I run a training class in Shu Han

Chapter 64 Ancient KPIs, Performance Evaluation Order

In ancient times, farmers feared two things when cultivating the land: natural disasters and man-made calamities.

In years of famine, when there is no harvest, people have to rely on their surplus grain and relief from the imperial court.

If they were to encounter exorbitant taxes from the imperial court again, they would have to sell their pots and pans, and even their children.

Even worse was the chaos of war, with starving people everywhere and cannibalism being commonplace.

Joining the army at least guarantees you a meal.

Therefore, in order to have enough to eat, the more chaotic the world is, the more people are willing to join the army.

Wei Yan glanced at Ma Dai and sneered, "Don't think I don't know why the court sent you here. Let me tell you, you can repeat everything I just said to His Majesty and the Prime Minister without fear of punishment."

Ma Dai said with a serious expression, "This humble general is not a spy. His Majesty sent me here to assist the general in establishing agricultural settlements and achieving political goals."

Wei Yan didn't believe Ma Dai's words and asked, "Help me? Then tell me, how are you going to help me?"

"Do you know how to cultivate land?"

Ma Dai shook his head and said, "This humble general would not."

A murderous glint flashed in Wei Yan's eyes.

Are you deliberately making fun of me?

"General, do you know how His Majesty differs from the late Emperor?"

Ma Dai suddenly changed the subject, leaving Wei Yan completely bewildered.

Liu Bei can be considered Wei Yan's mentor.

After capturing Hanzhong, a general was needed to garrison it, and the court and the public alike believed that General Zhang Fei of the Right was qualified for this important task.

However, Liu Bei promoted Wei Yan to Prefect of Hanzhong and elevated him from Yamen General to Zhenyuan General, which shocked the entire army.

After Liu Shan ascended the throne, he enfeoffed Wei Yan as the Marquis of Duting, but in terms of gratitude, it was far less than the kindness Liu Bei showed him.

"How would I know? However, judging from the series of new policies implemented by His Majesty after ascending the throne, it is clear that he is an ambitious ruler."

At present, we can only see that Liu Shan was not an ordinary person. However, if we want to compare him with Liu Bei, he is probably far from being comparable.

Ma Dai nodded in agreement, saying, "Although His Majesty is young, he is by no means an incompetent ruler. When the late Emperor entrusted his son to the emperor at Baidi City, he appointed Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and Protector-General Li as his regents to oversee the government. However, the new policies of the court are all led by His Majesty, with the Prime Minister's Office and the Secretariat merely assisting him."

Although Wei Yan was a military general, he immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Ma Dai's words.

Throughout history, dynasties have often been plagued by the instability of young rulers and the interference of powerful relatives or the monopolization of power by influential ministers. Very few monarchs, like Liu Shan, were able to seize power so quickly.

"Your Majesty's new policies for the Imperial Academy, while seemingly reviving the spirit of the academy, are in reality a screening of the abilities of officials nationwide. Those who occupy high positions without ability will not escape unscathed."

"Does the general know about Ma Su? He was almost dismissed from his post by His Majesty. Now he can only start his studies again with those poor scholars."

Wei Yan was far from the central government and, although he knew a little about the situation, he did not expect Liu Shan's methods to be so swift and decisive.

Who was Ma Su?

His elder brother, Ma Liang, was a favorite minister of the late Emperor Liu Bei, and Ma Su himself was highly regarded by Zhuge Liang.

People with such a background almost lost their official positions, so Wei Yan began to re-evaluate Emperor Liu Shan.

"What does this have to do with my military land reclamation?"

"General, please let me finish speaking." Ma Dai paused, then continued, "His Majesty not only re-selected officials, retaining capable ministers, but also formulated a national policy for evaluating political performance."

"Each department and office of the imperial court has its own set of operating procedures. On the surface, everyone is busy with government affairs, but in reality, very few people are actually doing the work."

