Li Rusong

Who was Li Rusong?

Li Rusong was a Chinese general of the Ming empire who is from the town of Tieling, Liaodong province. He was the Commander-in-chief of the Ming Empire's army in the first half of the Imjin War that took place in Korea peninsula. The war was ordered by the Wanli Emperor to protect Korea from the Japanese invasion masterminded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, upon the request of the King of Korea - Seonjo of Joseon. His father Li Chengliang was also a famed army commander of Ming empire, known for his accomplishment of defending Liaodong province from Manchus. Based on historical documents, Li Rusong's 6th generation ancestor Li Ying was originally from the Korean town of Chosan in present-day North Korea. But there are also historical documents which state that the further ancestors of the Li family were from central China who moved to Korea during war time.