Duergu

Overview

Duergu was a member of the Manchu Suocholo clan. Volume 45 of the official Qing dynasty genealogy, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that his family originally lived in Jilin and were a local Beile (prince). However, the term Beile should be understood in conjunction with his status as a local leader before the Qing dynasty's conquest, and cannot be directly applied to the later Qing dynasty's regulations for the third rank of imperial nobility. The original text explicitly states that his grandson, Kalkama, was the one who initially submitted to the Qing, and his troops were organized into a zuoling (military unit) and placed under his command. This submission cannot be attributed to Duergu himself.

The family is listed in the genealogy as belonging to the Bordered White Banner, with a note indicating a change of affiliation from the Plain White Banner. His great-grandson, Ganzhuhan, participated in the battles of Songshan and Xingshan in Jinzhou, as well as in Henan and Jiangnan, earning the title of Yunqiwei for his merits, and later receiving further promotions through performance evaluation and imperial decree. His great-great-grandson, Huniya, distinguished himself as a Hujun Canling (military officer) and died in battle at Maolushan, receiving a hereditary title. These are two different lines of military merit from his descendants.

zuoling was both a basic-level administrative unit for Bannermen and a manager; Yuanwailang was a civil official position; Hujun Canling was a military position; and Yunqiwei and others were hereditary titles based on merit. The change of Bannerman status, the appointment of officials to substantive positions, and the inheritance of hereditary titles represent different levels of change. The exact number of people under the jurisdiction of the local Beile during the Duergu era, as well as the area of ​​the former residence in "Jilin," need to be verified; the multiple instances of collateral succession and dismissal by descendants also need to be verified on a case-by-case basis and cannot be simply reduced to father-son inheritance.