Triad 14K Ranks and General Structure
Triad Ranks are complex because there are several lines of authority that weave around each other. There are also lines of authority within a given House and within the Triad as a whole. Finally, the extra-legal side of the Triad also has numbers attached to each position. These are derived from the I-Ching and give a rough idea of the rank and responsibilities of the member. Again, there is a big difference between a 432 who works for a given Triad House and the 432 who works for the Triad as a whole.
Basically, from bottom to top.
Blue Lantern is a member of a Triad but not part of the extra-legal side of Triad operations. This is the huge difference between the Triads and the Mob, the fact that somebody is a Triad member does not mean they are a criminal or have taken part in criminal activities. For these people, being a Triad member is like being in the Freemasons, Elks, Oddfellows, or Rotary Club. They join for social and networking reasons and comprise something like 90 percent of the membership. This is something that nearly all Western law enforcement agencies miss completely because they use the Mob as an institutional model.
Sai-Lo (49) is the lowest-ranking member of the Triad in the other ten percent. They're the equivalent of made men in the Mob, the street criminals who do the grunt work. Angel is a very newly initiated Sai-Lo in this story. In Eye of the Abductor where she meets Conrad, she's still a Sai-Lo even though a highly experienced and skilled one. Her rise through the ranks only starts when she teams up with Conrad.
Paper Fan (415) is the equivalent of the Sai-Lo but on the administrative side. Think a clerk or a secretary.
White Fan (415) is the "office administrator" for a given Triad House doing the paperwork, making sure that the tax returns are filed properly, looking after pay for the staff, essentially the work that the company secretary would do in a legitimate company. White Fan would also decide whether an investment is a good one. White Fan will usually have to sign off on any agreements made - this may mean that he will kick the question upstairs to the Triad White Fan if the implications of the agreement will affect other houses. Within a given Triad House, White Fan reports to the Incense Master.
Red Pole (426) is an enforcer, the next step up from a Sai-Lo. A Red Pole would have a number of Sai-Los reporting to him and also any Triad associates that are part of their operations. Red Poles have specialist skills that raise them above the level of a Sai-Lo. Within a given Triad House, Red Poles report to Red Hatchet.
Red Hatchet (426) is the senior enforcer for a given Triad House. Red Hatchet works directly for the House leadership and will also be the one who will undertake work on the territory of another House. Also, a Red Hatchet will work for a Triad as a whole and undertake actions for the benefit of the movement. By the way, if you come home and find a red hatchet sunk in your door, its safe to assume you are in trouble. For example, if somebody is on the run from a Triad House and takes shelter in the territory of another House, then Red Hatchet of the first House will seek permission to deal with the problem. If there are complications that may occur as a result, then the Triad Red Hatchet will take over.
Straw Sandal (432) is the deal broker of a given Triad House or, in a larger sense, for the Triad as a whole. Straw Sandal is an ambassador whose job is to resolve contradictions, negotiate agreements and keep the peace. A Straw Sandal who works for the organization as a whole is a very powerful and influential figure. The overriding purpose of the Straw Sandal is to maintain stability and tranquility. A Straw Sandal is not judged by the conflicts they bring to an end but the ones they resolve before they become real conflicts.
Note that White Fan, Red Hatchet, and Straw Sandal have different numbers that rank their status within a given command tier. These are also career streams. White Fan, administration, Red Hatchet force, Straw Sandal, diplomacy, and negotiations. The order in which they are ranked is very indicative of Triad priorities. However, a high-flyer in a Triad will be expected to have experience in all three streams. Angel's lack of education means she is not qualified for the administrative side of things and this held her career back until Conrad arrived on the scene.
The next tier all have the same number, 438. They are equals. Despite their rank they are expected to consult with the White Fan, Red Hatchet, and Straw Sandal and make decisions based on the input they receive.
Vanguard (438)is the operations officer for a Triad House. Vanguard decides what operations will be undertaken and which will be vetoed. They will set the ground rules for operations (a very common one is "no selling of drugs near schools with Chinese pupils") and undertake disciplinary measures against members who break those rules. As before, Vanguard who works for the Triad as a whole, seriously outranks the Vanguard who works for an individual House. A Triad Vanguard is being groomed for the Shansen ruling council and essentially being watched to see if they have what it takes.
