Gan Du

Overview

Gan Du: Gan Du is a member of the Nizhuhun clan, recorded in Volume 56 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. He belonged to the Plain Yellow Banner and his family had lived in the Changbai Mountains for generations. At the beginning of the dynasty, he led his sons and brothers to submit to the Qing dynasty. Because of his proficiency in Mongolian, he was appointed a zuoling (military officer) during the initial compilation of Mongolian zuoling. He participated in military operations such as Ningyuan and Yutian, and also donated grain to support his subordinate households. During the Tiancong era, he served as Vice Minister of War and concurrently as Deputy Commander-in-Chief.

His meritorious hereditary titles rose from Qingche duwei to higher ranks. His achievements in battles such as the siege of Jinzhou led to further promotions. After the Qing dynasty entered the Central Plains, he participated in the battles of Jiangnan and Kunshan, earning the title of Third-Class Baron, which was further increased by imperial decree. However, during the succession process of his descendants, the additional imperial decree was removed, and ultimately, the title of Third-Class Baron was inherited by Zongjia. Qingche duwei and Baron were titles of merit, while zuoling, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and Vice Minister of War were actual official positions and could not be combined into a single military rank promotion.

Nizhuhun is listed as a Manchu surname in the original book, but there are also records of this branch being a Mongol bannerman who was transferred from the Bordered Blue Mongol Banner. Clan affiliation, language ability, and banner organization each have different meanings, and the original book's clan judgment cannot be changed solely based on Mongol banner organization. Tiancong was the reign title of Huang Taiji; the inheritance included collateral branches of uncles, not entirely from father to son. The specific time of the transfer of affiliation and the complex genealogy still need to be re-examined in the original edition.