Soon after entering the city gate, the team taking over the defense was stopped by a group of civilians.

Seeing this, the soldiers of the Five Army Camps in front drew their swords, and those behind them drew their bows and arrows and raised their firearms.

The sun had not yet completely set, and with the afterglow of the setting sun, Yan Yingyuan could see that these people were ordinary people.

They all had innocent eyes, haggard faces, and emaciated bodies. They were crowded together in a black mass, blocking the entire street.

"It's the government troops! The government troops are coming..."

"Finally you guys are here. Please save us! We are starving to death!"

"The bandits stole all the food when they escaped. We have been hungry for two days!"

Faced with the unsheathed sword, the people dared not take a step forward and could only stand where they were and speak their minds.

"What's going on?" Yan Yingyuan turned around and looked at He Wenlong, the garrison commander of Yanqing.

He Wenlong lowered his head and said in a depressed voice: "Originally, the bandits only robbed the wealthy households in the countryside. I don't know what happened when they retreated two days ago. They suddenly robbed the people and took away most of the food in the city. Then they retreated in a hurry."

Yan Yingyuan realized the seriousness of the problem.

Li Zicheng knew that the Xuanfu area could not be defended, so he deliberately robbed the people of their food before leaving.

There is no food in the city and people need to eat.

These people may be civilians one moment and become bandits the next.

If the imperial court wants to recapture Xuanfu, it will face two major challenges.

First, not only would it be impossible to collect taxes after recapturing Xuanfu, but it would also require the use of grain.

Second, if a famine occurs, it will immediately cause civil unrest.

"Is there no food left in the city? Why don't they leave the city to find a way to survive?"

"Yes, there are... but no one dares to move." He Wenlong looked at the city helplessly, and then continued: "As for the way to survive that Lord Yan mentioned, we dare not look for it."

"According to the refugees in Xuanfu, the entire area of Xuanfu has been robbed. There is no way to survive in Xuanfu, so the only thing left is to go south, but to the south is Juyongguan."

"In their eyes, we are just bandits."

"Only when the government troops recapture this place, we will be considered as common people!"

Yan Yingyuan remained silent.

On the surface, it was a struggle between bandits and the imperial court, but in reality, it was the common people who bore all of this.

really.

When a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people suffer.

He took a deep breath and said to the crowd of people: "My fellow countrymen, I am Yan Yingyuan, the newly appointed governor of Xuanfu, and I have been ordered to lead troops to recapture this place. Although Yanqing belongs to Shuntian Prefecture, I have the right to take advantage of it!"

"The court knew the true face of the bandits, so it wanted to send troops to counterattack ten days ago. But the court was short of money and had no soldiers available, so I arrived late."

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I won't let you starve to death!"

After hearing Yan Yingyuan's assurance, the people were confused at first, then cheered and made way.

In fact, they have no other choice but to believe.

"Where is the food? Lead the way!" Yan Yingyuan turned his head and stared at He Wenlong.

Yan Yingyuan began to respond cautiously.

There were estimated to be thousands of people in front of him, and there were tens of thousands of people in Yanqing as a whole.

If the deaths from starvation spark a civil uprising, the situation in Yanqing will get out of control in an instant.

This then affected Xuanfu, posing a huge threat to the emperor's overall strategy.

This must not happen!

He Wenlong thought for a moment and said, "There are several places with food in the city. I will take Lord Yan to the nearest one."

Escorted by more than 1,500 soldiers from the military camp, they arrived at the gate of a luxurious mansion.

As soon as he got outside the door, a head popped out from inside the courtyard wall and threatened, "This is private property. Anyone who trespasses will be killed."

Immediately afterwards, a large number of figures emerged from inside the courtyard wall.

These people were wearing Ming army armor and holding bows, crossbows, and standard firearms, pointing them at Yan Yingyuan and his group.

The soldiers of the Fifth Army Camp had just experienced the Battle to Defend the Capital. Although their physical fitness was not strong, their psychological quality was very strong.

They immediately picked up their weapons, aimed at the heads on the courtyard wall, and waited for Yan Yingyuan's order to shoot arrows and bullets.

Yan Yingyuan looked at the people on the city wall using bows, crossbows and firearms, and he understood.

They are all soldiers, most likely the defenders of Yanqing

Under the protection of the shield, Yan Yingyuan shouted: "I am the governor of Xuanhua Prefecture of the Ming Dynasty and the right vice minister of the Ministry of War. I am ordered to recapture Yanqing and Xuanfu. Your Majesty has ordered that those who surrender will be pardoned and restored to their original positions! Who is in the yard?"

Hearing that it was a second-rank official of the imperial court, a figure flashed on the wall of the courtyard: "It turned out to be the governor Yan!"

After that, a middle-aged man wearing a black hat and a green robe walked out.

In the Ming Dynasty, the official uniforms of the first to fourth ranks were of the color of the official robes, those of the fifth to seventh ranks were of the color of the official robes, and those of the eighth and ninth ranks were of the color of the official robes.

"I am Li Paohui, the prefect of Yanqing. I am honored to meet Lord Yan! I wonder if Lord Yan has a badge, a certificate of official position, or a pardon?"

In ancient times, officials had to go through a complicated set of procedures to take office. It was OK for officials in Beijing, as no one dared to impersonate someone else. But when taking office in a remote place, in order to prevent being impersonated, three things needed to be prepared.

The function of the ivory card is roughly equivalent to that of an official badge. The gaoshen is the official's file, which contains the official's resume, portrait and appearance description. The shendie is the appointment certificate from the court.

Yan Yingyuan didn't waste any time and had the three things delivered.

After checking, Li Paohui returned the items.

Just when he was about to ask Yan Yingyuan whether he wanted to check his identity, he saw Yan Yingyuan said to the people following behind him: "Is this Mr. Li the prefect of Yanqing?"

"Yes, it's him! I'd recognize him even if he was burned to ashes."

"Yes, a corrupt official, guilty of heinous crimes, who else could it be but him?"

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