Ekechu

Overview

Ekechu was a member of the Wanyan clan of the Plain White Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 28 of the officially compiled *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* records that his ancestral home was in the Nertu region, and that he submitted to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of its rule. The annotation states that he was of the same clan as Yechen of the Bordered Red Banner Wanyan region. The fact that different ancestral homes and different banner affiliations could still belong to the same clan demonstrates that the clan name, region, and banner affiliation in the original genealogy were three interconnected and non-substitutable categories.

The original genealogy records that his fifth-generation descendant, Hurban, participated in the attack on Bazhou as a non-official, being the second to scale the city walls and receiving the title of Baturu and Qiduwei (hereditary merit rank). Later, through imperial decrees and other military achievements, he accumulated higher hereditary ranks, becoming a Canling (military officer). The title of Baturu was an honorary title bestowed by the court, while Qiduwei (hereditary merit rank) and other ranks were hereditary positions, and Canling was a banner camp management position. "Second to scale the city walls" cannot be changed to "first to scale the city walls."

Hurban's descendant, Zhaoshan, also distinguished himself in battles in Zhaomodo, Huguang, and Yunnan, serving successively as Commander-in-Chief and zuoling. When Dening inherited the title, the additional rank granted by imperial decree was removed. The original genealogy records that he held the positions of First-Class Imperial Guard, Imperial Guard Leader, and zuoling. The Imperial Guard Leader position involved the leadership of the Imperial Guard ranks and was not a separate title. The connection between Hurban's descendants and their wartime and aftermath, the territory of Nateu, and relatives spanning five generations remains to be verified; these achievements are not attributed to Ekechu himself.