In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 750 vividly

You should know that soldiers are all young and vigorous men, so when a city is breached, the most tragic victims are often the young women inside.

If soldiers were to break into her home, Sun Yue really wouldn't know what to do.

Fortunately, King Yang was a man of his word, and he restrained his soldiers, preventing them from breaking into the house and harming his widow and her orphan.

"Mom, I'm so hungry."

Han Tong, who was being held tightly in Sun Yue's arms, said in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Sun Yue's expression turned sorrowful, and she almost burst into tears.

She and Han Tong hadn't eaten a single bite of food for three days. Since the Yang family army began besieging the city, the food supplies in the city had been dwindling day by day. Initially, there was still food available on the market, but as the siege dragged on, there was no food left to buy.

In the face of extreme food shortages, numerous riots broke out in the city, with rampant rape and looting. Some starving people even killed their neighbors and stole their food...

Given the chaos in the city, Sun Yue, a weak woman, naturally dared not go out. She could only hide at home with her child, relying on the little food they had left to survive.

However, even though Sun Yue tried her best to eat sparingly, the family's food reserves were completely exhausted three days ago.

With the grain reserves depleted and the city in complete chaos, Sun Yue, a woman, dared not venture out to buy food. Even if she did, she knew she wouldn't be able to find any. So…

The mother and son could only go hungry at home, and for three consecutive days they could only fill their stomachs with water. They were so hungry that they saw stars and were weak and powerless.

During these three days, Sun Yue missed her deceased husband more than once.

Her husband was once a soldier in the Qingzhou Army. He was tall and strong. When he was alive, the family lived a relatively good life. At least the neighbors didn't dare to bully them. Her husband's military pay was enough to feed the family.

However, just a few months ago, her husband was sent to the southern border. Sun Yue thought it would be a short separation like usual, and that her husband would be back soon.

Little did I know... this farewell would be forever.

After the death of the Qing King, the White Lotus Army took advantage of the unrest among the Qingzhou soldiers and launched an offensive against the Qingzhou army stationed on the border.

Caught completely off guard and with morale wavering due to the death of the King of Qing, the Qingzhou army offered almost no resistance. Within just a few days, the 50,000-strong Qingzhou army was routed.

Of course, not all of the 50,000 Qingzhou soldiers died. About 50% of them escaped during the rout, about 30% were captured, and the remaining 20% ​​died on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, Sun Yue's husband happened to be one of those two.

The news of her husband's death was like a bolt from the blue for Sun Yue. When she received the news, her vision went black and she almost fainted.

Fortunately, her only child with her husband, Han Tong, gave her a bit of strength, allowing her to barely withstand this devastating news.

Women are weak, but mothers are strong.

As a mother, Sun Yue knew she had to be strong and raise her and her husband's only child to adulthood.

After her husband died, the family lost its source of income, and life became increasingly difficult.

Logically, soldiers of the Qingzhou Army should receive compensation for their deaths, but after Sun Yue's husband died, she didn't receive even a single copper coin in compensation...

The reason she didn't receive it was simple: after the death of the King of Qing, Zhu Changhe took charge of the Qingzhou Army. Zhu Changhe even embezzled the rations of the living soldiers, so how could he possibly give compensation to the dead?

Having lost her source of income and without any compensation, Sun Yue had no choice but to find work to support her family.

Fortunately, Sun Yue was a skillful woman who was very good at needlework. By repairing and sewing clothes for others, she was able to earn a meager income so that she and her child would not go hungry.

However, the good times didn't last long. Before they could enjoy a few days of peace, the Yang family army besieged the city and sealed off the entire prefecture.

Sun Yue was a very farsighted woman. On the first day of the Yang family army's siege of the city, she realized that the price of grain in the city would definitely rise. So she took out all the copper coins in her house and exchanged them all for grain to store at home.

This is the fundamental reason why Sun Yue and her son Han Tong did not starve to death during the nearly month-long siege by Yang's army.

Unfortunately, Sun Yue had not saved up many copper coins, and the amount of grain she could buy was very limited. Now, more than twenty days later, the family's food supplies were long gone.

If the Yang family army were to besiege the city for a longer period of time, the mother and son would likely starve to death in their home, and their bodies would be found by the starving people in the city and become their food...

The thought of this possibility made Sun Yue's delicate body tremble slightly. She gently stroked Han Tong's thin cheek and whispered, "Tong'er, just bear with it a little longer. When it gets light, Mother will find a way to get you something to eat."

"I understand, Mother."

Han Tong nodded sensibly.

Seeing this, Sun Yue hugged Han Tong even tighter, racking her brains to think of every possible way to get food.

Unfortunately, she was just a weak woman, and in this chaotic city, with physical strength far inferior to that of a strong man, her chances of obtaining food were extremely slim.

Even if she were to step out of her home, she could very well become prey for someone else to vent their desires, or even food...

Thinking of this, Sun Yue felt a sense of despair.

Is it really possible that this mother and child will starve to death at home?

The current situation of Sun Yue and her son Han Tong is by no means an isolated case in this city, but rather a very common one.

The Yang family army besieged the city for nearly a month, and the ordinary people who made up more than 90% of the city's population were not having an easy time, even those families with a large number of able-bodied men.

The city had long since run out of food. Only a few wealthy families had any left. As for ordinary people... they either had to steal food from others or their families would starve and freeze.

In short, the city is now filled with starving people, some of whom are skin and bones. Some eat grass, some drink water, and some even eat their own kind...

The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is vividly displayed in this city facing extreme food shortages.

…………

…………

At noon, inside the prefectural government office.

Yang Zheng sat in the main seat, looking around at the military generals below, and finally fixed his gaze on Zhou Yingjie: "Yingjie, tell me, what's the situation in the city now?"

"Reporting to Commander Yang."

Zhou Yingjie, who was called out, replied: "All the Qingzhou soldiers in the city have surrendered, and those who resisted, such as Zhu Changhe and Wang Li, have all been captured. Our army has completely taken control of the city."

"Ah."

Yang Zheng nodded slightly. This was something he had expected long ago. From the moment Zhu Yinghao and Chen Ge contacted him, he knew that taking over the prefectural city was only a matter of time.

As Yang Zheng had predicted, when the city gates opened and the army entered the city, the Qingzhou army inside surrendered almost without any resistance.