Zhalakuhashu

Overview

Zhalakuhashu was a member of the Nara clan of the Plain White Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. His family had lived in Zhang, as recorded in the original genealogy, and submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. Volume 24 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, lists descendants separated by several generations. His seventh-generation descendant, Yecheng'e, participated in battles against Wang Fuchen and in the Huguang and Yunnan regions as a military officer, earning the rank of Qiduwei. His sons, Hese and Hushina, successively inherited this title. Another seventh-generation descendant, Qisule, served as the River Conservancy Commissioner. Due to his achievements in dike repair, river management, and financial administration, he was granted the hereditary title of Qiduwei in the second year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign. After his death, he was further granted the title of Third-class Qingche duwei and the posthumous name Qinke, which was inherited by his son Huashan and grandson Chouda. The River Conservancy Commissioner was in charge of river dredging, dike construction, and related river management policies; he was not a prefect, who managed the administration of an ordinary prefecture. Ye Cheng'e's rewards came from military activities, while Qi Sule's rewards came from his achievements in river management; both were Cavalry Captains, yet their sources of reward were independent. Furthermore, their hereditary titles differed from actual official positions such as Imperial Guard Officer and River Conservancy Director. The original genealogy separately listed civil officials such as the Director of the Imperial Observatory and officers of the Banner Army, whose positions were determined by generational affiliation. The specific location of Zhang's territory still needs verification; the area where Qi Sule managed the river cannot be considered his ancestral birthplace.