Sukunu

Overview

Sukunu was a member of the Saharcha clan of the Plain Red Banner. Volume 41 of the official Qing dynasty compilation, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that his family had lived in Ula Suiha Village for generations and submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. Ula can be understood as the historical and geographical background of the Jilin region, but the specific location of Suiha Village cannot be determined solely by the general regional name; clan and banner affiliation must also be preserved separately.

His great-grandson, Nelei, participated in battles such as Huai'an as a military commander, earning the rank of Yunqiwei (Yunqiwei). He was later granted the rank of Third-Class Qingche duwei (hereditary merit rank) by imperial decree. Later, when the title passed to Zongde, the imperial decree's additional rank was deducted, but the Yunqiwei rank was retained. His great-great-grandson, Mucheng'e, participated in battles in Zhoushan, Quanzhou, and Shaanxi as a vanguard commander, earning the rank of Qiduwei (hereditary merit rank) and serving as Deputy Commander-in-Chief, forming another line of hereditary titles.

Mucheng'e's grandson, Asihai, inherited the title and served as a vanguard bodyguard in the campaign against the Dzungars, dying in battle at Hetong. His son, Shumin, first inherited the title of Qiduwei (hereditary merit rank), and later, in recognition of his father's merit in battle, was granted the rank of Yunqiwei. Inheritance and posthumous conferment are different processes, and the merits of both armies cannot be attributed entirely to Sukunu. The positions of Vanguard Commander and Deputy Commander-in-Chief were substantive, while those of Qiduwei (hereditary merit rank) and others were hereditary. Specific dates of the battles, the lineages of the two armies, the procedures for posthumous conferment, and the location of Suiha Village are pending verification.