Li Yi is famous for writing frontier fortress poems.
Li Yi "grew up in a border town and was born in the army of bow and horse". From the ninth year of the Dali calendar to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, he spent more than thirty years "engaging in the army for eighteen years, five of which were in the army." His experience in border towns and the military gave him a relatively deep understanding of frontier life, and also made him a famous frontier poet. Among Li Yi's poems, frontier fortress poems were the most numerous and most accomplished.
Features of the works
Some of Li Yi's works depict the scenery of the frontier and express the customs and military life of the frontier, such as "Watching the Dance of the General Stone at a Night Banquet" and "Du Po Ne Sha Er" "First", "Watching Riding and Shooting", "Warming River", "Joining the Army is a Bitter and Happy Journey", etc.
Some express the heroic feelings of making meritorious service on the battlefield and sacrificing one's life to serve the country, such as "Send Off Judge Liu to Zhenwu", "Go to the Weibei Embassy for a Farewell", "Send Off Guests Returning to Zhenwu" and "Song at the End of the Fortress" wait.
Some truly express the hardships of military life and the strong desire of the border guards to return home, such as "Five Cities on the Road", "Joining the Army in the Northern Expedition", "Walking to the West City at Night to Listen to Two Songs from Liangzhou", etc.