Li Yongfang 李永芳

LI Yung-fang 李永芳, d. 1634, Chinese general who served under the Manchus, was a native of T'ieh-ling, Liaotung. In 1613, when the Manchu expansion began to cause friction with the Ming Court, he was a major at Fu-shun. He attempted a parley with the Manchu leader concerning Chinese support to the Yehe, a tribe with which Nurhaci [q.v.] was at war. Nevertheless when the latter in 1618 disclosed his seven grounds for irritation at Chinese policy and declared open war against the Ming emperor, the city of Fu-shun became the first object of his attack. Li surrendered without a struggle and, together with the entire population, was carried off to the Manchu stronghold of Hsing-ching, east of Mukden. There he was given a position of authority over the conquered Chinese and was provided with a Manchu wife, the daughter of Nurhaci's seventh son. Li rendered effective service to the Manchus in the campaigns of 1619 and 1621, for which he was made a brigade-general. For refusing all entreaties of Wang Hua-chên [q.v.] to reaffirm his allegiance to China, the Manchus granted him advance pardon equivalent to the commutation of three death sentences. Since he was the first Chinese of importance to join the Manchus, his value to the latter was great. He helped materially, for example, in conducting the peace negotiations with the Koreans in 1627 (see under Amin). He died seven years later, soon after receiving the hereditary rank of viscount of the third class.

Li Yung-fang had nine sons, the most prominent of whom were Bayan (see under Li Shih-yao), inheritor of the rank of viscount, and Li Shuai-t'ai [q.v.] who on his own merit received the hereditary rank of a first class baron. After 1642 Li Yung-fang's descendants belonged to the Chinese Plain Blue Banner.

[1/237/2b; 2/78/10a; 4/5/5b; 明季北略 Ming-chi pei-lüeh 1/1b; Hauer, K'ai-kuo fang-lüeh 66f.]

George A. Kennedy

《清史稿》卷231

李永芳 ，遼東鐵嶺人。在明官撫順所游擊。太祖克烏喇，烏喇貝勒布占泰走葉赫。太祖伐葉赫，葉赫愬於明。明使告太祖，誡毋侵葉赫。太祖以書與明，言葉赫渝盟悔婚，復匿布占泰，不得已而用兵，躬詣撫順所，永芳迎三里外，導入教場，太祖出書畀永芳，乃引師還。

後三歲為天命元年，又三歲，始用兵於明。四月甲辰昧爽，師至撫順所，遂合圍，執明兵一，使持書諭永芳曰：「明發兵疆外衛葉赫，我乃以師至。汝一游擊耳，戰亦豈能勝？今諭汝降者：汝降，則我即日深入；汝不降，是誤我深入期也。汝多才智，識時務，我國方求才，稍足備任使，猶將舉而用之，與為婚媾；況如汝者有不加以寵榮與我一等大臣同列者乎？汝若欲戰，我矢豈能識汝？既不能勝，死復何益？且汝出城降，我兵不復入，汝士卒皆安堵。若我師入城，男婦老弱必且驚潰，亦大不利於汝民矣。勿謂我恫喝，不可信也。汝思區區一城且不能下，安用興師？失此弗圖，悔無及已。降不降，汝熟計之。毋不忍一時之忿，違我言而僨事也！」永芳得書，立城南門上請降，而仍令軍士備守具。上命樹雲梯以攻，不移時，師登陴，斬守備王命印等。永芳冠帶乘馬出降，固山額真阿敦引永芳下馬，匍匐謁上，上於馬上以禮答之，傳諭勿殺城中人。東州、馬根單二城及沿邊諸臺堡五百餘，悉下。是日，上駐撫順。明日，命隳其城，乃還。編降民千戶，遷之赫圖阿喇。命依明制設大小官屬，授永芳三等副將，轄其眾，以上第七子貝勒阿巴泰女妻焉。太祖伐明取邊城，自撫順始；明邊將降太祖，亦自永芳始。

是年七月，上復伐明，拔清河。四年，克鐵嶺。六年，下遼、瀋。永芳皆從，以功授三等總兵官。明巡撫王化貞及諸邊將屢遣諜招永芳，永芳輒執奏，上嘉獎，敕免死三次。

太宗即位，以朝鮮與明將毛文龍相應援，納逋逃，命貝勒阿敏等帥師討之，永芳從。上諭阿敏等曰：「朝鮮理當討，然非必欲取之。凡事相機度義而行。」克義州，分兵攻鐵山，擊走文龍；進下定州、安州，次平壤，其官民皆遁，遂渡大同江。朝鮮王李倧使齎書迎師，諸貝勒答書歷數其罪，許以遣大臣蒞盟，當班師。使既行，師復進，次黃州，倧使馳告已遣大臣蒞盟。阿敏欲遂攻其都城，諸貝勒謂宜待所遣大臣至，永芳進曰：「我等奉上命，仗義而行。前與朝鮮書，許以遣大臣蒞盟當班師，今食言不義。盍暫駐待之？」諸貝勒皆是其言，阿敏怒，叱永芳曰：「爾蠻奴，何多言！我豈不能殺爾耶？」師再進，次平山，倧所遣大臣至師，卒如永芳議，遣劉興祚、庫爾纏如倧所，蒞盟而還。

八年，永芳卒，有子九人。漢軍旗制定，隸正藍旗漢軍。次子李率泰，自有傳。

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