"His Majesty then promulgated the 'Performance Assessment Order,' in which the court and various departments jointly set annual performance targets at the beginning of each year, and the targets were assessed at the end of the year. Those who completed the assessment continued to serve. Those who made outstanding contributions were rewarded. Those who failed to meet the targets were held accountable."

"Furthermore, each department and bureau must select several outstanding officials each year. Those who receive this honor for two consecutive years or more will be promoted."

"In this way, those in positions of power are concerned with government affairs and do not stagnate. Their subordinates are also dedicated to their careers."

Wei Yan nodded slightly.

Take the military as an example. When there is no war, routine military affairs can be handed over to subordinates, allowing the military to take a break and enjoy drinking and hunting.

You have no idea how your subordinates are slacking off.

In short, as long as no major problems arise, it's fine.

However, if the imperial court sets targets for each department every year, such as the current land reclamation project in Hanzhong, Wei Yan would have to rack his brains to find a way to do a good job in land reclamation, otherwise he, the governor of Hanzhong, would be dismissed.

Under such pressure to achieve political goals, who has the time to drink?

This "Performance Evaluation Order" is simply a nightmare for officials.

"General, you should know my situation. After my elder brother passed away, I was frustrated and unsuccessful in court. I had planned to just drift through life like this, but His Majesty's 'Evaluation of Political Performance' has made me restless and unable to eat or sleep."

"To be honest, my purpose in coming to Hanzhong to assist the general in the land reclamation is for my own political achievements, not to monitor the general."

Wei Yan suddenly realized.

It turns out that Ma Dai said all this to prove that his arrival in Hanzhong was not a secret appointment by the imperial court, but rather for his own future.

"Someone, bring tea."

Although Wei Yan did not believe everything, what Ma Dai said made sense, and his expression softened considerably.

"Thank you, General."

Ma Dai picked up the teacup and drank it down in one gulp.

"Bo Zhan, you just said you don't know how to cultivate land, so how can you assist this general?"

Ma Dai put down his teacup, wiped the tea stains from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Although I do not understand the military farm system, His Majesty and Prime Minister Zhuge have already devised a plan. As long as we follow the plan, we will surely achieve great success."

Wei Yan was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "Oh, if you have such a good plan, why didn't you say so sooner?"

Ma Dai then explained the land reclamation plan in detail.

Due to a lack of population, Hanzhong's agricultural settlement system differed from other places, primarily focusing on military settlements with soldiers assigned to these settlements.

Soldiers not on combat duty were responsible for farming.

Moreover, the locations for military settlements were concentrated in important strongholds rather than scattered throughout the mountains and fields, which was not conducive to the rapid assembly of large armies.

The most important aspect of the agricultural settlement is irrigation with irrigation canals, so the canals need to be expanded and water diverted into the fields before the spring of next year.

There are also immigration plans, such as relocating people from Yizhou to Hanzhong.

Alternatively, the remaining Hanzhong residents could write letters to their families, using kinship and morality to persuade their families, who had been relocated by Cao Cao, to return.

Alternatively, the families of the stationed soldiers could be relocated to Hanzhong to reunite with them.

"General, as long as we follow the plan, Hanzhong will surely recover in five years."

Wei Yan was very satisfied with the plan of establishing military farms, but he still had concerns.

Not all of his soldiers knew anything about farming; they might actually mistake the wheat seedlings for weeds and pull them out when they went to the fields.

Another issue is that no one in the army knows how to repair the irrigation canals.

Ma Dai smiled and said, "His Majesty already has a solution to this matter. Now that the Imperial Academy has been established in Chengdu, it is training a group of officials who are knowledgeable in water conservancy and agriculture. Before I set off, His Majesty personally promised that these talents would be given priority to be sent to Hanzhong to assist the general in the land reclamation after they have completed their studies."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Wei Yan grabbed Ma Dai's hand and said happily, "As long as there is grain in Hanzhong and we can have enough to eat, my soldiers will have nothing to say."

"This is a gift from heaven, a gift from Bo Zhan!"