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| Li Rusong | |||||||
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| Chinese | 李如松 | ||||||
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| Zimao (courtesy name) | |||||||
| Chinese | 子茂 | ||||||
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| Zhonglie (posthumous name) | |||||||
| Chinese | 忠烈 | ||||||
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Li Rusong (1549–1598) was aChinese general of theMing dynasty fromTieling,Liaodong. He was a Ming army commander in the first half of theImjin War that took place in the Korean peninsula. Upon the request of the Korean KingSeonjo of Joseon, the MingWanli Emperor sent reinforcements to support the Korean military in its war effort against theJapanese invasion masterminded byToyotomi Hideyoshi.[1]
His father,Li Chengliang, was also a Ming general, who defended Liaodong from theJurchens.[2] Based on historical documents, Li Rusong's 6th generation ancestor Li Ying (李英) was originally from present-dayNorth Korea, but there are historical documents which state that the further ancestors were from central China who moved to Korea during wartime.
Li Rusong was ultimately captured and executed when the Mongols invaded Liaodong province.
Li Rusong first rose to fame in early 1592, when he managed to defeat a major rebellion atNingxia. The Ming army had been unable to move the rebels holed up in the city for the first six months, but after Li arrived the city fell within three months. Li was able to divert the waters of theYellow River directly into the city, which led to its fall. He was immediately appointed the chief general of the expedition into Korea after this; he led a force of some 36,000 into Korea in the last few days of 1592. Together withMing administratorSong Yingchang, Li Rusong was generally successful in Korea, first retaking the city ofPyongyang in a direct assault within two weeks of setting off (on January 8 of 1593), and then took back the city ofKaesong a couple week later. As he marched south towards the Korean capital ofHanyang (漢陽) in later January, the Ming army clashed with the Japanese forces in theBattle of Byeokjegwan, which resulted in the Ming army being pushed back briefly. Within two months after this he succeeded in recapturing Hanyang. He ordered Chinese and Korean troops to refrain from killing all Japanese soldiers and grant them the right to retreat.
Li knew of the sword artjedok geom during his stay in Korea. The Koreans published the sword-style in their martial arts manuals calledMuyesinbo (1759) andMuyedobotongji (1791).
In April 1598, theMongols invaded the Ming province ofLiaodong from the north when Li Rusong was leading a small scouting group around its forests. Surrounded by thousands of Mongol cavalry, he could not escape, and was captured and subsequently killed. He was posthumously given the title of Zhonglie (忠烈) (Lord of Fidelity).