still require your people to earn money through labor and then use the money to buy essential daily necessities and supplies. This is simply inhumane... More reliable companies also cover five social insurances and one housing fund, provide canteens and dormitories for employees, so in terms of the most basic food, clothing and housing, the current stage must be a distribution system, and it is impossible to use it to "stimulate domestic demand."
So in terms of promoting internal currency circulation and ensuring currency purchasing power, all Xiao Yun can do is to work hard on non-essential daily necessities, such as snacks.
The tribe took out the copper coins in reserve, smelted them and fused them with zinc (sphalerite is often found in iron ore, a sulfide mineral) to form brass (brass, an alloy of zinc and copper, was the first alloy used by the ancients). Hydraulic presses were used to forge brass coins with a face value of one gram, five grams, and ten grams, with the value of the coin changing with the weight.
A copper coin with a net content of two grams can be melted into three brass coins weighing one gram. Anyway, coinage is a huge profit, and this currency is only circulated within the company. Xiao Yun is not afraid that someone will come and point at him and call him a profiteer...
Besides, pure copper coins will rust if left alone. They don’t have the same mechanical properties and corrosion resistance as brass. Brass is also more beautiful…
As for why he wanted to cast it into the shape of Kong Fangxiong, it was not purely because Xiao Yun wanted to play with his emotions, but because Kong Fangxiong was easier to carry and keep, and he would not have to worry about losing it if he strung it with a sturdy rope.
Xiao Yun picked up a brass coin from the basket and spread it in his palm. He did not pursue how beautiful the copper coins circulated internally should be, so the styles of the first batch of coins were quite simple... Taking the one-gram brass coin as an example, there are four square Chinese characters "Grassland Copper Coin" on the front, and a "1" with a vertical bar on the left side of the back, representing the currency value, and a simple vine-like pattern on the right. On the side of the coin, there is a row of repeated small characters: "Grassland People's Great Unity".
Hmm... it's vulgar, unbearable to look at, extremely ugly, and it's simply an insult to the good-looking brass... But if the most frequently circulated currency is not used as the front line of propaganda work, Xiao Yun feels that he has lost a lot, so just let it go, don't be so picky...
"Baru, what do you think of this coin?" After turning it over and checking it several times, Xiao Yun looked at Baru, who was in charge of coin minting, with interest.
"It's ugly." Baru, an honest man, said without hesitation, "I really don't understand why there is a big square hole in the middle. Is it to make the coin look bigger? Then why mint one-gram coins? It's too stingy, Ayun. There are no copper coins with such a small face value on the mainland..."
Xiao Yun bent down, grabbed a handful of coins, pulled out a tendon to string the coins together, tied it to his belt, and raised his eyebrows at Baru.
Baru: "...Oh!" He clenched his right fist and slapped his left palm, "This way, I won't be afraid that the coins will fall out when I move around in my waist bag!"
"Hmm." Xiao Yun smiled as he untied the string of coins and threw it back into the basket. "Of course, it's also to make the coins look bigger. After all, one gram of brass is too light."
Baru: “…”
That evening, Xiao Yun convened a working meeting with the tribe's chiefs, warriors and ethnic representatives. At the meeting, he showed everyone the three denominations of brass coins and proposed a new plan for the welfare of tribal members: "In the past, we distributed snacks based on what we had. After working hard all day, it depended on luck what snacks we could get. I felt that this was not worthy of everyone's hard work. So I came up with a solution to the problem. That is, we don't distribute snacks directly after work every day, but coins instead."
"The cafeteria will be in charge of Niu Jiao, and Da He will be in charge of a new department. This department is called the Welfare Department, which specializes in producing various snacks for the tribe. Everyone can use the coins they receive to exchange for the types they like in Da He's Welfare Department according to their own tastes."
"Hey, this is great!" Before the tribe leaders said anything, the warriors became happy, especially Uncle Ashan, who spoke particularly loudly... Ashan liked fried and spicy snacks, and most of the sweet candies given to him were fed to the caracal cubs. If he could choose the flavor, he would naturally agree with both hands.
"I think it's good, too." The grassroots tribe leader who had been informed in advance cast her vote in favor. The grassroots tribe leader also likes strong flavors and doesn't like sweets very much... The main reason is that her sense of taste has deteriorated due to her age, and the sweets that ordinary people eat taste bland to her.
"Let's do it." The Fire Clan leader was as serious and solemn as ever, and his words were concise and to the point.
Although Xia is the clan leader, he has little say. He looks on with a cold face as he watches Fishbone and Rosemary, who are becoming more and more vocal, discussing whether pork floss or beef floss is more delicious.
Chief Li was stared at by Xiaohua's sharp eyes on his back, and he silently raised his hand to agree.
Baru is fine with it; the gray dwarf loves the canteen's meals more than snacks.
The old goblin monk never raised any objections.
With more than 70% of the people in favor, this matter was naturally passed smoothly...
