Is “He was immensely strong and, along with Feilian, served the Shang dynasty.” true?
attested in history
The Records of the Grand Historian, in the 'Annals of Qin', records that 'E Lai was strong, and together with Feilian, served King Zhou of Shang by virtue of their strength.' He and his father Feilian are both ancestors of the Qin rulers.
E Lai
In official history, he is a fierce general of the Shang dynasty and an ancestor of the Qin state, but in the novel, he is depicted as a powerful but villainous minister who aids tyranny.