Le Te

Overview

Le Te 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 Ye Chen, residing in the Wanyan region for generations, and submitted to the Qing at the beginning of the dynasty. The Bordered Red Banner was one of the Eight Banners, and banner families participated in military service and household registration through the banner system; being of the same clan indicates a kinship, but does not necessarily mean that Le Te and Ye Chen were confirmed brothers.

Le Te's son, Ba Dai, served as a military officer in the campaign against Datong. He died in battle when enemy troops attacked his camp and was posthumously awarded the title of Yunqiwei. His son, Jing Zhu, inherited this title. A military officer was responsible for leading and guarding his assigned guards, and was an officer within the guard battalion. Yunqiwei was a hereditary title bestowed by the court upon meritorious officials, a posthumous reward; Ba Dai cannot be written as having served as a Yunqiwei battalion commander during his lifetime.

Jing Zhu twice received imperial edicts, being promoted to Qiduwei and concurrently holding the title of Yunqiwei, which was passed on to his son, Sa Hai. Other members of the family included Chief Secretary, Vanguard Officer, Infantry Officer, Guards, and Clerks. The Chief Secretary was involved in the affairs of the Prince's Mansion; the Vanguard and the Infantry had different military duties; and the Clerk was responsible for clerical work. Their titles were not interchangeable. The specific official position and ancestral home of Le Te himself are yet to be verified; the titles of his descendants are still attributed to them according to the original genealogy.