The city was besieged in the eighth month.
At this time, the garrison of Ye City, the Yan Capital, numbered fewer than ten thousand, against seventy thousand Jin troops.
While Murong Ping held power, he amassed wealth rapaciously, official discipline crumbled, and robbery ran rampant around the Ye Capital. The people suffered bitterly. When Huan Wen's army arrived, the surrounding country submitted peacefully. Of the eighty thousand captured Yan soldiers, all those of Xianbei, Jie, and Xiongnu descent were escorted to Jiangdong and allotted as slaves to officers and soldiers who had distinguished themselves in the Northern Expedition. These prisoners numbered nearly thirty thousand. The remaining fifty thousand were Han; those with families were admonished and released, while those without families were retained to serve in the Jin army-
Most people within Yan territory were Han and had long looked yearningly toward the Jin court in Jiangdong. Now, seeing the Jin army's strict discipline, simple laws, lenient administration, and freedom from unauthorized depredations, they could not help rejoicing, and each went peacefully about their livelihood.
When Murong Huan, Yan Prince of Yidu, who had troops stationed at Shating, learned that Murong Ping's army of two hundred thousand had collapsed in a single day, he knew Ye City would be difficult to hold. He promptly led five thousand Xianbei cavalry away toward Dragon City. Within Ye City, the Lord of Yan Murong Wei saw that there was no hope of reinforcements and began preparing to abandon the city and flee north. But before he could finish his preparations, on the night of the ninth day of the eighth month, the gengchen day, Yan's Gentleman Attendant of the Regular Mounted Attendants Yu Wei led more than five hundred tribal hostages from Fuyu, Goguryeo, and Shangdang in opening Ye City's north gate and