As commander of the Zhili provincial troops under Li Hongzhang when the Sino-Japanese war broke out in 1894, General Ye initially led the 3,000 Chinese army at Asan, but when they were driven out of the city by the Imperial Japanese Army and he retreated north to Pyongyang. Following the defeat at Pyongyang by the Japanese in September 1894, Ye Zhichao ordered the Chinese defenders to retreat over the Yalu River (which marked the border between China and Korea) into Qing territory. General Ye was sentenced to death for his failures, but managed to avoid being executed due to his "guanxi" connections. He was also reputed to be an opium addict.