Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 358 Meeting with the Taotai
The Chen brothers’ wedding is over, and it’s time for Qu Shaoyang to take care of his own business.

On the eighteenth day of the winter month, Qu Shaoyang took Xingye and others to Phoenix City, leaving Chen Xiuyun and her son to stay at the Chen family for a while.

After nearly a year of operation, Qu Shaoyang got along well with the officials of the East Road Yamen.

The purpose of this trip to Dongbian Road was, on the one hand, to explain the situation around Shuangdianzi in detail to the governor, and on the other hand, to give New Year gifts to the officials of Dongbian Road.

When you are in the government, you must maintain good relationships with your colleagues.

I can't say who will give me a hand at the critical moment, but as long as no one stabs me in the back or takes advantage of my misfortune, it will be considered a success.

When we were suppressing Zhan Dongshan and Mantianhong gangs, we found a lot of good things from their treasury.

Qu Shaoyang picked out some rare items and planned to use them as gifts.

In addition, he also prepared a lot of mountain products, leather, medicinal materials and other things, as well as gold bars, silver bills and so on.

These are all necessary expenses. Brother Chen Yunzhe also strongly supported it and brought out many valuable things from his collection.

They also knew that their current status was mainly due to Qu Shaoyang.

Only when Qu Shaoyang has established a firm foothold can they develop better.

Qu Shaoyang, accompanied by twenty or thirty followers, drove several large carts into Phoenix City.

I had just found an inn to stay in when the police from the government office came to visit me.

"Master Qu, the Daotai learned that you have arrived in Phoenix City and ordered us to invite you over to have a chat."

Qu Shaoyang was not too surprised. He just arranged for Xingye to accompany the two runners for tea and chat, while he quickly sorted out all the gifts for Taotai Yuliang.

Xingye had been following Qu Shaoyang for these years and had already gained a lot of experience. While he was drinking tea with the two officers, he directly stuffed silver into their pockets.

The two officers received the silver and naturally waited patiently.

Only after Qu Shaoyang had made all the preparations did he lead his people, took the New Year gifts, and went to the East Road Yamen with two runners to meet the governor.

"Your humble servant greets you, sir. It has been a long time since we last met, and you are still as elegant as ever.

It is our good fortune that you are in good health." Qu Shaoyang hurriedly stepped forward to greet Yuliang when he saw him.

"Shaoyang, come quickly and sit down. You must have been exhausted from traveling so fast in such a cold weather. Someone, bring some tea."

When Yuliang saw Qu Shaoyang, he warmly invited him to sit down.

"Sir, the New Year is coming soon. I brought you some local specialties as a token of my appreciation. Here is the gift list."

Qu Shaoyang gently placed the gift list on the table and then sat down.

As for the boxes of New Year gifts, they have just been handed over to the servants in the mansion.

"Look at you, every time you come to see me, you bring me gifts.

I treat you as my own junior, so you can’t be so distant with me in the future.”

Yuliang casually opened the gift list and glanced at it, then immediately closed it and put it aside, saying with a smile on his face.

Over the past year, Qu Shaoyang has been very filial to Yuliang, and he has not missed any Dragon Boat Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival.

Yuliang received so many benefits from Qu Shaoyang, and Qu Shaoyang was so capable, who could not like such a subordinate?
This is like a company where someone only receives a meager salary but supports a team with his own ability.

Moreover, his abilities are so strong that he can do everything exceptionally well.

The most important thing is that he is good at making money and knows how to be grateful.

Not only does he generate huge revenue for the company, but he is also grateful and knows how to give back to his leaders.

Which leader wouldn’t like such a top-notch talent?

This is how Yuliang treats Qu Shaoyang.

Among the subordinates who were just muddling through their days, Qu Shaoyang, who was capable and good at getting things done, stood out and was particularly appreciated by him.

"The elders are compassionate and loving to the younger generation. As the younger generation, we should respect the elders even more, right?"

Qu Shaoyang didn't dare to take Yu Liang's words seriously, and he had to send what he was supposed to send later.

Of course, what needs to be said must be expressed, so that it appears sincere. Sure enough, Qu Shaoyang's words made Yu Liang smile and say yes.

"I was right, you are a trustworthy person.

You did a great job in Shuangdianzi this time.

Not only did they wipe out two gangs of bandits, killing the bandit leaders on the spot, but they also frightened other bandits.

From now on, the timber tax in the upper reaches of the Songhua River will be under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, which is a good thing.

I have already reported to General Fengtian and the court that your performance this year is A-grade. Work hard, and I hope you can make further progress. "

During the Qing Dynasty, both central and local officials had a very strict assessment system.

All officials must be evaluated regularly to distinguish their strengths and weaknesses, and their good and bad qualities must be identified. Comments will be recorded in the files, and ultimately rewards or punishments will be given based on the evaluation results.

Of course, there are too many ways to manipulate this, and the assessment may not be fair, but no matter what, getting an A grade that year was considered quite good.

It is not easy for Qu Shaoyang to achieve such results as he has just entered the officialdom.

"Thank you for your cultivation, sir. I will do my best to help you share your worries and benefit the people.

I only hope that the people can live and work in peace and that you can have a prosperous career. "

Qu Shaoyang had to thank his boss for his promotion and appreciation, and express his loyalty at the same time.

"By the way, Shao Yang, I have something else I want to entrust to you.

In Shuangdian, Mengjiang and other places, bandits gathered and wreaked havoc, making life difficult for the people.

You have pacified two gangs of bandits this time and deterred other scoundrels, but this is only the beginning. If you want to maintain long-term stability in the future, you need to work harder.

Do you have any good suggestions in this regard? "

Yuliang is a pretty good person. No matter what, he always thinks about the lives of the lower-class people.

Qu Shaoyang thought for a while and then gave Yuliang a few suggestions.

For example, we set up sub-defense patrols in Shuangdianzi and Mengjiang areas to manage the local areas.

Localities are also encouraged to set up militias to protect the local people.

Alternatively, the imperial court could directly send troops to wipe out those evil bandits.

Yuliang thought for a long time but couldn't come up with any solution that would work.

It is definitely not possible to send troops to suppress the bandits. The Eastern Road does not have the strength to do so now.

As for setting up separate defense patrols, it is not feasible at the moment. The area is vast and the villages are sparse, so it is really difficult to manage.

As for encouraging local governments to set up militias and train local militia, there must be a capable person to take the lead.

Yuliang looked at Qu Shaoyang and suddenly an idea came to his mind.

“Well, I will consider the points you mentioned.

Shaoyang, there is something I need you to do right now.

There are many mountain areas in the upper reaches of the Songhua River, and the annual wood tax income is also considerable. Since you are the general manager of wood tax in the East Road, all of these must be under your jurisdiction.

How about this, I will allow you to set up a branch office of the general office in Shuangdianzi.

I will give you one more assistant and four more runners, and you can arrange the rest as you see fit."

Yuliang's intention was very clear. He wanted to hand over the business of Shuangdianzi and Mengjiang to Qu Shaoyang.

When Qu Shaoyang heard this, he thought to himself, this is what I've been waiting for.

There are some things that, even if you want to do them, you cannot ask for them first. You have to wait for your leader to tell you.

If the job is done well, the leader will feel a sense of accomplishment and feel that he has good vision and knows how to appoint the right people to the right positions.

If you ask for it voluntarily and fail to handle it, you will be held responsible.

(End of this chapter)