Ersong'e

Overview

Ersong'e was a member of the Yuhulu clan, belonging to the Bordered Yellow Banner, and served as a First-Class Imperial Bodyguard. The official Qing dynasty compilation, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 46, lists him in the appendix, explicitly stating that his original place of origin is unknown, and the year of his group's submission is also unclear. Therefore, his confirmed life focus is on his role as an imperial bodyguard, rather than any unrecorded migration or battle.

In the Qing dynasty, imperial bodyguards were officials serving the emperor, responsible for guarding and accompanying him. They were ranked in different grades. First-Class Imperial Bodyguards were higher in rank than Second-Class and Third-Class Imperial Bodyguards; this rank belonged to the official bodyguard system and was not a hereditary title that could be directly passed down to descendants. Ersong'e belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner, one of the Eight Banners. Banner affiliation indicates organizational affiliation, while First-Class Imperial Bodyguard indicates actual duty; the two are not interchangeable. The genealogy also records that his elder brother, Haipide's son, Kengke, served as a Third-Class Imperial Bodyguard. Kengke was Ersong'e's nephew, a relationship indicating that different branches of the same family had members in the imperial guard system. However, their official ranks were not the same, and there is no basis to write that the uncle and nephew were father and son. His service to the emperor, the start and end dates of his tenure, and his duties as an attendant still need to be verified.