Giyesu was born in the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as a great-grandson of Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing dynasty. His grandfather, Daišan, was the founding title holder of the Prince Li peerage. His father, Hūse, who was the eighth and youngest son of Daišan, held the title of a feng'en zhenguo gong or first-class imperial duke. After Hūse died, his title was inherited by his second son, Jinggi, who, sometime before 1649, was promoted to a junwang. Jinggi died in July 1649. Giyesu, who was then only four years old, became the heir to Jinggi's princely peerage. In 1651, he was conferred the title "Prince Kang of the Second Rank". In 1659, Giyesu's uncle, Mandahai, was posthumously convicted and demoted from a qinwang to a beile. Mandahai's son, Chang'adai, was also demoted from a qinwang to beile. The Prince Li peerage, which was previously held by Mandahai, was then passed on to Giyesu, who inherited it under the Prince Kang title; Giyesu was promoted to "Prince Kang of the First Rank".
Career
In the late spring of 1674, Prince Kang was appointed as a general and ordered to lead imperial troops to Zhejiang to suppress a rebellion by Geng Jingzhong, one of the "Three Feudatories". Among his deputies were Fulata, Laita, Laha and Jirtab. In the ninth month, when Prince Kang and his army arrived in Jinhua, Geng Jingzhong had already conquered Wenzhou, Chuzhou and other cities in southern Zhejiang. Not long later, Geng Jingzhong's subordinate, Xu Shangchao, led 50,000 troops to attack Jinhua. In response, Prince Kang ordered Bayar and Mahada to lead imperial forces to resist the rebels; Bayar and Mahada's forces defeated Wu Rongxian and killed over 20,000 rebels. In the 12th month, Xu Shangchao personally led 50,000 troops to attack the villages south of Jinhua. Baya'er and Chen Shikai led imperial troops to attack the rebels and defeated them at Jidaoshan, and recaptured Yongkang and Jinyun counties from the rebels. Prince Kang defeated Fang Maogong at Shangyu, and Feng Gongfu at Yiwu and Wuyi County and took back the territories from the rebels. In 1675, Mahada and Li Rong defeated Sha Youxiang at Taohua Ridge and recaptured Chuzhou from the rebels. In the following year, Prince Kang led imperial forces through Zhejiang and prepared to attack Fujian, which was under rebel control. Around the time, Zheng Jing, the ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan, had occupied the prefectures of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in Fujian. At this point, Geng Jingzhong's rebel forces were running short on supplies. In the ninth lunar month of 1676, Prince Kang successfully recaptured Jianyang and forced the rebels at Jianning and Yanping to surrender. Sensing that defeat was imminent, Geng Jingzhong sent his son, Geng Xianzuo, to meet Prince Kang and convey his wish to surrender. He personally surrendered to Prince Kang later on. In the tenth month, Prince Kang and Qing imperial forces entered Fuzhou and completely pacified Geng Jingzhong's rebellion. In the tenth lunar month of 1676, Zheng Jing's subordinate, Xu Yao, led 30,000 troops to attack Fuzhou. In response, Prince Kang ordered Lahada to lead imperial forces to resist Zheng's forces. The imperial army was victorious and recaptured Ninghua, Qingliu, Changting and other counties. In the first month of 1677, Lahada and Laita defeated Zheng Jing's forces at Baimaoshan and Taipingshan, and recaptured Xinghua from the enemy. By the second month, they had driven Zheng Jing's forces out of Quanzhou and Zhangzhou and pacified most of Fujian. In the fourth month, Prince Kang wrote to Zheng Jing, who had retreated to Xiamen, to surrender. Zheng Jing refused, so Prince Kang prepared for an attack on Xiamen. At the same time, Prince Kang also recommended Yao Qisheng to the Qing imperial court to serve as the governor-general of Fujian. By 1680, Zheng Jing had been completely defeated in Fujian and forced to retreat with his remaining forces back to Taiwan. Prince Kang died in 1697 and was posthumously honoured as Prince Kangliang of the First Rank. He was survived by at least two sons, Chuntai and Bartu, who successively inherited the Prince Kang title from their father.
