Temushen

Overview

Temushen was a member of the Kochili clan, belonging to the Bordered Red Banner. His ancestral home was in Derji Aliku Village, and he submitted to the Qing dynasty at its beginning. Volume 49 of the official Qing dynasty genealogy, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he served in the army as a non-military officer, advancing through the Beijing area to Shandong. During the siege of Guan County, he was the first to scale the city walls and died in battle, posthumously awarded the title of Qiduwei. "Non-military" is not a military rank, and "posthumously awarded" means granted after death; it cannot be written that Temushen commanded the siege as a Qiduwei during his lifetime.

His son, Huniu, inherited the title and was granted the additional title of Yunqiwei by imperial decree, also serving as a Xieling (assistant commander). After Huniu's death, his son, Depuse, inherited the title. When it passed to Tukechan, the additional title was removed, and the title of Qiduwei was restored. Tukechan is also recorded as Xieling in the genealogy. The title of Qiduwei and Yunqiwei was a hereditary combination, while Xieling was the actual position managing the banner's officers and soldiers. Both could be held by the same person, but this did not mean that the hereditary title automatically transferred the Xieling position to his descendants. The core of this information is the reward given to Temushen for his death in battle and the inheritance of that reward by his descendants, rather than the collective military merit of all those with the same surname. The exact location of Delji Aliku village, the date of the battle in Guan County, and the location of the assistant commander's residence still need to be verified.