Nikali

Overview

Nikali was a member of the Ningguta clan of the Plain Blue Banner. Volume 41 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 Yizhu, and that they had lived in Ningguta for generations. At the beginning of the dynasty, he led his brothers and villagers to surrender. The genealogy records that he pursued deserters and mobilized local troops from Gahari to repel the Tuleshen tribe's attack on Shala City, for which he was awarded the rank of Third-class Qingche duwei. These events are recorded in the genealogy without elaboration on unverified dialogues or inner thoughts.

His son, Weihede, inherited the title, which was later inherited by Suihede. Suihede participated in the campaign against Heilongjiang, including the capture of the outer city of Yaksa and related battles, earning the rank of First-class Qingche duwei. The rank was later passed down through Chokto and others to Yosoli, indicating a change in the inherited rank. While the rank of Qingche duwei and Baron were hereditary, Chokto's position as Deputy Commander and Yosoli's position as zuoling were actual military ranks and could not be substituted for each other.

The Battle of Yaksa pertains to later generations, not to Nikali himself; the original genealogy does not provide the exact year of this battle, so it cannot be directly applied to another famous siege. Grandchildren and later descendants also held positions such as zuoling (banner-company commander), Fu Du Tong (deputy commander), Zhu Shi (chief clerk), and Yin Sheng (hereditary official). Details regarding kinship ties across generations, the location of Shala City and Gahari, the dates of the Battle of Yaksa, and changes in succession require verification from the original printed source and archives.