Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 720

Chapter 718: Top Cattle and Horses

Arno enjoyed a relatively long vacation, a rare opportunity.

After his vacation, he didn’t know where he would be assigned again, or what mission he would undertake.

Logically, Ossena should have cherished this time, taking time outside of work to spend time with her family and spend time with them.

However, she simply couldn’t spare the time.

Matters kept piling up. First, before the Governor’s departure, a series of meetings were held to set the direction for future work. This period couldn’t be delayed, so Governor Gu was forced to remain within the Alliance for another month before departing.

After seeing Governor Gu off, she didn’t find relief; instead, she became even busier.

Many decisions used to be handled in the Governor’s Office, where hundreds of the Empire’s most elite advisors would follow the Governor’s advice and forward them to the Alliance government. This part of the work was relatively easy for Ossena. She could simply follow the Governor’s Office’s orders without any thought.

And there was no room for wrangling.

Any government departments dissatisfied with the decisions? Any objections?

Take them all!

That was the Governor’s will, and there was no room for negotiation.

Ossena didn’t need to think or come up with a plan; she just had to smooth things over and execute.

But now, that was gone!

Without the Governor, the staff in the Governor’s Office naturally couldn’t convey his opinions.

Although more than half of them stayed and didn’t go to Holy Terra, the rest… there was no longer any need for them. They were all assigned to the government, legal affairs, and military as mid- and high-level officials.

This was the traditional destination for the Governor’s staff. They were always drawn from government agencies, legal institutions, local agencies, military units, and even universities. A significant number of them were talented graduates. This diverse group of people made up the Governor’s Office. After a period of

service, they would be assigned to other posts, often receiving significant promotions.

This was a common method used by the Governor to train senior officials. It

could be considered a form of gilding, but it was more than just gilding. In the Governor’s Office, these staff members have access to high-level Alliance affairs, broadening their perspectives. They often hear Governor Gu’s insightful thoughts and better understand his thinking. After their release, they will represent the Governor’s will for a long time. Their loyalty is unquestionable.

From Gu Hang’s perspective, this is also a way to cultivate the loyalty and ideological awareness of these current promising stars and future pillars of the Alliance, so that Governor Gu can better manage the Alliance.

Now that these people have been released, while the government departments have gained many talented personnel, none of them can replace the Governor’s decision-making role.

Many things now need to be handled by the government, that is, by Ossena herself.

Not only has the workload increased dramatically, but the already exhausting workload has become even more so.

For example, right now, the leaders of the Alliance’s Production Department, Civil Affairs Department, and Taxation Special Group are arguing fiercely in front of Ossena.

The three parties have differing opinions, primarily regarding the supply of agricultural products and industrial consumer goods, the overall welfare of the Alliance’s citizens, and the special coordinated collection of imperial taxes. These conflicts do arise.

The supply side isn’t a major issue. Minister Zhao Jiuzheng of the Production Department came here primarily to report on the Alliance’s current coordinated production situation. He doesn’t have a strong opinion on the specific divisions.

If anything, he aligns with Minister of Civil Affairs Wen Zhengnan: He hopes to ensure that the living standards of industrial workers not only maintain their standard of living but, ideally, improve.

This means a general increase in job ranks.

Wen Zhengnan agrees.

Furthermore, his efforts extend beyond targeting workers in specific industries.

Across the Alliance, he aims to steadily promote a steady improvement in job ranks for all citizens.

Salaries and benefits for the Alliance’s citizens are tied to their job ranks. Lower ranks below E9 actually have very low burdens, with individual benefits and consumption modest. While this represents the largest proportion of the population, they also generate income, often generating significantly more than the benefits and consumer goods their ranks provide.

However, as you move up the ranks, the cost of benefits and salaries gradually increases.

Of course, this doesn’t mean those at higher levels aren’t contributing enough. On the contrary, reaching higher levels implies significant contributions.

