Yan Li is generous by nature and often helps the poor; Love opposing injustice and upholding justice. In Chongzhen 13, Li Zicheng broke through from Brazil and Yufushan, and passed Yunxian and Xunxian to Henan. 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 compiled many well-known songs in the army, especially the well-known slogan "Welcome the king and don't receive grain", which played a good propaganda role in 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" that "Li Yan, a juror in Qixian County, whose real name is Xin, is also the son of Li, a master of Ximiao". 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 Henan Province: "Li Yan in Qixian County does not exist. It's only a hundred miles away from home, and there are many acquaintances. Don't you know anything? Unfortunately, the person who was caught the thief did not hear that there was a general Li in Qixian County. ..... This is nothing, Mr. Wu. " Zheng Lian, a native of Henan, participated in the peasant army department of Luo Rucai when he was young. His testimony should be more credible.
There is also evidence that Yan Li is not recorded in the local chronicles of Qixian County, and local chronicles generally record local juren and Jinshi in detail. The author of local chronicles also verified that from the first year of Chongzhen to the fourth year of Chongzhen, there was only one magistrate named Song in Qixian County, which was the magistrate of Qixian County in the twelfth year of Chongzhen. In addition, Li is not from Qixian county at all, but from Fuyang, Anhui province, which can be confirmed from the inscriptions on Jinshi in Ming Dynasty and Fuyang local chronicles. Besides, it's not Li's son. Li has two sons. The first 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 Peasant Army's Encirclement in the Ming Dynasty.
However, it has also been 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 notes around him 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 local chronicles in 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 advantages and disadvantages of the above viewpoints, some people put forward another viewpoint, 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.
Whether Li Yan exists has been debated for more than 300 years, and it is still a mystery until today.