After giving instructions to the chief carpenter, I set out under the pretext of surveying the surrounding region.
I took the guide, a cartographer, and twenty-five soldiers with me.
‘We should start with placer gold.
It’s easy to find and relatively easy to extract.’
“Let’s begin in this direction.”
I guided the group toward the American River, which would later become famous for its abundant placer-gold deposits.
Unfortunately, the journey was not as simple as walking directly there.
We had to stop frequently to survey the terrain and update our maps.
That consumed far more time than expected, and the landscape prevented us from traveling in a straight line.
We explored Sacramento’s dense woodland while helping with the surveying and mapping.
‘We should record everything accurately.
In the future, this entire region could expand into residential or commercial districts.’
As we advanced, I noted the terrain and searched for the American River.
At night, we returned to our temporary camp at the settlement.
The next morning, we set out again.
A full week passed.
Then, in the distance, I finally saw a river.
Even from where I stood, the water seemed to glitter strangely.
‘Finally.
The American River.
It’s close to Sacramento, yet finding it still took us an entire week.’
I deliberately spoke first.
“What’s that in the water?
Can everyone see it?”
“Oh!
Something’s shining.”
The guide answered, and one of the soldiers hurried toward the river to investigate.
“Gold… It’s gold!
Your Highness, there are tiny gold nuggets in the river!”
“Oh!
Gold, you say?”
I pretended to be surprised.
Then I smiled.
“It seems I’ve been fortunate enough to discover gold on my own land.
“Let’s survey the surrounding area a little more before we return.”
***
“Gold?”
“I’m telling you, there was so much gold in the river that the water itself looked golden.”
“Come on.
How could there possibly be that much?”
“I’m serious!
I wasn’t the only one who saw it.
Everyone else did too.”
Not even a full day had passed since the reconnaissance party returned to Sacramento before rumors about the discovery spread throughout the colony.
The soldiers exaggerated the story wildly.
Before long, some people began suggesting that they should simply go to the river and mine the gold themselves.
Major Manuel immediately issued a warning to both soldiers and settlers.
“All of this land belongs to His Highness, Prince Jerónimo.
Therefore, the gold on it belongs to him as well.
“If anyone touches it without permission, be prepared for severe punishment.”
The settlers looked disappointed.
I stepped forward before that disappointment could turn into resentment.
“Gold is useless if there are no miners to extract it.
“If anyone volunteers to work as a miner, I promise high wages and free equipment.
“And even if you work in the mines, you will still receive the land I originally promised your family.”
That was a tempting offer.
High-paying work without sacrificing the land grant they had already been promised.
“Ooooh!”
“His Highness is incredible!”
The settlers who had been disappointed only moments earlier erupted in cheers.
The soldiers, however, began looking dissatisfied.
Mining might technically fall within their duties if ordered, but they couldn’t help resenting the fact that civilians would receive extra benefits.
I noticed immediately.
“…And as for the soldiers and officers who followed me all the way to this distant land—if you bring your families to California, you will also receive land.
“Furthermore, any soldier who participates directly in gold extraction will, as a special exception, receive additional pay!”
“Oh!”
“WAAAAAAH!”
The soldiers exploded into cheers.
Even Major Manuel joined in.
‘Major Manuel, why are you cheering too…?’
“…However, we cannot forget our primary mission, which is the colonization of California.
“I’ll hire an appropriate number of miners and organize rotating shifts.
“I’ll explain the details tomorrow.
For now, everyone may disperse.” Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
***
The settlers returned to their tents, but none could hide their excitement.
“Joining the California expedition might have been the best decision we ever made.”
“Yes, dear.
Honestly, during that endless journey, when we were exhausted every day, I regretted coming.
“But now I’m glad we did.”
“Same here.
I thought we’d spend years struggling with mistakes and hardships once we reached this empty land.
“Instead, everything is moving quickly under the Prince’s leadership.
“The land we’re receiving is fertile and excellent for farming.
And with the gold mine, we should soon be able to buy agricultural tools, furniture, and everything else we need to begin a new life.”
“Exactly.
If we’d stayed in the city, we never could have dreamed of owning a house and a farm this large.”
Most settlers and soldiers looked toward the future with hope.
But not everyone felt the same.
Julio Cervantes, captain of the Second Company assigned to the Crown Prince’s escort, could not stop thinking about what he had seen.
‘All these idiots are celebrating over crumbs.
‘Have they already forgotten the five months we spent walking all the way out here?
‘Fools.
‘I’m not going to let that brat keep all the gold in that river.
‘If I steal the gold and escape to the United States, what can the Prince do?
‘Nothing.’
Julio was a criollo with light skin and some knowledge of English.
The more he thought about the plan, the more convinced he became that he could steal the gold and live as a wealthy man in the United States.
‘I only need to convince a few stupid settlers to help me.
‘Then, right before we cross the border, I’ll kill them all.
‘Hahaha!
