Dharma Pillar

Overview

Fazhu is a member of the Gejile clan recorded in Volume 45 of the *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. He belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner and lived in the Toksuo region; the date of his submission is unknown. This book is an official clan document compiled during the Qing Dynasty. This entry focuses on the military positions and achievements of his descendants, without recording Fazhu's specific official position. His great-grandson, Faku, originally served as an infantry officer, and his fourth-generation descendant, Jinbaozhu, originally served as a military commander. These two positions involved infantry security and military command respectively, and cannot be combined into one.

Fazhu's great-great-grandson, Niuniu, participated in the Yunnan campaign while serving as a military officer, defeating Ma Bao and other forces, and was awarded the title of Yunqiwei (a military rank). Later, during the campaign against Galdan, he distinguished himself in the battle of Zhaomodo and was awarded the title of Qiduwei (a military rank). At the time of compilation, Niuniu's son, Changming, inherited his hereditary position. Here, "great-great-grandson" is a generational title used in the genealogy and should not be mistakenly written as Fazhu's son; both military achievements also belong to Niuniu.

The Guardsman Officer was a junior officer in the Eight Banners Guardsman Army, responsible for the training and duty of his subordinates; the Yunqiwei (hereditary merit rank) and Qiduwei (hereditary merit rank) were hereditary titles awarded based on merit. Niu Niu possessed both official experience and a record of hereditary title promotions, but inheriting the hereditary title did not automatically mean that Chang Ming would succeed his father as Guardsman Officer. The modern equivalent of Toksuo, the birth and death dates of Fazhu, and the dates of Niu Niu's various appointments still need to be verified.