Yileng'e

Overview

Yileng'e was a member of the Lijia clan of the Plain White Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. The official Qing Dynasty compilation, *The Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 33, records that he was from the Ya'erhu area. His son, Yisihu, served as a second-class imperial bodyguard, and his grandson, Changtai, served as a military officer. The concluding remarks state that he submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. Ya'erhu is the historical name of their ancestral home; the word "lake" cannot be directly equated to a modern body of water or village.

The Plain White Banner was one of the Eight Banners. The banner system not only organized military affairs but also managed the bannermen's household registration and military records. Second-class imperial bodyguards participated in the emperor's guard and escort duties, while military officers led their subordinate guards and undertook military duties such as patrols. These two positions existed within different institutional contexts. A second-class imperial bodyguard cannot be interpreted as a second-class guard in a particular prince's residence, nor can a military officer be renamed an imperial bodyguard.

Yisihu was a son, and Changtai was a grandson; their respective positions were held by different individuals. The original genealogy's use of "original post" indicates a position held relative to the time of compilation, but it does not prove that the father and son served in the same place simultaneously, nor does it record Ilenge's own official position. The location of Lake Yar, the term of office of the guards, and the organization of the guards are yet to be verified; the appointment of family descendants does not automatically equate to hereditary succession of positions.