This is especially true for those who advance quickly. Within E rank, promotions occur annually; starting at D rank, promotions occur every two to three years. Furthermore, there are assessments, and promotions are postponed if they fail. Breaking the mold of rapid advancement requires exceptional performance. At D5 and above, promotions occur every five to six years. At D8 and above, promotions occur every eight to ten years.

If someone reaches E5 at age 18, spending five years at E rank and 14 years at D5 would mean they’d be 37. Reaching D8 would take another 18 years, and D9 another nine years, bringing them to 64. They’d essentially reach D9 rank and enjoy retirement benefits—full political benefits, 70% of benefits, and 40% of salary, based on their rank.

For an Alliance citizen, this is the trajectory of their life, from adulthood to old age.

Even reaching this level is a wonderful achievement. At D1, one enjoys a relatively comfortable life, with adequate food and clothing, and a sufficient salary to purchase decent appliances. Benefits include housing, healthcare, and education, among other benefits. At D5, one reaches what the Alliance defines as the middle class. Based on the average Imperial hive world, only small industrialists can achieve a similar standard of living. Even on garden worlds, those with decent incomes can only achieve this standard of living. At D9, most Imperial civilians can only dream of living, reaching the top of the working class on most Imperial worlds.

C-level and above are considered affluent in terms of personal well-being.

Clearly, at this level, Alliance citizens are well-off.

However, even the Alliance cannot truly guarantee a utopia.

If everyone could smoothly progress from 18 to 64, the high cost of benefits and salaries would be too great a financial burden for even the Alliance to bear.

In reality, assessments become increasingly difficult starting at D level. Seniority assessments are required; failing these assessments results in extensions. Only by passing these assessments can one continue to accumulate seniority. Only with good performance can one be promoted directly, regardless of seniority. Significant meritorious service allows for skipping levels.

Furthermore, all ranks must be matched to a job. Unemployed individuals face no promotions and will actually see their ranks demoted annually.

This “assessment,” in essence, is based on performance indicators.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs’ vast system calculates the total budget available for human resources spending for the current year based on the fiscal budget and allocates these promotion quotas according to the overall plan. Performance is assessed across production units and functional departments, whether they are enterprises, individual businesses, or government departments. Good performance will result in more promotion quotas; otherwise, it may result in demotions.

The Organization Department within the department itself allocates these quotas to lower-level departments and ultimately to individuals.

From a macro perspective, the number of upgrade slots available depends on the alliance’s total output and the portion of that output allocated to human resources.

During wartime, vast resources were devoted to military production. Furthermore, the numerous newly occupied territories required funding for construction, leaving relatively limited upgrade slots available.

Some war mobilization orders were even issued, requiring reductions in benefits and salary ratios at all levels.

Now that the mobilization orders are being lifted, the newly inducted civilians from each occupied territories, even those with low initial ranks, can easily amount to tens or even hundreds of billions of yuan. This, in turn, significantly increases labor costs. Furthermore

, the Organization Departments of various units are constantly providing feedback. Since the alliance has embarked on a large-scale production plan, each unit is implementing a series of productivity incentives. Those who perform well and perform well are more likely to be promoted, which in turn fosters greater productivity.

All of this is leading to a continued increase in labor costs.

To put it bluntly, this was a repayment for the oppression inflicted on the people during the war. To stimulate the coming period of rapid development, the benefits of this growth needed to be shared with the people.

Improving people’s living standards didn’t require military products or heavy machinery. They desired a proper quality of life.

This demanded a more abundant supply of goods, from clothing, food, housing, and transportation to a wide range of entertainment and consumption.

Whether it was the growth in service industry workers or the rising living standards of ordinary citizens, they all demanded a large supply of consumer goods.

This created a conflict with the Alliance’s Special Taxation Office.

Their task was to collect Imperial taxes, primarily from heavy industry, but consumer goods, especially food, were also a priority.

