Yatu

Overview

The genealogy book places Yatu under the heading "Bali Clan"; here, Yatu remains the main entry, and the surname heading only indicates the family arrangement in the genealogy book and cannot replace the individual's name. According to the original entry, Yatu was a member of the Plain Red Banner and lived in Zhelu. The genealogy text subsequently preserves the following chain of relatives and positions: formerly a garrison commander; his grandson, Liuliu, is currently an infantry officer. The original entry only states "Plain Red Banner member," without mentioning bondservants or Han soldiers. "Zhelu region" preserves important clues about the ancestral home, but currently lacks sufficient place name evidence to confirm the corresponding modern location; the original name should be maintained and marked as pending further investigation. A garrison commander was a military position in the Eight Banners garrison system, assisting in the management of camp affairs and defense; their actual jurisdiction must be determined in conjunction with the garrison location.