Erge

Overview

Erge was a member of the Wuzhala clan of the Plain Yellow Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 30 of the official Qing Dynasty compilation, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records him as a native of Huntong, having served as a blacksmith's assistant commander. His grandson, Maling'a, served as the Hunan Salt Commissioner at the time of compilation, and his great-great-grandson, Yanfu, was a student of the Imperial Academy. The end of the entry states that he submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. The character "Er" from the original entry is retained, and the text does not split it into "two."

The official title of "Blacksmith Assistant Commander" includes the limitation of a craftsman's service and cannot be omitted as "ordinary assistant commander." Furthermore, one cannot infer from the official title that the person personally crafted a particular weapon. "Salt Commissioner" was a local official title involving administrative divisions such as postal and salt administration; Hunan was the area where the grandson served, while Huntong is the ancestral home information in this entry, and these cannot be substituted for each other.

"Student of the Imperial Academy" refers to official education and a qualification for entering officialdom, not a current official position. The specific way Yanfu obtained this qualification still requires independent evidence. The entry of descendants of Eight Banner families into the local civil service and education system is not the same as the craftsmanship and military service of their ancestors. The positions of the Hun Tong Di Wang, the blacksmith association, the post station and salt commissioner, and the imperial academy students are pending verification, and the positions of their descendants are not subject to dual status.