Is Yan Li who wrote the slogan "Welcome to the King, No Food" fictional? Or Li Zicheng himself?

Yan Li was an important general of Li Zicheng Rebel Army in the late Ming Dynasty. Yan Li was an important figure in the history of the late Ming Dynasty. According to legend, formerly known as Li Xin, he was born in Qixian County, Kaifeng, Henan Province, and was the son of Li, the minister of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty. He was promoted once, but he didn't become an official. The locals often call him Li Gongzi.

Yan Li is generous by nature and often helps the poor; Love opposing injustice and upholding justice. In Chongzhen 13, Li Zicheng broke through Brazil and Yufushan and went to Henan via Yunxian and Xunxian. When sending troops to attack Qixian County, Yan Li, who was upright and concerned about the sufferings of the people, joined the Rebel Army, and made up many popular songs in the army, especially the popular slogan "Welcome the king without receiving food", which played a good propaganda role in the society and played a positive role in the further development and growth of the Rebel Army.

There are many books about Yan Li's deeds in the late Ming Dynasty. Official history, notes, novels and unofficial history all unanimously affirmed the real existence of Yan Li. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Wu, a famous scholar, recorded in A Brief Introduction to the Year of the Mouth: "Li Yan, a juror in Qixian County, whose real name is Xin, is the son of Li, a master of the West Temple". This statement was used in later notes, novels and even official history.

However, some historians questioned the existence of Li Yan after investigating historical facts. Zheng Lian, a scholar in Kangxi period, was the first person to suggest that Yan Li did not exist at all. He said in "Brief Introduction to Henan Changes": "Li Yan does not exist in Qixian County. It's only a hundred miles away from home, and there are many acquaintances. Don't you know anything? Unfortunately, those thieves who were caught didn't hear that there was a general Li from Qixian County. ..... It's nothing, Mr. Wu. " Zheng Lian is a native of Henan. When he was young, he participated in the peasant army of Luo Rucai's department. His testimony should be more credible.

There is also evidence that Yan Li is not recorded in the local chronicles of Qixian County, while local chronicles generally record the local juren and Jinshi in detail. The author of local chronicles also verified that there was only one county magistrate named Song in Qixian County from the first year of Chongzhen to the fourth year of Chongzhen, and the twelfth year of Chongzhen was the county magistrate of Qixian County. In addition, Li is not from Qixian county at all, but from Fuyang, Anhui province, which can be confirmed from the inscriptions of Jinshi in Ming Dynasty and Fuyang local chronicles. Besides, it's not Li's son. Li has two sons. The eldest son died fighting the peasant army in his hometown, and the second son died young. There is no record of Li Yan in the existing official archives of the Ming Dynasty and the Collected Works of Officials and Gentlemen who Commanded the Encirclement and Suppression of the Peasant Army in the Ming Dynasty.

However, some people pointed out that it is unscientific for Zheng Lian to judge the existence of Yan Li only by his own experience. Zheng Lian was only fifteen years old when he joined the peasant army. His position in the army was not high and his personal experience was limited. It is impossible for him to know all the people and events of his time, but some literati's notes recorded Yan Li's deeds. As for the problem that Yan Li was not recorded in the Records of Qixian County, it is likely that the author of the Records of the Qing Dynasty deliberately avoided some materials, because Li Yan's being a "thief" was not a local glory, so he deliberately erased it.

In addition to the pros and cons mentioned above, some people put forward another view, that is, Yan Li does not exist as an independent figure, because Yan Li is another name for Li Zicheng, and Yan Li is probably Li Zicheng himself. However, due to the basic lack of evidence, the credibility of this view is not high.

The existence of Yan Li has been debated for more than 300 years, but it is still a mystery until today.