Songta

Overview

Songta is a member of the Plain Yellow Banner bondservant under the Wang clan, recorded in Volume 75 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. His family had lived in the Changbai Mountains region for generations. The original text clearly records that Songta himself served as a zuoling (ZuoLing), therefore this official position can be attributed to him, rather than being inferred solely from the positions held by his descendants. The genealogy still records the year of his submission as unverifiable.

His son, Xiteku, served as a pastoral chief; his great-grandson, Huase, served as an Assistant Minister and concurrently as a Commander; Fobao served as a Secretary; and Yilaqi served as a Secretary when the genealogy was being compiled. His great-great-grandson, Taishanbao, served as an Assistant Minister at that time, and at fifty-six, as a scribe. The genealogy simultaneously mentions zuoling managing banner affairs, pastoral chiefs in charge of pastures, and officials such as Secretary and Assistant Minister, indicating that members of the same branch served in different systems.

"Concurrently as a Commander" indicates that Huase held the title of Commander in addition to Assistant Minister; these two titles cannot be assigned to different individuals. "Fifty-six" here refers to a great-great-grandson's name and cannot be interpreted as Songta's age. This article also does not specify whether Songta's rank of zuoling is a vacant position that can be inherited, so it is not appropriate to directly identify it as a hereditary zuoling.