Zhaiqi

Overview

Zhaiqi is listed in Volume 55 of the Qing Dynasty official genealogy book, *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, under the entry for the Hong'e Clan. He belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner, and his family had lived in the Changbai Mountains for generations. He submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty and served as a military officer. His eldest son, Marji, served as a third-class imperial bodyguard; his second son, Suozhu, also served as a military officer; and his third son, Sengseli, served as a third-class imperial bodyguard and went to war in Jiangxi. He later died in battle at the Nine Demons and Eighteen Caves in Guangdong and was posthumously awarded the title of Yunqiwei.

A military officer was a low-ranking official in the military organization, involved in troop management, training, and related guard duties. A third-class imperial bodyguard was a rank within the emperor's guard system, primarily related to rotating guard duties and escorting the emperor. Yunqiwei was a hereditary title for meritorious service. The fact that his son served as a bodyguard and died in battle, and was posthumously awarded a hereditary title, are two different records and cannot be changed to indicate that his father, Zhaiqi, was granted a title or died in battle.

This hereditary title was inherited by Sengseli's elder brother's son, Heluonuo, and later, Hashitai. The order of succession in collateral branches should be re-examined. Hong'e was originally the name of a mountain, which was later adopted as a surname in genealogical records. Therefore, the Hong'e clan cannot be merged with other surnames of similar pronunciation. Changbai Mountain was the ancestral home of the family, but the location of the military academy is not specified; the Bordered Yellow Banner refers to the organizational structure. The specific locations of the Nine Demons and Eighteen Caves, the dates of the battles, and their connection to the succession need further verification.