"Excellent!"
Liang Qu turned the Official Seal over in his palm, unable to contain his delight.
All were commandants, yet a City Gate Commandant merely guarded a city gate and commanded five hundred to a thousand soldiers; a Left Camp Commandant oversaw an entire camp; while a Pacifying Barbarians Commandant could serve as the commander of an army!
The difference between them could not have been greater.
In terms of rank, Liang Qu was Principal Third Rank. He was now the superior of both Xu Yuelong and Wei Lin. Though his rank remained below Su Guishan's Subordinate Second Rank as Water River Governor, Su Guishan, his old granduncle-by-marriage, had no authority over him.
Since ancient times—
Nine Ranks, Eighteen Levels. The upper, middle, and lower divisions each had three ranks and six levels; every one of them was a major threshold.
To put it crudely and irresponsibly, Ranks Seven through Nine were responsible for local prefectures; Ranks Four through Six were responsible within a province; and Ranks One through Three were responsible to the court and to the Sacred Emperor.
Once he crossed it—
The sea was vast, and the sky boundless!
Liang Qu spread his arms, allowing the eunuch attendant to replace his waist token as he pondered inwardly.
Since I'm now Huai River Commandant, I need to set up a few more footholds and buy several residences to make things convenient for coming and going. The accounts can go through the local River Conservancy Office yamen. Right, are there even River Conservancy Offices locally? If there aren't, wouldn't I be a commander without an army, having to provide my own provisions? And before that—when a demoted official has their salary suspended for three years, does it resume after they are promoted?
"Senior Brother Liang, you've been promoted.