Page:Eminent Chinese Of The Ch’ing Period - Hummel - 1943 - Vol. 1.pdf/462

Rh wên-chi of Fang Chên-ju 方震孺 ; the works of ; and the writings of two sons of. He also edited a work by on the Kung-yang commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals and a work by Yeh Wei-kêng 葉維庚  on reign-names, entitled 紀元通考 Chi-yüan t'ung-k'ao, 12 chüan (1827). His interest in scientific matters is shown by the fact that in 1833 he engaged a skilled coppersmith to help him construct a few astronomical instruments.

Li Chao-lo had two sons; the elder, Li Chuan 李顓, died in early life; the younger, Li Yuan 李願 (ming changed later to Shao-hua 紹華 T. 慰望, b. 1802), attained some fame in calligraphy.

[3/247/1a; 5/73/1a; 20/4/00 (portrait); 26/3/5a; Chiang T'ung 蔣彤, 李申耆年譜 Li Shên-ch'i nien-p'u (1913); Wu-chin Yang-hu ho chih (1879) 23/54a.]

2em

 LI Ch'êng-liang 李成梁, Aug. 21, 1526–1618, Ming general, was a native of T'ieh-ling, Liaotung. His ancestor in the fifth generation, Li Ying-ni 李膺尼, was a Korean who moved to T'ieh-ling in the early Ming period from a town on the south bank of the Yalu River. The latter's son, Li Ying 李英, was made hereditary secretary of the garrison at T'ieh-ling and became the recognized founder of the clan. Li Ying had five sons, each of whom founded his own branch of the clan. The eldest grandson, Li Ch'un-mei 李春美, succeeded to the hereditary secretaryship, and his descendants prospered in the Ming period. Another branch, founded by Li Ch'un-mao 李春茂, achieved fame in the Ch'ing period.

Li Ch'êng-liang was the eldest of four grandsons of Li Ch'un-mei. Owing to poverty he could not afford to pay the expenses attendant on the succession to the family rank, and so remained a hsiu-ts'ai until he was about forty sui. This, however, did not impede his official career, for he continued in service for more than thirty years. About 1565 he was helped financially by a censor who was inspecting his district, and finally he went to Peking to register his claims. After succeeding to the military rank he began to serve in the army, and in a few years became a lieutenant colonel in command of a fort in Liaotung. In 1567, for his help in warding off the invading Mongols at Yung-pʻing, he was advanced to an assistant brigade general in the garrison at Liaoyang; and in 1570 rose to be commander of that garrison. For taking the stronghold of Wang Kao of Chien-chou (see under ) in 1573, he was given the title, Commander in Chief of the Left Army (左軍都督府左都督), and the rank of brigade general. When Wang Kao was captured, in 1575, Li was given the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent and a minor hereditary rank. For repeatedly defeating the Tumet Mongols at Chin-chou and elsewhere, he was created an earl (1579), with the designation, Ning-yüan Po 寧遠伯. A year later, for defeating an invasion by the Chien-chou Ju-chên (Manchus, see under ), the earldom was made hereditary.

In the following eleven years (1580–91) Li Ch'êng-liang defended Liaotung against repeated attacks by the Tumet Mongols on the north and west, and occasional raids by the Ju-chên tribes on the east. In 1582 he took the stronghold of Wang Kao's son, Atai (see under ) and in the encounter killed a number of Chien-chou chiefs, including the father and grandfather of. In 1584 he killed two chiefs of the Yehe tribe (see under ), and in 1588 temporarily subdued the Yehe. For these and other exploits he was rewarded with increased stipends and with elevation of the ranks of his sons and nephews. In time he and his family became very powerful and his sons held high military posts in Peking and the provinces. But he himself is reported to have become gradually less energetic in suppressing the border tribes, and tried to appease them; he would make harmless raids into enemy territory, kill a few civilians on the way, and report victories. For this he was frequently denounced by censors, but was always cleared by high civil officials who protected him. To appease his adversaries he several times requested that his power be lessened or that he himself be removed, but without avail. Finally, in 1591, he was accused of falsifying military reports, but the accusation was dropped. He pleaded illness, and later in that year was allowed to retire to his house in Peking which the emperor had given him in 1582. There he lived quietly for ten years, during which time the defenses in Liaotung were weakened by frequent change of commanders, among them two of his five sons (see below). In 1601 he was recalled from retirement to resume, at seventy-six sui, his post as brigade 450