Narcha

Overview

Narcha was a member of the Niohuru clan of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Manchus, whose ancestral home was Guarjia in Antu. He submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. Volume Five of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* records that he was initially granted the title of Cavalry Captain, and later promoted to Third-Class Light Chariot Captain in battle against the Ming dynasty, dying in battle at Shaling. Here, "Guarjia" refers to his ancestral home, not the basis for changing his clan name to Guarjia.

Cavalry Captain and Light Chariot Captain were hereditary military ranks in the Qing dynasty, and cannot be literally interpreted as officers specifically commanding cavalry or chariots. His son, Fosoli, inherited the title but was later dismissed, and it was inherited by Fosoli's cousin, Xunchaqin. Subsequent changes included withdrawal, dismissal, and succession by Husha, indicating that hereditary ranks were not always directly inherited by the eldest son.

Husha also achieved military merit, becoming a Commander-in-Chief and concurrently a Zuo Ling (military officer). Later, he divided his father's inherited Cavalry Captain rank with his own hereditary rank among different sons; therefore, the father's title and the sons' new achievements must be traced separately. Another son, Wu Sha, served as a military commander and later died in battle in Xiamen, receiving posthumous honors and thus forming an independent branch of military merit. The commander-in-chief was a high-ranking officer in charge of banner affairs, the lieutenant commander was a lower-level officer, and the military commander belonged to the military battalion. The modern correspondences of original place names, variant forms of names, and the order of succession for each branch still need to be verified against the original inscriptions and biographies.