Suozhu

Overview

Suozhu was a member of the Hong'e clan, the second son of the Zhaiqi family of the Bordered Yellow Banner. Volume 55 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* records that Suozhu served as a military officer; his father, Zhaiqi, was a native of Changbai Mountain who surrendered to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty and also served as a military officer. The fact that father and son held this position does not necessarily mean that the original text proves the father's position was hereditary.

A military officer was a junior officer in the military battalion, responsible for the training, management, and duty of the troops under his jurisdiction. The military commanders and captains of the military battalion were above him. The military battalion was used for military tasks such as guard duty, and the military officer should not be understood as a modern school teacher; according to the Qing dynasty regulations, it was a rank of sixth grade. The Bordered Yellow Banner was the banner to which his family belonged, serving as both a military household organization and a system of social status.

Suozhu's eldest brother, Marji, served as a third-class imperial bodyguard; his third brother, Sengse Liyi, also a third-class imperial bodyguard, fought in the campaigns in Jiangxi and Guangdong, and was posthumously awarded the title of Yunqiwei, which was inherited by his brother's son, Heluonuo, and others. The imperial guards belonged to the emperor's personal attendants and bodyguards. The Yunqiwei was a hereditary military title, different from the Hujunxiao position held by Suozhu. The main contributor to the military achievements mentioned in the article is Sengseli, not Suozhu. The specific years of Suozhu's appointment, transfer locations, and personal military achievements are not yet recorded in existing documents.