 He saw action a series of battles with the 67th Army especially in the Battle of Kumsong, the last large-scale battle of the Korean War.Li became the deputy commander of the 597th Regiment, commander of the 597th Regiment, deputy commander of the 199th Division, chief staff officer of the 199th Division and commander of the 199th Division sequentially after he returned to China.He was promoted as the colonel of the People's Liberation Army in 1965.