Borjin

Overview

Borjin was a member of the Wanyan clan of the Bordered Red Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 28 of the official Qing Dynasty genealogy, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he was of the same clan as Yechen, and his family had lived in the Wanyan region for generations. At the beginning of the dynasty, he led his followers to submit to the Qing. After submission, he was appointed a bodyguard and placed under the command of a Zuoling (military unit) established by the court. He subsequently participated in military campaigns in the Zhalute, Donghai Hurha, and Korea regions, and persuaded several tribes to surrender. He held various positions, eventually becoming a Dutong (military commander), and was awarded the title of First-Class Baron for his merits.

The Zuoling refers to both the basic organizational unit of the Eight Banners and the official in charge of the household registration and military records of that unit; the Dutong was responsible for the military and political affairs of a banner. Bodyguards were responsible for tasks such as guarding the emperor, and First-Class Baron was a title for meritorious officials, not simply an alternative name for the aforementioned military and political positions. Borjin's account encompasses three aspects: military command, banner management, and the conferment of a title.

The original genealogy states that his family could not inherit the title due to the loss of the imperial edict, indicating that the succession of the title also involved court credentials and approval. In August of the fourth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, he was posthumously granted the title "Zhongzhi" (meaning loyal and upright) and a stone inscription was erected in his honor; the posthumous title was a posthumous commendation. His fourth son, Tejin, had other military achievements and titles, which cannot be attributed to Borjin's own experiences. The exact location of Wanyan's ancestral home and the date when the imperial edict was lost are yet to be verified.