Kuerchan

Overview

Kuerchan was a general of the Hesheli clan of the Manchu Plain Blue Banner in the early Qing Dynasty, the fourth younger brother of Yibali, and his family had lived in Zhaigu for generations. Volume Nine of the official clan genealogy of the Qianlong era, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he rose from Zuo Ling (a military officer) to Yunqiwei (a military rank) during the conquest of Heilongjiang, and received additional ranks during the conquests of Jinzhou, Xingshan, and Songshan. He was further promoted to Third-Class Light Cavalry Captain during the conquest of the Central Plains and the battles in Henan and Jiangnan. Later, he served as Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and was promoted to Second-Class Light Cavalry Captain due to his competent performance.

The Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate was a high-ranking civil official in the supervisory system, while the Deputy Commander-in-Chief was a military position in the banner administration that Kuerchan later held; the two cannot be considered the same official simply because they both contain the title "Deputy Commander-in-Chief." Zuo Ling was a basic administrative position, while Light Cavalry Captain and other ranks were hereditary titles, and their conferment was based on different criteria: performance evaluation, military achievements, and imperial edicts.

An imperial edict elevated his hereditary title to Third-Class Baron, which was later passed down to his son Suhe and grandson Shijiabao. When Feng'ai inherited the title, the imperial edict was abolished, and he was relegated to Second-Class Light Cavalry Captain. Sun Mengerdai fought against the Dzungars and died in battle at Hetong. He was posthumously awarded the title of Yunqiwei, which was inherited by his son Jiuge. He was an independent branch of the family. Kuerchan's civil and military achievements should be separated from the posthumous titles bestowed upon his grandsons. The original order of nobility, the intermediate paternal lineage, and the modern positioning of Zhaigu still need to be verified. No one with the same name should be added to the materials of another branch.