Yin Li, also known as Yin Lu'er and Yin Lu, was a military officer who served under the warlords
Zang Ba
Zang Ba ( 162–230s), courtesy name Xuangao, was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. He served the warlord Tao Qian initially, followed by Lü Bu and finally Cao Cao and his su ...
,
Lü Bu
Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betr ...
and Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Later, he served as a military officer in the state of
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...
period.
Life
Sometime in the 190s, Yin Li, along with
Zang Ba
Zang Ba ( 162–230s), courtesy name Xuangao, was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of China. He served the warlord Tao Qian initially, followed by Lü Bu and finally Cao Cao and his su ...
, Sun Guan (孫觀), Wu Dun (吳敦), Chang Xi (昌狶) and others, formed a small army, with Zang Ba as their chief, and garrisoned at Kaiyang County (開陽縣; present-day
Linyi
Linyi () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Shandong province, China. As of 2011, Linyi is the largest prefecture-level city in Shandong, both by area and population, Linyi borders Rizhao to the east, Weifang to the northeast, Zibo t ...
Lü Bu
Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betr ...
were at war, Zang Ba and his followers led their troops to help Lü Bu. After Lü Bu's defeat and death at the
Battle of Xiapi
The Battle of Xiapi was fought between the forces of Lü Bu against the allied armies of Cao Cao and Liu Bei from the winter of 198 to 7 February 199 towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. The battle concluded with victory for C ...
later that year, Zang Ba and his followers willingly surrendered to Cao Cao and became his subordinates. Cao Cao appointed them to various positions and put Zang Ba in charge of parts of Qing and Xu provinces. Yin Li served as the Administrator of Dongguan Commandery (東莞郡; around present-day
Yishui County
Yishui County () is a county of south-central Shandong province, People's Republic of China, located in the foothills region of the province. It is the northernmost county-level division of the prefecture-level city
A prefecture-level city ...
, Shandong).
Yin Li served as a military officer in the state of Wei under Cao Cao's son and successor,
Cao Pi
Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest ...
, after Cao Pi usurped the throne in late 220 and established Wei to replace the Eastern Han dynasty. Between October 222 and January 223, Yin Li fought in the
Battle of Dongkou
The Battle of Dongkou was a naval battle fought between October 222 and January 223 between forces of the state of Cao Wei and the Kingdom of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. The battle concluded in a Wu victory.
Background
Af ...
against Wei's rival state, Eastern Wu. He was killed in action against the Wu general
Quan Cong
Quan Cong (196–247 or 198–249), courtesy name Zihuang, was a Chinese military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in present-day Hangzhou towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Quan Cong b ...