Nuyan

Overview

Nuyan was a member of the Tongjia clan, Bordered Blue Banner, and a relative of Tong Yangzheng. His family had lived in Tongjia for generations. At the beginning of the dynasty, he led his clan and fellow villagers to submit to the Qing dynasty, and a zuoling (banner-company commander) was established to govern them, as recorded in Volume 20 of the official *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*.

The zuoling was the basic organizational unit of the Eight Banners and its administrator, responsible for matters such as household registration, land ownership, and military records within its jurisdiction. Being enrolled in a zuoling signified entry into the banner system, not merely receiving an honorary title. His eldest son, Xiteku, was awarded the rank of Qiduwei for his competence and participated in numerous battles, including those at Dalinghe, Jinzhou, and after the Qing dynasty entered the Central Plains. His military achievements and imperial favors gradually increased his rank, eventually leading him to the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief. Xiteku's military achievements and the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief belonged to his son; Nuyan himself is only confirmed to have led his people to submit and to manage the zuoling. His descendants, including Sergud, Sengget, and Sultan, inherited the hereditary position, and some grandsons, great-grandsons, and great-great-grandsons held concurrent positions as zuoling and close attendants. The "Deputy Commander-in-Chief rank" of a descendant cannot be directly changed to an actual Deputy Commander-in-Chief, because there is a difference between rank and position. The family list shows multiple generations of positions in military and political organizations, but the specific paternal lineage and variant spellings still need to be verified item by item from the original printed source.