Geshan

Overview

Geshan was a military figure from the Irgen Gioro clan of the Bordered White Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume Thirteen of the official clan genealogy compiled during the Qianlong reign, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, clearly records him as the great-grandson of Luoluohun. He participated in military operations in Warka, Jinzhou, and the Jiangnan region of Henan, holding the rank of Zuo Ling (zuoling (company captain)), and was awarded the title of Yunqiwei (yunqiwei). Later, he was granted an additional rank by imperial decree but was subsequently demoted. "Great-grandson" refers to the generational order in the genealogy and cannot be simplified to "son of Luoluohun." Zuo Ling was an official position in charge of organizational management, while Yunqiwei was a hereditary title for meritorious officials; these two must be understood separately.

Geshan later participated in the naval battle at Zhoushan, Zhejiang, and then in the campaign against Fujian. He died in battle at Xiamen and was posthumously awarded the title of Second-Class Light Cavalry Captain. He served as a Langzhong (langzhong) and concurrently as a Vanguard Guard. Langzhong was a professional official position within the government, while Vanguard Guard involved military organization; therefore, the record of concurrent positions cannot only retain one. Since the original entry did not specify the department of Langzhong, it should not be supplemented as a Langzhong of a certain department.

Since he had no heir, his younger brother's son, Hushta, inherited the title. Hushta served as the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs before retiring in old age and then transferring to a younger member of the clan. The Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs was in charge of receiving, reviewing, and submitting memorials to the cabinet, as well as related matters. It was a substantive official position, and the title did not automatically pass to the heir. The promotion and demotion of Geshan's title, the transfer of the title among relatives, and the dates of the war still need to be verified by the original inscription. Therefore, the inheritance from uncle to nephew cannot be changed to a father-son succession.