Zuo Menggeng

Succession to his father's army

Zuo Menggeng, a native of Linqing in Shandong, was the son of the late-Ming general Zuo Liangyu. During the Southern Ming's Hongguang period, his father led troops downstream along the Yangtze under the stated pretext of removing harmful influences from the ruler's court. Zuo Liangyu died of illness at Jiujiang, after which his officers selected Zuo Menggeng to command the remaining forces. The father's military initiative and the son's subsequent assumption of command are separate episodes and should be described accordingly.

Service under the Qing

In 1645, when forces led by Ajige reached the middle Yangtze region, Zuo Menggeng surrendered with his men and was incorporated into the Han-martial-banner Plain Yellow Banner. He subsequently received a hereditary title designated jingqini hafan in 1648. In the following year he participated in campaigns connected with the rebellion of Jiang Xiang in Shanxi and served as gūsa ejen, the contemporary Manchu designation for a banner commander later rendered dutong.

Zuo died in 1654 and received the posthumous name Zhuangmin. The hereditary rank's later Chinese nomenclature was established in the Qianlong reign; it should be explained retrospectively, not presented as a title Zuo personally adopted. His father's Ming titles, Zuo's own Qing appointments, and the later history of the family's hereditary honours require separate treatment.