Xiao Yun brought the dustpan filled with coins to the middle of the crowd and asked everyone to take a closer look. "Then let's discuss the purchasing power of coins. That is, what denomination of coins is appropriate to buy the right amount of snacks for the Welfare Department, and what denomination of coins is appropriate to distribute to each work team based on their daily workload..."
Forcing others to follow you is not a problem in the short term, but over time, even children will develop a rebellious mentality; if you guide others skillfully and let them make choices within the scope you define, and give them the psychological hint that "I am also a decision maker", then the difficulty of carrying out the work will be relatively low... Xiao Yun calculated the standard range himself, and then let everyone discuss how to choose within the scope he defined. This approach is much more advanced than asking "you all have to listen to me" from the beginning, and it is not easy to waste time and energy.
In short, you can play around with the details, which is the power of all participants in this work meeting. I will draw the framework, which is not very important. Let's continue to discuss the details...
This is not to say that Xiao Yun is so hypocritical that he has to fool people and find trouble for everyone in such a place. Playing games requires "immersion in the plot", and doing things is of course to make partners feel "involved" as much as possible. How much responsibility do you expect a father who doesn't help take care of the children to have for the children? People only invest their energy and efforts in things. Even if there is a dog at home, the parents who are responsible for feeding it will definitely have a deeper relationship with the dog than the little owner who just plays with it.
After a heated discussion, the copper coin distribution standard and snack exchange standard for each work team after completing the daily workload were determined. After the meeting, the soldiers and team leaders who attended the meeting happily told the good news to their good friends... What the hell! After a day's work, you can get coins to exchange for your favorite snacks! Much more than before!
Really? Is there such a good thing?
Of course it is! I personally participated in the discussion! The longer you work in the same team, the more bonus you will get!
Very good!
Well... including the cat tribe, the simple grassland people didn't think of complaining about the countless "white work" they had done before - they couldn't even complain about it. Although they didn't get paid before, they were well fed in the canteen! They were also given clothes and blankets and had separate rooms to live in!
A "government decree" issued by force will never be as adaptable as a policy based on the voice of the masses. After a few days, the Welfare Department was ready. At dinner that day, the heads of each work team distributed coins according to the length of time they had participated in the work. No matter how much or how little they received, everyone looked happy...
Taking Niu Jiao's cafeteria as an example, there are three "old employees" including Niu Jiao who have served for more than two years. According to the standard of two copper coins added per day each year, Niu Jiao's daily "snack subsidy" is one five-gram coin plus four one-gram coins, plus two one-gram coins as an additional subsidy from the person in charge.
Niu Jiao ran excitedly to the Welfare Department, which was renovated from one of the earliest smaller warehouses, holding the coins, and was pleasantly surprised to find...
Palm-sized fried bean cakes, two for one dollar!
The most popular cut candy, made by pressing and cutting preserved fruits, roasted beans and other ingredients, costs three yuan a piece!
White|tender spicy tofu pudding, two dollars a bowl!
Bulk meat floss, 200 grams for five yuan!
The white sugar cubes are also weighed, ten yuan for a pound, which is a whole bag!
As well as cream, yogurt, canned fruit, fried foods... and so on.
Niu Jiao's mouth was cracked with laughter. He quickly exchanged all the snack allowance for today for his favorite snacks, and went to find Qiuqiu to share...
Of course, the Welfare Department provides not only snacks, but also products produced in the tribe that are not included in the distribution system, such as a pair of fingerless wool gloves for three grams of brass coins, a white and soft scarf for ten copper coins, a pair of super wear-resistant underwear made of sun cloth for five copper coins, socks for three copper coins, as well as soap, portable water bottles, bottled chili oil, more stylish clothes, etc.
The “big items” that require saving money for several days to buy are unlikely to attract people who are only focused on snacks for the time being, but if the products are there, there will always be people who will look at them, and after seeing them enough, it is only natural for them to want to own them and to develop the awareness of saving.
The "subsidy" received by the grassroots tribe leader was the same as that of an ox horn, 11 grams of copper coins per day. She wandered around the display cabinet of the Welfare Department for a long time with her hands in her pockets, bought a bottle of chili oil worth five copper coins, and returned home satisfied... She had decided to save up the subsidy for a while to buy back that decent dress.
Ashu, who had just been able to get up and move, could no longer serve as a soldier due to severe damage to his internal organs. Although he did not participate in the work, he was injured during the patrol period. According to the discussion at the work meeting, he also received "work injury subsidies" before his injury healed. The basic "subsidy" was five copper coins per day. With two years of work experience (starting from the time when the tribe's production model was determined and foreign trade was recognized, that is, when Prince Carlisle first visited), his subsidy was only two yuan less than Niu Jiao. Because of the injury to his internal organs, he had to avoid eating snacks, so he saved them for later use.
All in all, if you get seriously injured and disabled for the tribe, you can only get nine yuan a day without working... It's a bit miserable, but there is no condition to provide better additional benefits at present. At least the tribe provides food, clothing and housing, which is barely enough...
A newcomer who has no seniority and is not a person in charge only earns five dollars a day.
