Yi Bai

Overview

Yibai was a general of the Hesheli clan of the Manchu Plain Blue Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. He was the younger brother of Yibali, and his family had long resided in Zhaigu. The official genealogy of the Manchu Eight Banners, Volume 9, compiled during the Qianlong reign, records that he was promoted from Zuo Ling (a military officer) to Yunqiwei (a military rank) for his competent service. He was further promoted to Qiduwei (a military rank) for his meritorious service in the campaigns of Jinzhou, Xingshan, and Songshan. He was further promoted to Sandeng Qingcheduwei (a military rank) for his contributions in the conquest of the Central Plains and the Taiyuan campaign, and finally granted the title of Sandeng Nan (a military rank) by imperial decree.

Zuo Ling was a low-level military officer responsible for managing household affairs. Yunqiwei, Qiduwei, Qingcheduwei, and the title of Nan were hereditary ranks. Early promotions based on merit, later promotions based on military achievements, and imperial decrees should be explained separately; all ranks should not be attributed to a single battle. Yibai rose to the position of Dutong (a military commander) and concurrently served as a minister of state affairs, holding high-ranking positions in banner administration and political affairs. He was posthumously honored with the title Qinzhi (Qinzhi (posthumous epithet)).

Sun Suihada inherited the title, which was later passed to Zhonghai and then to Manfu. When Zhonghai inherited the title, he was stripped of his honorary title and retained only the rank of Third-Class Light Cavalry Captain. Manfu served as a Zuo Ling (military officer) during the compilation process. His son, Tuerte, served as Vice Minister of Rites and concurrently as a Zuo Ling, a position that combined civil service and military administration, and did not necessarily mean that he should have been appointed as a Commander-in-Chief upon succession. The original text still requires verification of the characters "taizi taibao (verify textual variant)" (Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince), the specific date of the conferment of the title, and some intermediate generations of the paternal lineage, and the location of the old settlement of Zhaigu is not definitively determined to be the modern village site.