Mountain Master (438) is the deputy head of a Triad House and does the routine day-to-day running of the House. Think the executive officer of a warship and you get the role and its requirements. Mountain Master also advises individual members on their problems (personal and business) and ideally is regarded as the benevolent-but-strict "wise uncle" of the House. Anybody who has had a Chinese girlfriend and (early in the relationship) has been introduced to her "uncle" who obviously is there to approve the relationship has probably just met a Triad Mountain Master. The Mountain Master is probably the only Triad management that the Blue Lanterns will ever meet unless they've been asked to help out (legally) with something.
Incense Master (438) is the ceremonial head of the Triad House and is responsible for ensuring that all the House operations conform to Triad principles and traditions. He is also the personal advisor to the Dai-Lo. Think Consiglieri of a Mob family but with a strong semi-religious component. The Incense Master of a House also approves new candidates for membership (the primary requirement being to have at least some Chinese blood). In a sense, the Incense Master is the heart and conscience of the House, making sure that it does not stray from the basic precepts of the Triad movement. Incense Masters can vary from the very strict traditionalists to the modern and liberal.
Mountain Master and Incense Master are House-only appointments and the future Dragon of the House will be selected from their ranks.
Dragon (489) is the head of a Triad House. The official title and means of address are Dai-Lo. In total authority over the House. He is required to take advice, consult, and discuss decisions with his staff (especially the 438s) but once he has made his decision, his word is the law. The only person who can contradict him then is the Incense Master and if that happens, one of them will disappear (usually after a visit from the Triad Vanguard). Dissent between the Dai-Lo and the Incense Master is regarded as being very serious and a sign of a House in conflict with itself.
Shansen is the ruling committee of the Triad. As little as ten years ago, its very existence was semi-legendary and there was a lot of doubt about whether it actually existed at all. Outsiders still know nothing about it. International law enforcement would dearly love to know who is on the Shansen. They don't. The details of the Shansen contained in these stories are imaginary and an extrapolation of the known characteristics of lower levels of the organization.
Question-Comment Added a word with a wealth of meaning. In well-run houses, I suspect the Mountain Master and the Incense Master can disagree with the Dai-Lo in private. Or at least express their concerns about the matter at hand. Public disagreement, OTOH...
Yes indeed; something I should have made much clearer. Harmony and tranquility are very highly regarded. Seeking a consensus agreement is well-regarded, confrontations reflect badly on everybody. By the way, another part of a House Straw Sandal's job is arbitrating issues within Houses from another Triad. If (for example) a 14K Straw Sandal is asked to arbitrate a dispute in a Sun Yee On House, it reflects well on that Straw Sandal. Coming to a fair and just decision reflects even better.
One example of the role of the Mountain Master is that if a couple within a Triad wish to marry, they must ask their Dai-Lo first. A wise couple will see their Mountain Master(s) before that and discuss their plans and hopes. The Mountain Master(s) will give them fatherly advice and then, if he approves, prime the Dai-Lo(s) as to what is happening. That way nobody gets embarrassed by a request being turned down. If the couple come from different Houses, the girl will transfer to her husband's house, a move for which compensation will be negotiated by Straw Sandal.
Did Conrad's arrival show Angel how to use talents she didn't know she had? Or was it the case, for the first time she had time to expand herself in other areas?
I think that Conrad's arrival and the two of them teaming up opened Angel to the idea that there was more to the world than the use of force. She watched him use his mind and intellect to solve problems and slowly realized she could do the same - provided she learned how. Then she realized that he was ready, willing, and able to teach her the skills she needed. As she learned to do more, she discovered that she could do more and that her talents were far greater than she had suspected. A poetic image would be that her mind is like a flower opening.
Or a Dire wolf adopting a human family, starting the road into become a dog?
Exactly. In Eye of the Abductor, Angel essentially didn't know there were any other options to using force to solve problems. By the end of The Blue Lamp, it’s apparent she understands that not only are there other options but in many cases using force makes things worse, not better. As that realization grew, so did the options available to her open up.
Triad 14K Ranks and General Structure
Re: Triad 14K Ranks and General Structure
Diagram of Triad Structure
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