Marctu

Overview

The genealogy book lists Maktu under the heading "Xikede Clan," but the main subject of the entry is still Maktu himself; the surname heading indicates the arrangement and cannot replace the name. According to the original entry, Maktu was a member of the Plain White Banner, and the year of his surrender is unknown. The genealogy then preserves the following chain of relatives and positions: originally a garrison commander; his son, Mala, originally a Blue-Lanyard Guard; his grandson, Cunge, currently a Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard; now belonging to the Plain White Banner. The original entry only states "Plain White Banner member," without mentioning bondservants or Han soldiers. The genealogy states "the year of surrender is unknown," therefore the year of the ancestor's surrender cannot be deduced from the descendants' official appointments. This entry does not specify the ancestral residence, so place names cannot be taken from adjacent entries with the same surname, given name, or from the same volume. 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. The Blue-Lanyard Guards belonged to the Qing Dynasty's imperial guard system and were responsible for duties such as guarding the palace and accompanying the emperor; the original text did not specify individual ranks or specific experiences.