ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Li Dingguo’s generalship at both the tactical and strategic levels and considers him within the broader context of his times tracing how he was transformed from a notorious peasant rebel to an ardent Ming loyalist. Li is credited in particular with gaining the allegiance of the tusi for the Southern Ming cause and their ranks would supply a major portion of the manpower for Li’s subsequent operations. Since the dynasty’s inception in the fourteenth century the fringes of the Ming empire, particularly in the southwest, had been governed by a combination of hereditary local officials, generally drawn from native minority groups, and centrally appointed officials. The initial Ming push was repulsed and Li had to kill an elephant driver so as to restore morale and set an example. The Ming forces mounted another charge and smashed through the Qing lines as corpses piled up in a driving rainstorm.
