Li was an adopted son of the rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong, and appointed a general in Zhang's army with the title General Pacifier of the West. Ancient historiansleft behind records stating that Li was a tall, muscular and handsome man, and was known for his commanding abilities, bravery and formidable prowess in battle, he alone was said to be as effective as a force of 10,000 soldiers. After Zhang's death in 1646, he and other generals of Zhang's, including Sun Kewang, held out in Guizhou, then took over Chongqing in Sichuan, then south through Zunyi to take Guiyang in Guizhou in 1647.
Resistance to Qing
Li had tried to form a united front by combining Ming forces with the rebels against the Manchu invasion, and became the most important military commander of the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty. He and Sun Kewang first aided Ming loyalists by suppressing a rebellion in Yunnan in 1648, they then made strikes to stop the advance of the Qing army in Sichuan and Huguang. In 1652 he led a list of successful campaigns in southern Huguang and eastern Guangxi. His troops took the city ofGuilin, and the Qing general Kong Youdecommitted suicide after his defeat. Li also occupied Hengzhou while his forces ambushed and killed the Manchu prince Nikan. By 1653, he was forced to withdraw to northern Guangdong. In 1654 he attempted to take Xinhui, but was defeated and retreated to Nanning in 1655. In 1656 he escorted the Yongli Emperor from Anlong to Yunnanfu where the emperor set up an administration. Li was awarded with the title "Prince of Jin". Li and Sun Kewang became embroiled in a power struggle. In 1657, Sun attacked Li in eastern Yunnan, but his generals turned against him, and Sun was forced to retreat back to Guizhou. Sun then surrendered to the Qing authorities in December 1657, and urged the Qing to allow him to lead an attack on the Ming rebel forces. The Qing however chose to order Wu Sangui to push into Sichuan, and captured Chongqing and then Zunyi in Guizhou in 1658. In March 1659, Li Dingguo's army was defeated by Wu Sangui and Jobtei near Yunnanfu, and had to retreat to northern Burma, while the Yongli Emperor sought refuge with the Burmese king Pindale Min and reached Ava in June 1659.
Death
In December 1661 and the following January, Wu Sangui and the Manchu duke Aisingga entered Burma and defeated Li, who withdrew eastwards. Wu then demanded that the Burmese king hand over Yongli. The previous Burmese king Pindale who gave shelter to Yongli had by then been deposed by Pye Min, and the new king of Burma complied with Wu's demand. Yongli and his sons were handed over, and they were executed in Yunnanfu in May 1662. Li despaired upon hearing the news, and soon died near the border between Yunnan and Laos. His last words, said to his son, were: "Rather die in wilderness than surrender". However, his son would later surrendered to the Qing.
