Sou Se

Overview

According to the appendix to the Irgen Gioro clan in Volume 15 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Souse's branch was registered as the Bordered Red Banner, residing in "Shaji," and categorized under "Returning from Tiancong." "Returning from Tiancong" is a grouping in the genealogy, with Tiancong being the reign title of Emperor Taizong (Huang Taiji). The original entry did not specify the year and month, so the timeframe cannot be narrowed further. The Bordered Red Banner indicates the banner affiliation of this branch as seen at the time of the genealogy's compilation; banner classification reflects Qing dynasty military, political, and household registration information and cannot directly replace clan affiliation, modern ethnicity, or individual birthplace. The genealogy records the following: great-grandsons Unahai and Wentai were originally cavalry officers; great-great-grandson Fusen was a student of the Imperial Academy. The kinship hierarchy and statuses such as "former" and "current" are retained as in the original entry. At this stage, Souse's official position, rank, or birth and death are not inferred from the official positions of his descendants. The relevant institutional terms should be understood according to the Qing Dynasty context: "Xiaoqixiao" was a low-level military officer under the Eight Banners Zuo Ling system, assisting in the management, training, and dispatch of bannermen; it was not a modern school title. "Jiansheng" referred to students of the Imperial Academy or those who had obtained corresponding qualifications, not necessarily officials. "Shaji" retains the historical place name spelling from genealogical records; different places with the same name, different spellings, and changes in jurisdiction are all possible, and it cannot be directly equated to a specific administrative region today.