Lahali of the Irgen Gioro Clan

Lahali's military distinction

Lahali was an early Qing member of the Irgen Gioro clan of the Plain Yellow Banner, whose ancestral association was with the Neyin River. The family joined the Manchu polity during its early formation. Volume 15 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Eight Banner Manchu Clans* records that Lahali served as a *xiaoqixiao*, an officer with responsibilities for Banner troops. He participated in operations against the Chahar leader Burni and received the hereditary merit rank *yunqiwei* for his actions at Dalu.

Lahali subsequently retired in old age and was succeeded in the hereditary distinction by his son Burha. The office of *xiaoqixiao* and the hereditary dignity *yunqiwei* were different kinds of status. The transfer of a merit rank after retirement does not show that the son took over the father's substantive military appointment.

Burha and the next generation

Burha later fought against the Dzungars and was killed in the engagement at Wusunzhuer. He was posthumously granted the hereditary rank *qiduwei*, which subsequently passed to his son Jintai. That award arose from Burha's own military service; it did not make Lahali a participant in the Dzungar campaign. Similarly, a posthumous grant should not be recast as a regular office held by Burha during his lifetime.

Interpreting the record

The Plain Yellow Banner identifies an institutional affiliation, while the Neyin River is a historical geographical association. They do not supply a modern administrative address. The record supports an outline of three generations of merit and succession, but not detailed reconstructions of battle movements, family residences or dates without additional original documentation.