Xiben'e

Overview

Xiben'e was a member of the Meile clan. Volume 50 of the officially compiled *General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* records him as a bondservant of the Bordered Yellow Banner, residing in Yehe for generations, and submitting to the Qing dynasty at its beginning. The Meile clan also has a branch in the Plain Red Banner (Hada) in the same volume, indicating that not all members of the same surname belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner, nor could all be categorized as bondservant.

Boatservant was a specific social and organizational category within the Eight Banners, with their duties, military and political responsibilities varying depending on their affiliation. It was not an ordinary occupational title and cannot be simply translated as a modern employee. Xiben'e's grandson, Ehetu, attacked Changzi County as a non-official, being the first to scale the city walls. For his merit, he was awarded the title of Yunqiwei (a military rank), and after two imperial edicts, he was promoted to Qiduwei (a hereditary merit rank) and concurrently held the title of Yunqiwei, demonstrating that members of bondservant families could also obtain hereditary positions through military action.

The genealogy records that Qiketeng later inherited the position, and also lists Xiben'e's great-grandson, Manpi, as an official, and Namusali as a zuoling (a military rank). Yuanwailang was a civil official in the yamen (government office), Zuoling was responsible for the basic organization of the Eight Banners, and the hereditary title had other significance. The reference of "his great-grandson Qiketeng" in the electronic version needs to be checked with the original and hereditary title files. The main text does not presume to determine the generation of Qiketeng relative to Xiben'e; the specific ancestral home of Yehe and the year of the battle also need to be verified.