Benbo Ke

Overview

Benbo Ke was a member of the Namudulu clan of the Plain White Banner, whose ancestral home was in Hunchun. He submitted to the Qing dynasty in its early years and was related to Kang Wuli. Volume 21 of the official Qing dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, lists his descendants across multiple generations. His fourth-generation descendant, Zhumala, was awarded the title of Qiduwei for his competence and was gradually promoted through military campaigns, participating in battles in Zhucheng, Shandong, Heilongjiang, Jinzhou, and after the Qing dynasty entered the Central Plains. He later served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief and concurrently as a zuoling (banner-company commander). Qiduwei, Qingche duwei, and Baron were hereditary titles for meritorious officials, while Deputy Commander-in-Chief and zuoling were actual military and political positions. The original genealogy records both, and the promotion of a title cannot be directly interpreted as a promotion in official rank. The same entry records Yue Dai as Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shanxi, Neng as Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and Yue Li as Prefect. It also records several scribes, secretaries, students of the Imperial Academy, and other officials. The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner was responsible for provincial judicial supervision, the Prefect managed the administration of a prefecture, and students of the Imperial Academy and other officials were educational qualifications, not official titles. This entry preserves family records from military service in the banner garrison to local administration and school qualifications, but the locations of his descendants' activities cannot be considered as records of Benboko's own migrations.