Li Le

Historical Record

Based on the existing historical-biographical material, the record concerning Li Le is blank. In the official histories such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, there is no clear mention of this person Li Le or his life's deeds. Therefore, whether he truly existed in history, or the specific role he played, cannot be verified. This suggests that Li Le may not have been an important historical figure, or that his deeds were not recorded by the historians, or that his name appears in the historical sources in some other form and went unidentified. As for the historical verification of Li Le, no definite information can be provided at present.

In the Novel

In Luo Guanzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Li Le, as one of the White Wave commanders, is cast as a bandit who gathered men in the mountains and forests, and who later took part in escorting the imperial cortege after being pardoned and granted office by the Son of Heaven. He first appears when Emperor Xian of Han was being hard-pressed by Li Jue and Guo Si. At that time, Yang Feng and Dong Cheng, to escort the emperor north, on the one hand made peace with Li Jue and Guo Si, and on the other secretly summoned the former White Wave commanders of Hedong—Han Xian, Li Le, and Hu Cai—to come to the rescue.^[1] Li Le, together with Han Xian, Hu Cai, and their forces, hearing that the Son of Heaven had pardoned them and granted them office, led their troops to join Dong Cheng, intending to retake Hongnong.

Li Le, in the fighting with Li Jue and Guo Si, showed his bandit nature. When Guo Si ordered his soldiers to scatter clothing and goods along the road, Li Le's army, seeing the ground covered with riches, scrambled to seize them, so that the ranks fell into disorder and were finally defeated by Li Jue and Guo Si.^[2] At a critical moment, Li Le once said to Emperor Xian: "The situation is urgent! I beg the Son of Heaven to mount and go ahead first!" But Emperor Xian was unwilling to abandon the hundred officials.^[2]

Thereafter, when Dong Cheng and Yang Feng discussed repairing the palace courts of Luoyang and wished to escort the cortege back to the eastern capital, Li Le refused to comply. He held that Anyi was a small place that could not accommodate the imperial carriage, while Luoyang was the place where the Son of Heaven should establish his capital. Yet when Dong Cheng tried to persuade him, Li Le stubbornly clung to his own view, declaring: "You escort the cortege away; I will only stay here."^[3] Worse still, Li Le secretly colluded with Li Jue and Guo Si, plotting to seize the imperial cortege. When Dong Cheng, Yang Feng, and Han Xian learned of his scheme, they escorted the cortege through the night to Jiguan. On hearing of this, Li Le, without waiting for Li Jue and Guo Si's troops to arrive, personally led his own forces in pursuit, shouting at the foot of Mount Ji, "Let the imperial carriage halt! Li Jue and Guo Si are here!"^[4], throwing Emperor Xian into terror, with fires blazing up on the hills—further highlighting his fickle and self-serving character.

Key Relationships

* Liu Xie (Emperor Xian of Han): Li Le was nominally serving Liu Xie by escorting the cortege on imperial order, but in fact repeatedly betrayed and threatened Liu Xie. He first came to the rescue because of being pardoned and granted office, but after defeat tried to persuade Liu Xie to flee ahead, and finally even secretly colluded with Li Jue and Guo Si to seize the Son of Heaven.^[4] This relationship reflects Li Le's pursuit of power and his disrespect for the Son of Heaven.
* Li Jue: Li Le's relationship with Li Jue was complex and full of betrayal. At first, Li Le, as Liu Xie's reinforcement, fought against Li Jue, but after defeat he secretly colluded with Li Jue, attempting to seize Emperor Xian together.^[4] This shows that Li Le, for his own interests, could easily change sides and betray his allies.
* Guo Si: Similar to with Li Jue, Li Le also displayed his two-facedness in his dealings with Guo Si. He first fought Guo Si as an enemy, but after defeat colluded with Guo Si in secret, jointly plotting the seizure of the cortege.^[4] This relationship further confirms Li Le's fickleness and opportunistic nature.
* Dong Cheng, Yang Feng, Han Xian: Li Le and these three were at first allies in jointly escorting the cortege. However, on the question of escorting the cortege back to Luoyang, Li Le fell into disagreement with Dong Cheng and finally betrayed them, secretly colluding with Li Jue and Guo Si to seize the Son of Heaven.^[4] This turned their relationship from allies into adversaries.

Signature Scenes

* The White Wave commanders summoned by edict to the rescue: When Emperor Xian of Han was hard-pressed by Li Jue and Guo Si, Yang Feng and Dong Cheng secretly summoned the former Hedong White Wave commanders Han Xian, Li Le, and Hu Cai to come to the rescue. Hearing that the Son of Heaven had pardoned them and granted them office, Li Le and the others led their troops to join up—his first appearance in the role of a rescuer.^[1] (unique to the novel)
* The army scattering through greed: In the fighting with Li Jue and Guo Si, Guo Si deliberately scattered riches along the road. Li Le's army, out of greed, scrambled to seize them, so that the ranks scattered and were finally utterly defeated. This scene vividly displays the lax discipline and greedy nature of Li Le and his troops.^[2] (unique to the novel)
* Refusing to escort the cortege back to Luoyang and secretly colluding: When Dong Cheng and Yang Feng discussed escorting the cortege back to Luoyang, Li Le stubbornly clung to his own view and refused to go. More shockingly, he secretly colluded with Li Jue and Guo Si, plotting to seize Emperor Xian of Han. When Dong Cheng and the others learned of his scheme and escorted the cortege away through the night, Li Le, without waiting for Li Jue and Guo Si's troops to arrive, personally led his army in pursuit and shouted at the foot of Mount Ji, "Let the imperial carriage halt! Li Jue and Guo Si are here!"^[4], throwing Emperor Xian into terror. This scene is the climax of Li Le's treachery, fully revealing his fickle and self-serving essence (unique to the novel).