Li Ru-song (Chinese: 李如松; Pinyin: Lǐ Rúsòng) (1549-1598) was the Commander-in-chief of the Ming Empire's army that was sent to defend Korea at the request of Korean King Seonjo against the Japanese invasion masterminded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His father was Li Chengliang, a famed Ming army commander who was of Korean Descent. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name, is an extra name that could be used in place of the given name. ... A posthumous name (Traditional Chinese: 諡號/謚號 Simplified Chinese: 谥号; Pinyin: shì hào; Romaji: shigō/tsuigō; Revised Romanization of Korean: siho) is a honorary name given to royalty in some cultures posthumously, that is, after the persons death. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... For other uses, see Ming. ... King Seonjo ruled in Korea between 1567 and 1608. ... Combatants Joseon Dynasty Korea, Ming Dynasty China Japan under Toyotomi Hideyoshi Commanders Korea: Yi Sun-sin, Gwon Yul, Won Gyun, Kim Myung Won, Yi Il, Sin Lip, Gwak Jae-u, Kim Shi-min China: Li Rusong , Li Rubai, Ma Gui , Qian Shi-zhen, Ren Ziqiang, Yang Yuan, Zhang Shijue, Chen... Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Shinjitai (modern Japanese) writing: ; KyÅ«jitai (historical) writing: 豐臣秀吉; born Hiyoshi-maru ; coming of age (Genpuku) as Kinoshita Tōkichirō and later made Hashiba and martial nobility in the style of Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami Hideyoshi ;February 2, 1536 or March 26, 1537 – September 18, 1598), was a Sengoku... Li Chengliang was a general of Korean descent in the reign of the Wanli Emperor during the Ming Dynasty who was in charge of maintaining peace and relations with the Jurchen tribes. ...

Li Ru-song distinguished himself in a series of battles by leading the defending army comprised of Chinese and Korean troops against the Japanese invasion force led by Kato Kiyomasa and Konishi Yukinaga. Together with Ming general Song Eung-chang (宋應昌), he suffered from several serious defeats such as the Battle of Byeokjegwan, but eventually defeated the Japanese in a series of victories on the Korean peninsula. Li Ru-song succeeded in recapturing the Korean capital of Hanyang (漢陽) and the city of Pyongyang (平壤). He ordered Chinese and Korean troops to refrain from killing all Japanese soldiers and grant them the right to retreat. Statue of Kato Kiyomasa in front of Kumamoto Castle Katō Kiyomasa (加藤清正, Katō Kiyomasa, July 25, 1562-August 2, 1611) was a daimyō during the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods of Japanese history. ... Konishi Yukinaga (小西 行長 Konishi Yukinaga, born 1555 and died November 6, 1600) was a Japanese (Christian) daimyo under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. ... For other uses, see Ming. ... Seoul   is the capital of South Korea and is located on the Han River in the countrys northwest. ... Not to be confused with PyeongChang. ...

Death

In April 1598, the Tartars invaded the Ming province of Liaodong (遼東) from the north when Li Ru-song was leading a small scouting group around its forests. Surrounded by thousands of Tartar cavalry, he could not escape, and was captured and subsequently killed. He was posthumously given the title of Zhong Lie (忠烈) (Lord of Fidelity). Tatars or Tartars is a collective name applied to the Turkic-speaking people of Europe and Asia. ... The Liaodong Peninsula (sim. ...

See also

• Ming Dynasty
• Yi Sun-sin