The money distributed is recycled through non-people's livelihood products and then distributed again, which plays a good role in circulation and stimulates everyone's enthusiasm for work. The initial effect seems to be quite good; but it is a big problem for Dahe, who has to deal with such a large workload. He almost got a mouthful of bubbles when he calculated the accounts... Xiao Yun said that you deserve it! You should be given more practice as a lazy guy!
Internal currency circulation is a big deal. Xiao Yun watched for a few days and felt relieved when he saw that everyone's attention gradually shifted from snacks to Sun Cloth clothes after the initial enthusiasm passed and a group of mainly female tribesmen began to save money... The purpose of the copper coins currently in circulation is to cultivate everyone's economic awareness. After everyone gets used to consciously allocating and consuming the coins they own, the subsidy distribution can be changed from the troublesome daily system to a weekly or monthly salary system to increase stability.
In the future, when there are more people and the base is larger, the cafeteria can also implement a meal ordering system, where people can pay for what they want to eat and add the dishes themselves... This can improve satisfaction and recycle money, killing two birds with one stone.
On the western coast, the elven port.
General Kleist was somewhat dissatisfied with the Elders Council's monopoly on the military rations trade and not letting the military intervene, but since the other general did not speak out, he could not protest. However, when the rations delivered to the dock for distribution to the guard troops were much less than the original amount, General Kleist could no longer tolerate it no matter how good his temper was.
"I demand an explanation from the Council of Elders for this matter. It does not match the planned quantity." After checking the vermicelli loaded on the convoy, General Kleist flicked his cloak aside, frowned, and walked up to the escort officer.
"General Kleist, this is the share given by the Council of Elders after carefully calculating the daily consumption of the port's rotating staff. I think it should be reasonable." The escort officer in a robe said respectfully.
"What about the vassal races? What about the shares of the humans and orcs who maintain the port? Do we have to ask our warriors to hunt and fish to ensure their needs?" General Crest raised his voice slightly.
"This...the bread loaded on the car at the back is exactly for the vassal races." The escort officer's face turned a little pale, but he refused to back down.
General Kleist took a deep breath, and veins appeared on his forehead...
The elves do not treat their vassal races harshly like slaves. Although they do not provide them with abundant supplies, at least they can eat the same thing as ordinary elves. They will pay attention to a certain degree of fairness in the most basic daily necessities. This is the main reason why many humans and orcs defected from their hometowns and came to become vassals of the elves.
Leaving the forest to work at the docks is more tiring, so naturally they should be given preferential treatment. Any vassal race willing to come can enjoy half the treatment of the elf warriors. So in the distribution of vermicelli, which is more delicious than bread (the key point), the elf warriors eat three taels of vermicelli in one meal, and the vassal races should also be given one and a half taels.
The relatively small Elf Wharf requires a hundred warriors on duty, and two hundred for the vassal humans and orcs. After all... the Elf warriors also need to be served. Besides, starting this year, in addition to the St. Bridget caravan, this port will also welcome guests from the sea clan and adventurer teams. Someone has to do the miscellaneous work in the prepared inns and hotels, right?
His subordinate Hailin is on good terms with the Snow Wolf Tribe. The Snow Wolf Tribe promised that in addition to the first batch of 400,000 catties of vermicelli this year, they would also provide a trading volume of no less than 500,000 catties each time. General Crest felt that he would not be treated unfairly in this regard. He never expected that the Council of Elders would be so rude and only deliver less than 20,000 catties of vermicelli. Was this a mockery of him, a mockery of him, or a mockery of him? !
He grabbed the escort officer and dragged him to a corner in front of the horrified eyes of the vassal races who were busy moving supplies. General Kleist grabbed his collar with one hand and put the other hand on his sword, saying unkindly, "Four hundred thousand kilograms of flour. Even if more than four thousand people in the city eat it every day for several months, they still can't finish it. Tell me, where did the flour you bought go?"
Of the two elven generals in Ananas City, Crest was the calmer and kinder one. At this moment, the honest man got angry, and the escort officer, who was just an ordinary civilian, couldn't stand it anymore. He lowered his head in a cold sweat and said in a mosquito-like voice: "This... really has nothing to do with our logistics department... Only 100,000 kilograms entered the warehouse... We are responsible for the supply of the city... and other troops... so..."
"What about the other 300,000 kilograms?" General Kleist's face darkened.
"The Council of Elders decided... to send it to... Stephens..." the escort officer said palely.
"Is the Council of Elders using Ananas' supplies as a favor?!" General Kleist shouted angrily, "Even if they wanted to do a favor, couldn't they wait for the next batch?! What on earth is Ananas in the eyes of the Council of Elders!"
"General, this is not something we can decide." The escort officer pulled up the corners of his mouth and showed a wry smile. Not to mention him, the head of the logistics department was not qualified to influence the decision of the Council of Elders.
General Kleist shook off the escort officer, turned around with a dark face and strode away.
He could probably guess what was going on. Elder Gwendolyn had been transferred from the Queen's Mage Corps to Ananas decades ago. In the eyes of a tribal commander like him, the status of an elder in a city was high enough, but Elder Gwendolyn must have been unwilling to accept that.
