Tang Tai

Overview

Tang Tai is mentioned in Volume 52 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, under the entry for the Dulala clan. He belonged to the Plain White Banner and his family had lived in Jilin Ula for generations. The year of his submission is unknown. He once served as a cavalry captain. His son, Niyamarhai, served as a third-class imperial bodyguard, and Zawacha as a second-class imperial bodyguard. His grandson, Dashiertu, also served as a third-class imperial bodyguard.

Another grandson, Zhalucha, was appointed acting vanguard commander by the Blue-Lanyard Imperial Guards and participated in the Tibetan war. He was wounded and died in the battle of Kara-Usu and was posthumously awarded the title of Qiduwei. His son, Nasitu, inherited this title. Appointing a vanguard commander was an acting military post, while the posthumous title of Qiduwei was a hereditary honor; inheriting a hereditary title did not automatically mean assuming the position of vanguard commander.

Dulala was a Manchu clan. Jilin Ula is historically related to the present-day city of Jilin and was the ancestral home; it cannot be written as a post in Tibet. Second-class, third-class, and Blue-Lanyard Imperial Guards were different ranks within the imperial guard system, distinct from the guards of princes and nobles. Tang Tai's own career as a cavalry officer, the positions his sons and grandsons held as bodyguards, and his death in the Battle of Zhalucha must be described separately for each generation, and should not be confused simply because they were from the same clan and banner. The exact modern location of Karausu and the date of the operation still need to be verified.