Dechuku

Overview

Dechuku is a member of the Uzala clan, recorded in Volume 30 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. The genealogy states that they belonged to the Bordered White Banner, and their family had lived in the Ula region for generations, submitting to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. The family records also include a note at the end stating "changed from the Plain White Banner," indicating a possible adjustment to their banner affiliation. However, the specific time and personnel involved in this change cannot be determined solely from this single sentence.

This section focuses on the military and political positions held by Dechuku's descendants. His son, Ming'ai, served as a deputy commander; his grandson, Hasitai, served as a defense commander; and Haning'a served as a fourth-rank official. His great-grandson, Sangge, served as a defense commander in the Yunnan campaign, distinguishing himself at Shimenkan, Huangcaoba, and Guihuasi, and was awarded the title of Yunqiwei (a military rank). After his death, his son, Baochang, inherited the title. These military achievements belong to Sangge, and cannot be used to conclude that Dechuku personally participated in the Yunnan campaign. Other descendants held various positions, including scribe, imperial guard, vanguard, guard officer, and deputy commander.

The positions of Assistant Commander and Defense Commander were related to the military organization of the Banner Camp, while the positions of Ceremonial Commander belonged to a different official system. The Yunqiwei was a hereditary position awarded for merit and inheritable according to the system, and could not be considered as the current officer position that Sangge had always held. The most direct historical significance of the Dechuku Tiao is that it preserves the Banner registration, ancestral home, and official relationship of several generations of a Wuzhala clan.