In 1597, Japan took advantage of the opportunity of the party strife in Korea to send people to spread rumors in Seoul, slandering Li Shunchen, who had made great achievements in battles such as Kozan Island, as proud of his merits and disobedience, and attempted to launch a rebellion to seize power. Yuan Jun listened to the rumors to the King of Joseon, Li Fu, who listened to the rumors and sent Li Shunchen to prison.
After the success of the divisive plan, The Japanese Taikoku Toyotomi Hideyoshi gathered 150,000 troops, including 140,000 troops and more than 7,000 navies, to prepare to invade Korea.
After Lee Shun-chan was imprisoned, Won-kyun fulfilled his long-cherished wish to succeed him in charge of the Korean Navy. However, Yuanjun did not have the ability to command the war by Li Shunchen, and was defeated in the battle between Qi Chuanliang and the Japanese army, resulting in the near collapse of the Korean navy, and he himself was killed in the battle.
After the defeat at the Battle of Kicheon-leung, the Japanese Navy was approaching, and the korean crowd was indignant, from the Korean ministers to the civilians unanimously demanded that Lee Shun-chen regain control of the Korean Navy to meet Japan. Under pressure, the King of Joseon reappointed Li Shunchen as the ruler of the Three Admiralty Corps, that is, the commander-in-chief of the Navy. However, due to The incompetence of Won-kyun after the Battle of Seocheon-leung, the once-large Korean Navy had only 12 warships left to fight.
In order to make up for the strength of the fleet, Li Shunchen simply modified a hundred civilian ships into the fleet, but in the face of the menacing Japanese warships of more than three hundred and thirty, it was impossible to resist.
Because the difference in strength between the enemy and us was too great, Li Shunchen, after careful study and careful consideration, chose the location of the decisive battle in the Mingliang Strait, which has narrow channels and rapid water flow, and sent people to lay an ambush on both sides of the strait.
On September 16, 1597, Li Shunchen sent bait to lure the Japanese fleet to the Mingliang Strait, and when the Japanese fleet was fully engaged in the preset battlefield, the Korean army ambushed there pulled up the iron cable and launched a surprise attack.
Due to the rapid current, the Stability of the Japanese pointed-bottom ships was poor, and the amplitude of shaking in the rapids was too large, and the guns on board could not accurately aim and shoot, making it difficult to pose an effective threat to the Korean fleet. The warships converted by civilian ships on the North Korean side are flat-bottomed and more stable, and they can use the mountain cover on both sides of the strait not only to avoid Japanese artillery fire, but also to give the Japanese a strong counterattack.
The Japanese fleet that fell into ambush was hit by a sudden sneak attack without the ability to fight back, and the narrow strait also limited the space for the Japanese huge fleet, and wanted to exit the strait but was blocked by a steel cable, and many battleships even collided with each other while driving, and the Japanese fleet fell into chaos in an instant.
Li Shunchen took advantage of the chaos of the Japanese fleet to launch a fierce attack, and in this way he commanded 12 warships and 100 modified civilian ships to successfully defeat the Japanese three hundred and thirty warships.
In the Battle of Naruyang, the Korean fleet lost 34 men, sank 31 Japanese warships, damaged more than 90 Japanese ships, captured Kanno Andhiro Masain, and killed Raishima Tsuneyoshi, the only Japanese daimyo killed in the Battle of Mitsuru.
In the Battle of Mingliang, Li Shunchen created a rare case in the history of world wars in which the victory of the small and the victory of the weak over the strong, and obtained great combat results at a small cost to his own side, so he was known as the "God of War" of Korea.
In July 1950, in order to commemorate The Great Contribution of Lee Soon-chen in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Korean government established the Lee Sun-sun Medal and the Lee Sun-sun Medal to motivate and commend naval officers who had performed outstanding military merits.
Bronze statues commemorating Lee Shun-sun were also built in Gwanghwamun Square and Busan Park in Seoul, South Korea, and the head of Lee Shun-sun was also printed on the 100-won coin.