 In 1935, when the party officially changed policy, and began creating a united front, the army welcomed and absorbed most of the remaining anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria.The army was now organized into three Route Armies including Zhou Baozhong's 2nd Route Army in Kirin Province, where Li was an officer.From the fall of 1936 to 1938 Li was sent Shanghai and Nanjing to engage in Anti-Japanese United Front work.