This conflict culminated in the distribution of agricultural and processed agricultural products from the formerly Ork-occupied areas of the northern Dragonhawk Segmentum, where a bumper harvest had been observed this year.

The Civil Affairs Department demanded more consumer goods be included in the budget, while the Taxation Department demanded a significant portion of these goods be transferred to the tax system and shipped to the storage world, Shiping, already under construction, in the Tangu Star Region, the easternmost region of the Spider Web Universe.

Neither side gave in, each approaching their respective leaders. After several arguments, the situation escalated to Ossena’s presence.

In the past, Ossena would handle similar matters, but when she couldn’t handle them, she would simply send them to the Governor’s office and call it a day. Once the document representing the Governor’s will arrived, no one would argue; they would simply follow it.

But now, everything was piled up in Ossena’s hands.

Listening to the bickering, Ossena rubbed her head, then quickly followed her own ideas and the Governor’s instructions before leaving. She didn’t allow the conflict to escalate, but quickly made a decision.

“According to Minister Wen Zhengnan’s opinion, we do need to invest a large amount of consumer goods in public incentives.”

“Civilian consumer goods are relatively low-value, and collecting large amounts of supplementary taxes is a drop in the bucket.”

“But the Civil Affairs Department must work with the Production Department to set requirements for each production department and local government. Once quotas are allocated, corresponding production targets must be increased. We must exchange civilian consumer goods with lower added value for greater output value. Military production, shipbuilding, and raw material processing are all top priorities. I envision using a billion shirts and 100 million tons of food to generate more warships, which can then be sent to the Empire as imperial taxes, rather than simply improving public welfare.”

After making the decision and sending the people away, she immediately called her secretary:

“Also, have someone from the Ministry of Commerce come see me.”

She then arranged some business tasks.

She asked the Ministry of Commerce to strengthen trade exchanges within and outside the alliance. High-value-added consumer goods need to be marketed and sold at higher prices to encourage citizens with rising ranks to spend their money. Furthermore, those in the Alliance with sufficient supplies of these high-value consumer goods, including military equipment and heavy machinery, can trade them with external parties for tax currency.

Markets fluctuate, and Imperial taxes have a clear value target for each product. However, some planets may be experiencing a food crisis, or some external worlds may be at war, requiring more military goods. Often, these products can be exchanged for a higher value.

Distribute 100 million consumer goods to Alliance citizens, generate 1 billion military goods, sell them to planets in need, and generate 2 billion consumer goods, which can then be distributed to the public, encouraging even more military goods production. This exchange creates greater circulation value.

Output exceeding market demand can be directly taxed, minimizing the risk of overcapacity. Profits from trade can be used to pay taxes, amplifying the value of production capacity.

Diverse methods are necessary to meet Imperial tax requirements.

Furthermore, while paying taxes, Ossena never forgot the need to balance the development of the Alliance.

After finishing all this, Ossena suddenly realized she hadn’t rested for another thirty-three hours. The meals she’d taken were simple, simple meals.

Sometimes she couldn’t help but smile bitterly. After all, she was an A7 rank, and her annual salary and benefits should have totaled over three thousand tax coins.

Yet, she was lucky to spend a hundred tax coins. She

ate quick meals, lived in the office, and wore a uniform provided by her tailor. Her health was still at its peak, and her rejuvenation surgery had not only extended her lifespan but also boosted her energy. She could work continuously at high intensity without getting sick… She

didn’t need any luxuries. For travel, her car and spaceship were all government-funded.

Sometimes, she felt like a top-tier ox and horse—a phrase she’d heard from the Governor-General, a joke that had spread throughout the Alliance.

But even for someone as energetic as her, thirty-three hours without rest was exhausting.

She checked her schedule, and the workload still piled high.

She planned to sleep for six or seven hours before continuing.

But before she went to sleep, she had one last thing to do.

It’s almost time to talk to Sage Wu Jiarong.

They also need to discuss the alliance’s production issues.

(End of this chapter)