Haksaha

Overview

Haksaha was a member of the Nara clan of the Plain Red Banner in the early Qing Dynasty. He was of the same clan as Dobono and lived in Zhangdi for generations before submitting to the Qing Dynasty at its inception. Volume 24 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he was appointed a Beiyu (military officer) and served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief. His sons, Neng'ete, served as First-Class Guards; Alimu as Vanguard Commander; Alitu as Vanguard Bodyguard; his grandson, Shaka, served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief and concurrently as zuoling (banner-company commander); Fakeshan as Assistant Secretary; and Leke as Clerk. Beiyu was a military title used in the early Qing Dynasty, and official titles underwent several reforms later; one cannot directly deduce rank from the homophonous titles of the later Green Standard Army. The Deputy Commander-in-Chief managed the military and political affairs of his banner's troops. Vanguard Commanders and Vanguard Bodyguards belonged to the Vanguard Battalion system, while Guards usually belonged to the princes' mansions, indicating a different organizational structure. The original genealogy also lists Haksaha's brother, Gehengbulu, and his uncle's descendant, Bayali: Bayali participated in the Zhoushan campaign as a Langzhong (a military officer) and was awarded the title of Yunqiwei (a military rank), which was inherited by his son, Manpitu. Langzhong was a civil official at the ministerial level, while Yunqiwei was a hereditary military title; this reward for descendants could not be written as Haksaha's own title. Zhang's ancestral home, the year of his appointment as a military officer, and the specific terms of office of his descendants still need to be verified.