I’m a genius!’
***
Julio Cervantes began recruiting accomplices in secret.
He started with soldiers from his own escort company—men he trusted and understood well.
“Listen.
Every guard assigned to the warehouse where the gold is stored belongs to our company.
“If we steal the gold while our men are on duty and slip away, who would ever know?
“It’s foolproof.”
“I think we could steal it, Captain.
But living in the United States and selling the gold is another matter.
“If they realize we’re Mexican, we could be arrested.”
“Come on, Miguel.
You and I are light-skinned.
“If we speak English well, the Americans won’t know the difference.
“I’ll teach you English myself.
What do you say?”
“All right.
I trust you, Captain.”
Julio did not rush.
He had spent months traveling to California with these men and had spoken with them constantly.
He knew exactly whom to approach.
He targeted soldiers who were close to him, ambitious, and light-skinned enough to pass more easily among Americans.
“Miguel and the others are already in.
With you, there’ll be five of us.
“That’s enough to make sure every guard on duty at the warehouse belongs to our group.
“What do you say?”
“I’m in.”
Once the soldiers were recruited, Julio expanded his network among the civilian settlers.
He used the same method.
He had spent months talking with them and observing their personalities.
He sought people who were ambitious, disloyal, and—because of his escape plan—light-skinned.
“It’ll be dark before dawn.
“Every guard at the warehouse will be one of ours.
“All you have to do is collect the gold.
“Once we have everything, we ride away.
“Does it still sound dangerous?”
“There are already that many soldiers involved?”
“Yes, and we’re still recruiting.
“This plan cannot fail.
“If everything goes well, we’ll live like rich men in the United States.”
“Then count me in!”
Hiding his malice behind persuasive words, Julio continued gathering accomplices like a snake whispering poison.
***
Meanwhile, I was incredibly busy directing both construction of the colony and development of the gold operation. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Hey!
Can’t you see that post is crooked?”
“Ah!
I’ll fix it immediately.”
“Let me do it.
Watch carefully again.”
The same cycle repeated constantly.
I demonstrated.
The carpenters tried to copy me.
I corrected their mistakes.
Then I demonstrated again.
‘A prince of an empire, and somehow I’m doing more physical labor than I did in my previous life.’
Major Manuel, whom I had become quite familiar with, commented as we worked.
“Your Highness is remarkably skilled at directing construction.”
“Are you telling me I’m perfectly suited for hard labor?”
“No, Your Highness!
That isn’t what I meant…”
“I’m joking.”
“Hahaha.
You startled me for a moment.
“What I meant is that you’re extremely good at managing people.
“The settlers are amazed by your ability, and after watching from beside you this whole time, I am too.”
“Hehe.
Flattery won’t earn you a share of my gold.”
“What a shame.”
We joked as we walked leisurely toward the American River.
***
In the distance, around a hundred miners were at work.
They used shovels and gold pans brought from Mexico City, along with simple sluice boxes we had built with the help of the blacksmith.
A sluice box used a sloping channel with riffles or obstructions that allowed water and lighter material to pass while trapping the heavier gold.
For efficient operation, both the angle of the box and the water flow had to be carefully controlled.
I began supervising the mining work as well.
Most workers had already been instructed once, but some had forgotten details or were doing things incorrectly.
I had to remind them.
“When positioning a sluice box, you need to consider both the amount and speed of the water.
“If the flow is too fast, the gold can be washed away.
“If it’s too slow, stones and sediment will accumulate and make the work inefficient.”
We walked along the riverbank until we found a suitable location for the sluice boxes.
Once they were positioned, work began.
I took a gold pan and scooped up gravel and mud from the river.
“When using a gold pan, the key is to take advantage of the fact that gold is heavier than the surrounding material.
“Use the motion of the pan to let the lighter sediment wash away while the heavier gold settles toward the bottom.”
I carefully swirled and shook the pan.
Water and lighter stones gradually spilled away.
Tiny, heavy fragments of gold remained at the bottom.
“That’s how you recover the gold.”
After about ten days, we had collected enough to produce our first gold bar.
I had spent a considerable amount of money bringing an experienced blacksmith to the colony.
We needed him to repair agricultural and mining tools, and also to process the recovered gold.
We had even hauled a furnace all the way from Mexico City.
It was so heavy that it occupied an entire wagon.
The colony’s only blacksmith soon received his first major assignment: producing gold bars.
The recovered gold was processed and refined using techniques available in the period.
Once the metal was ready, we heated it in the furnace.
“Be careful around the fumes.
Keep your distance.”
When the molten gold was ready, I turned toward the blacksmith.
“Please pour it slowly into the mold.
Be careful—it’s extremely hot.”
“Hahaha.
Your Highness worries too much.”
The blacksmith carefully poured the molten metal into a bar-shaped mold.
After allowing it to cool, we finished and cleaned the surface.
Our first gold bar was complete.
Time passed quickly in the colony.
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