Li Dan, whose courtesy name was Hongwei, was from Jinyang, Bingzhou. Be fair and honest, and speak less. The descendants of Li Guang, the flying general of the Han Dynasty, had a wealthy family. Lu Bu's general was eight feet tall and handsome in appearance. He was courageous, proficient in martial arts, good at planning, sensible, and knowledgeable about military maneuvers. He was a rare talent of the Later Han Dynasty. He wields a "Purple Dragon Halberd", a good horse "Flying Tiger", wears "Red Tang Treasure Armor", carries a bow and arrows with him, hangs a "Feng Ling Dao" on his waist, and carries a "Wolf Tooth Sword" on his back. He is both civil and military.
Li Dan was selected by Ding Yuan and became the next general in Ding Yuan's account. He was sworn brother with Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, and Li Dan ranked second. Following Ding Yuan's defeat of the Yellow Turbans in Bingzhou, Ding Yuan's flying general Lu Bu was extremely brave. Li Dan admired his bravery and often wanted to marry Lu Bu, but failed due to various reasons.
After Ding Yuan committed suicide, Li Dan, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun and others followed Lu Bu to Dong Zhuo's tent, intending to murder the national traitor Dong Zhuo and fulfill Ding Yuan's last wish. However, a Diao Chan appeared in the middle and made Lu Bu kill Dong Zhuo early. As a result, Lu Bu, Li Dan, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun and others were driven out of Chang'an by Li Jue and Guo Si.
Later, he defeated Puyang, captured Xuzhou, and conquered Jingzhou. Li Dan had outstanding military exploits and was known as the "Little Wenhou". He became Lu Bu's only disciple. Under Lu Bu's guidance, his martial arts improved day by day. After Lu Bu's defeat, his generals surrendered to Cao Cao one after another, but Li Dan refused to surrender. He returned to Bingzhou with his sworn brothers Zhang Liao, Gao Shun and some loyal and brave men, and quickly grew in strength, hoping to avenge Lu Bu.