李繼隆是宋太祖（960-976在位）從龍大功臣、樞密副使李處耘(920-966)長子，太宗明德李皇后(960-1004)之長兄。他既是功臣子弟，又是帝戚，加上他能征善戰，從太祖晚年開始，便得到太祖和太宗兄弟的重用。從太祖開寶八年(975)征南唐之役始，到太宗太平興國四年(979)平北漢之戰，以及太宗一朝對遼對夏的大小戰役，包括高梁河之戰、滿城之戰、岐溝關之戰、君子館之戰、唐河、徐河之戰、夏州之戰及第一次靈州之戰，李繼隆以騎將身份，統率馬軍，幾乎無役不與，而屢立戰功；不過，他也有好幾回恃太宗的寵信違紀敗師，爲時人所非議。他以后兄貴戚的地位，在內執掌禁旅，在外統兵出征，成爲太宗一朝最有權勢的武將。太宗用人惟親，最喜用他的藩邸舊臣及外戚統領軍隊，因而在宋初軍事上付出高昂的代價。李繼隆在泰半平庸的外戚武將中，論戰功與用兵韜略，卻是卓爾不群的，稱得上是一代名將。時人比之爲漢代的衛青（?-前106）和霍去病（前145-前117）。不過，因李皇后在太宗死後企圖廢立真宗（997-1022在位）失敗，李繼隆受牽連被罷軍職，投閒置散多年，直至景德元年(1004)遼軍南侵，他才得以重上沙場，建立最後的功勳。

This paper attempts to critically analysis the military career of Li Jilong, the elder brother of Empress Li, who was known to be the most distinguish imperial relative general during the reign of Emperor Sung Taizong (r. 976-997). General Li made a record in early Northern Song that he participated in almost every battle that the Song army fought against the Khitan Liao and the Tangut Xia, the two major military rivals of Song. Being the imperial relative of Emperor Taizong, General Li was delegated with full trust and power to command his army. It is worthy to note, as the field commander, General Li did not always follow the orders from his chief-commanders including the emperor. As a matter of fact, he did win some great battles but equally lost quite a number in his entire military career. Being one of the most senior commanders in the imperial troops and holding the status of imperial relative, he could not exempted from the power struggle inside and outside the court. When his younger sister, Empress Li, lost in the power struggle shortly after Emperor Song Taizong died, General Li was forced to retire at his age of 48. He had to wait for another 7 years until he regained the trust from the new emperor that allowing him to return to the battlefield.