Battle of Fushun

The Battle of Fushun would be the first military conflict between the Later Jin and the Ming dynasty. Li Yongfang only had 1,200 men under his command. The Jin army assailed the city walls with siege ladders and the unprepared garrison gave their lives in a hasty defense. Li and his lieutenant, Zhao Yipeng, decided to surrender on the condition that no one was to be harmed. Nurhaci agreed to the terms and entered the city.

Li's defection to the Manchus was possible only because the Chinese official saw in the Manchu system the opportunity of serving a Manchu ruler without abandoning his Chinese cultural and political experience. He was only the first of a number of Chinese who surrendered or were captured and entered Manchu service in an administration that adapted many Chinese methods. Nurhaci's granddaughter by his son Abatai married Li as a result of his defection to the Qing. The offspring of Li received the "Third Class Viscount" (三等子爵 sān děng zǐjué|labels=no) title.

Qing dynasty

Li Yongfang later fought as a lieutenant-general at the side of Nurhaci and participated in the Later Jin invasion of Joseon. Although spared and given privileged status as one of the first to defect, Li lost Nurhaci's confidence in 1622 when he opposed the khan's desire to massacre any Chinese refugees who sought to escape his rule. Despite this, Li remained ambivalent towards Ming overtures trying to re-enlist him in their army. Li Yongfang died in 1634 with the rank of viscount. All nine of his sons continued to provide service to the imperial throne.

Li is the father of Li Shuaitai and the great great great grandfather of Li Shiyao (李侍堯).