Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 104 Personnel Affairs at the Western Factory

With the Emperor's unwavering support, and after several rounds of expansion, the Western Investigation Bureau had successfully established an elite force of 3,400 soldiers. The three executive battalions and the special cavalry banners directly under the command of the various Thousand Commanders were also fully armed.

士兵一多军官的缺位就多了。因此，底子干净且内部校考成绩优良的陆中秋再次获得晋升，从旗总升任为总旗总。他的月结年俸也水涨船高地从原来的25两（18两+3两+4两），提升至现在的30两（18两+3两+4两+5两）。

The Western Factory had a special status, so he, the general flag commander in charge of 112 people, was granted the title of general flag bestowed by the emperor. His rank was comparable to that of the general flag commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he was a seventh-rank official, the same as a county magistrate.

There is no fundamental difference between the seventh rank's unique imperial general flag and the seventh rank's unique imperial small flag. The only difference is the increase in the lifetime imperial silver reward from 6 taels to 10 taels.

As a result, Lu Zhongqiu's annual salary during his tenure was adjusted from the original 31 taels of silver to the current 40 taels of silver, which is 4 taels more than double the annual salary of grassroots officials.

Although she was promoted and given a raise, and jumped from a small leader of more than 30 people to a mainstay in charge of more than 100 people, Lu Zhongqiuhua still had to work very hard to get her son Lu Shuangyang to live with her.

During the expansion of the Execution Bureau, the reorganization and reorganization of the original troops also continued. Lu Zhongqiu was transferred and reassigned several times, and only just found a stable position two weeks ago. He now served in the Third Execution Battalion, and the captain was Liu Zongcong from the Warrior Battalion of the Imperial Horse Administration.

According to the regulations of the Imperial Western Factory, the appointment and dismissal of captains of the Executive Bureau and Battalion required the approval of the Factory Supervisor and could only be carried out after receiving the Emperor's approval. Normally, the Emperor would not reject the Factory Supervisor's recommendations, as such a rejection would imply a loss of trust in the Supervisor, which would lead to the Supervisor's complete loss of prestige. However, when dealing with eunuchs who were household slaves, the Emperor had no need to use such a subtle method to remind them to resign. A simple note telling them to go and guard the tomb of a previous emperor would suffice. The privilege of rejecting memorials and submitting resignations was reserved for cabinet ministers.

The transfer of Qianzong (a thousand-man commander) and the appointment and dismissal of officers below the rank of Qianzong were entirely at the discretion of the factory director. In theory, the factory director could replace all officers below the rank of Qianzong with his own personal associates. However, such an act was essentially tantamount to seeking disaster, as every personnel transfer required filing in duplicate: the original copy was reviewed and preserved by the Internal Auditing Department, while the duplicate copy was kept in the Imperial Archives and archived by the Imperial Household Department. The Internal Auditing Department had no veto over personnel transfers, but could lodge a protest with the factory director. If the factory director insisted on proceeding, the director of the Internal Auditing Department could refer the transfer case to the Imperial Household Department for review. Once the case reached the "International Household Department" review stage, it was essentially a case before the emperor, and one of the factory director or the director of the Internal Auditing Department would inevitably be in trouble.

Officers at all levels, including the Qianzong, did not have the power to appoint or dismiss their officers or soldiers without authorization. Besides passively accepting the factory supervisor's orders, their only active power was the right to report to their superiors. This meant that if an officer wanted to transfer officers or soldiers, he had to report to his immediate superior. The general flag commander would report to the battalion commander, who would report to the Qianzong, who would report to the factory supervisor.

In order to improve decision-making efficiency, superiors can directly affirm or deny the personnel transfer requests of subordinates, but the personnel transfer request and the result of the decision need to be jointly formed into a complete written report.

This personnel transfer report based on the request of the subordinates is also made in duplicate, and submitted to the Internal Audit Department and the Imperial Household Department for review or preservation respectively. If it involves cross-departmental transfers, the procedure is even more complicated. It must be approved by three parties: one's own superior, the superior of the person being transferred, and the superior of the superior of the person being transferred. Of course, it can be simpler to go the way of the factory supervisor and let the factory supervisor use the power in his hands to directly carry out personnel transfers. But Lu Zhongqiu obviously did not have the courage to face the factory supervisor Wei Zhongxian. Although Factory Supervisor Wei looked thin, amiable, and an honest man. But Lu Zhongqiu's intuition told him that Factory Supervisor Wei was definitely not an easy person to deal with. If possible, it would be better not to have too much intersection with Factory Supervisor Wei.

So, in order to transfer his son to his side, Lu Zhongqiu treated people to dinner every day for half a month, and whenever he had free time, he would go to the three "superiors" to make connections and reason with them, and his lips were almost worn out. Fortunately, the Western Factory strictly prohibited financial transactions between officers, otherwise who knows how much money would have been spent.

Lu Zhongqiu's insistence on having his son by his side stemmed from two very practical motives. First, it was to "preserve the present," ensuring his son would not be subjected to potential abuse by other officers. Second, it was to "preserve the future." Considering his eventual retirement, it would be easier for his son to take over if he were by his side rather than with someone else.

In principle, positions cannot be inherited, but if you can get one through some scheming, it might be possible. Even if you really don't have any connections, if you train someone by your side, your chances of getting promoted through the normal officer selection process will be much higher than for someone without training.

"Dad, here I am." Lu Shuangyang was still sitting in the same seat he had been in yesterday, a cup of jasmine tea worth five cents of silver in front of him. He saw a general banner with over a hundred cavalrymen leading their horses slowly turning out from the intersection.

"Yes." Lu Zhongqiu's expression was serious. He knew that if the cavalry moved another fifty feet in his direction, the emperor's majestic figure would appear.

To ensure the smooth and safe completion of this unprecedented private visit, Wei Zhongxian deployed the entire Second and Third Battalions of the Western Investigation Bureau. The Second Battalion, acting as a visible stakeout, patrolled the area between the Imperial Palace and the Xu Mansion, organized under general flags. The First Squadron, numbered 21000, and the Special Cavalry General Flag, numbered 2XT00, totaling four flags and men, served as the Emperor's escort. Forming a cross formation with a hundred feet of separation between them, they would escort the Emperor and his son to the intersection. Upon receiving the signal, they would rush to the intersection as quickly as possible, forming a U-shaped battle formation and escorting the Emperor and his son back to the palace.

The Third Battalion, where Lu Zhongqiu was stationed, served as undercover agents, posing as customers or passersby along designated routes. Before the emperor's arrival, they would monitor the streets. Once the emperor appeared, they would focus their attention on him, not relaxing until his figure had completely vanished.

Buzz! Lu Zhongqiu's nerves suddenly tensed up, and his mind went blank.

The emperor did not leave, but led the eldest prince straight to the Lintai Tavern where Lu Zhongqiu was on duty.

(End of this chapter)