Bayindarizalguchi

Overview

Bayindali Zhalguqi was a member of the Hesheli clan of the Manchu Plain Red Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. His family had lived in Heduomuhalian for generations, and he was the great-great-grandson of Ayinbulu, the fifth son of the Muhulu Commander. Volume Nine of the official clan genealogy compiled during the Qianlong reign, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he led a hundred households to submit to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the reign, and was organized into a Zuoling (military unit), which he managed. In the context of genealogy, "great-great-grandson" refers to a great-great-grandson, and the generational distance should be preserved.

A Zuoling was both a basic military unit of the Eight Banners and a management officer. Leading households to submit and be incorporated into a Zuoling reflected military service and social status. Zhalguqi was involved in judicial and legal proceedings in the early Qing Dynasty; his official background can be understood by referring to the biography of Fei Yingdong in *Draft History of the Qing Dynasty*, but this entry does not contain specific case records, and therefore will not elaborate on the cases.

The eldest son, Buyan, served as a councilor, commander of the imperial guards, and chief secretary. He was awarded the rank of cavalry captain for his competent performance and was further promoted by imperial decree. Later, the lineage passed to Ebuheng, Erben, and the Eighty-Seventh branch. When Mingfu inherited the title, the imperial decree and promotion were removed, but the rank of cavalry captain was retained. The commander of the imperial guards was the head of the military camp, and the chief secretary was an official in the prefecture or other subordinate institutions; hereditary titles were hereditary ranks. The second son, Bursahai, had separate military achievements and official careers, which must be separated from the eldest son's branch. The modern correspondence between their original residence and the specific prefectural office of the chief secretary is yet to be verified.