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TSERENG 策棱, d. Mar. 12, 1750, the first Prince Ch'ao-yung (超勇親王), was a member of the Borjigit clan and a descendant of Genghis Khan (1162–1227) in the twenty-first generation. After the Mongols were driven out of China most of the Khans were weaklings. But Dayan Tsetsen Khan (1466–1543?), a descendant of Genghis Khan in the fifteenth generation, was a man of great ability, and united the Mongols under his rule. After Dayan's death, the authority was divided mainly among his sons. These sons, with one exception, brought their herds to pasture south of the Gobi Desert and became known, together with other tribes led by princes not descended from Genghis Khan, as the Inner Mongolians, or the Forty-nine Banners.
The ninth son, Gheresentse, took his men, numbering about ten thousand, to a region farther north, and this group came to be known as the Khalkas or Outer Mongolians. The Khalkas were later divided into three main groups designated Jasaktu Khanate, Tsetsen Khanate, and Tushetu Khanate, all the tribal heads being descendants of Gheresentse. The latter's third son, Numkh, and his descendants of the eldest branch, led the Tushetu Khanate. Tsereng was born a member of this branch. His great-grandfather, Tumenkin (fourth son of Numkh), was awarded the title of Sain Noin by the Dalai Lama for his advocacy of the Yellow Sect of Lamaism. The inheritance of this title fell to the second branch of the family—Tsereng himself belonging to the eighth. When, in the late 1680's, the Sungars under Galdan [q. v.] invaded the Khalkas, Tsereng was still a youth and, together with the head of his family, Shamba 善巴 (d. 1707), surrendered to Emperor Shêng-tsu for protection. In 1691 Shamba was created a prince of the second class and became the recognized leader of his clans. Later (1696) his rank was raised to the first class.
Tsereng, a second cousin of Shamba, was given the rank of a Ch'ing-ch'ê tu-yü, together with the privilege of living in Peking and studying in the Palace (1692). It seems that the Emperor selected him to be educated, in the belief that he was a Mongol prince who would remain loyal. In 1706 Tsereng married the Emperor's tenth daughter, the Princess Ch'un-k'o （純愨公主 1685–1710). It was probably after the princesss' death that Tsereng was raised in rank and ordered to lead his men to their pasture-land in the Tamir River valley northwest of Erdeni Tsu. In 1715, when the Eleuths again threatened the Khalkas (see under Tsewang Araptan), Tsereng was ordered to assist the northern route army, and for his bravery in a battle in 1721 was made a Jasak to rule over the men under him-his men having been, up to this time, under the jurisdiction of another Jasak prince. In 1723 Emperor Shih-tsung made him a prince of the second class and in the following year ordered him to patrol the Altai Mountain passes, with the rank of an assistant commander (副將軍). The Emperor was pleased with his services and in 1725 ordered him to organize his near relatives (the descendants of Tumenkin) into a new Khanate known am Sain Noin, consisting of nineteen banners a Jasaks, increased later to twenty-four. Thus Tsereng and his kin no longer belonged to the Tushetu Khanate and the Khalkas were now divided into four groups. In the meantime, Tsereng served as one of the ambassadors who signed a treaty with Russia at Kiakhta (1727) but, for firing cannon to celebrate the conclusion of the treaty (see under Tulišen), he was fined three months' stipend.
When Emperor Shih-tsung decided to main war against the Eleuths he sent Furdan [q. v.] to Khobdo as commander-in-chief. Tsereng was one of the generals stationed at Chakan Sor, the military base under Hsi-pao (see under Furdan). In 1731, after being defeated near Khobda Furdan was ordered to withdraw to Chakan Sar. The victorious Eleuths, however, had already crossed the Altai Mountains, pillaged the Khalka nomads, and destroyed several military postr But on October 22 they met the army unde Tsereng west of Chakan Sor, were defeated, and had to retreat to the west of the Altai Mountains. This victory not only opened a way for Furdan to withdraw his troops but also enhanced the morale of the soldiers. Because of this victory Tsereng was raised to prince of the first class and given a reward of ten thousand taels silver. The other commander of the Mongolian forces,
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