Gasu

Overview

Gasu: Gasu is a member of the Tomo clan in Volume 52 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. He belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner and lived in Hada for generations, submitting to the Qing dynasty during the Tiancong reign (Tiancong was the reign title of Huang Taiji). The original text does not mention Gasu's own official position, but mainly records the military positions of his grandson Niyahaqi and his descendants.

Niyahaqi participated in the Yunnan and Guizhou wars as a commissioned military officer, distinguishing himself in battle against Li Dingguo's forces. He was awarded the title of Yunqiwei and appointed as a commander, a position later inherited by his grandson Xisiha. In the original text, "his grandson" needs to maintain continuity in the continuous family narrative; it is inappropriate to abbreviate Xisiha to Gasu's son. Gasu's great-grandson, Xifo, also served as a military officer.

A military officer was a lower-ranking official in the military, while a commander was responsible for a wider range of subordinate duties. "Commissioned" indicates a temporary appointment; Yunqiwei was a hereditary title of merit and cannot be equated with the position of commander. Tomo is the name of a Manchu clan, and Hada is the original homeland of the family. The specific village and its modern correspondence are yet to be verified, and the ancestral home was not the place where the descendants served. The military merits and appointments of Yunqiwei in Yunnan and Guizhou all belonged to Niyahaqi and could not be transferred to the ancestors. Furthermore, the original text did not list the dates of each battle, so a complete chronology could not be completed on one's own.