De Ke

Overview

Deke, whose mother's original name was "Deke," was a grandson of Jing Yilu of the Hong'e clan. Volume 55 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* records under Jing Yilu that Deke once served as a Xiaoqi Xiao (NiaoQiXiao). His family was listed as belonging to the Bordered White Banner, residing in Jilin for generations. They submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty, originally from the Plain White Banner; this historical record is primarily a family record, and it is inappropriate to add a personal date for Deke's banner change.

A Xiaoqi Xiao was a junior officer in the Eight Banners' Xiaoqi system, responsible for troop training, management, and leadership within the military affairs of a zuoling (ZuoLing). In the Qing dynasty, this was a sixth-rank official position. The "Xiao" in the title referred to a military officer, not a school. It was an actual post, different in nature from the hereditary titles of Yunqiwei (YunQiWei) and Qiduwei (QiDuWei), which could be inherited by descendants.

The same entry also lists another grandson of Jing Yilu, Hutu, as a Hangzhou General, and his great-grandson Niu Niu as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Guangdong and Wu Li as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Heilongjiang. The original book records each person's official position separately, without listing Deke as a general or deputy commander-in-chief, nor does it state that these people are Deke's sons. The historical region of Jilin is related to the place name evolution of Jilin Ula and later Jilin City, and should be understood in the context of the present-day Jilin City area, rather than being directly equated with the entire modern Jilin Province or a specific known birth village.