Editing Later Yan (section)

=== Restoring the Yan ===
Initially, Murong Chui only took the title of Prince of Yan, as the last Former Yan emperor, Murong Wei, was still alive at the Qin capital, [[Chang'an]]. To distinguish between Former Yan and other Yan states of the period, historiographers refer to Chui's state as the Later Yan. He led his forces to besiege Fu Pi at [[Ye (Hebei)|Ye]] while his generals secured the rest of Hebei. Unlike the Former Yan dynasty, the upper echelons of the Later Yan were dominated by the Xianbei clans rather than Han Chinese. The Later Yan also had to cooperate with the various fortified settlements (塢堡; wubao) in the northeast, who were typically led by the non-Chinese and had a large degree of autonomy over their strongholds.

Soon after Chui's rebellion, the [[Western Yan]] and [[Later Qin]] also broke away around Chang'an, constraining Fu Jian and preventing him from sending aid to the east. Despite rebelling, Chui upheld a framing of still being indebted to Fu Jian. While besieging Ye, he attempted to assure Fu Pi's safety and allowed him an escape route to the west. Members of the Fu clan that surrendered were also welcomed and allowed to serve under him.

The battle for Ye lasted around a year as Fu Pi held firmly to the city. During this time, the Zhai-Dingling rebelled and Chui had to fight a brief alliance between Qin and Jin. The war in Hebei and famines that accompanied it devastated the region's economy, but Fu Pi finally abandoned Ye for [[Taiyuan|Jinyang]] in late 385. Later Yan captured the city, and at this point had occupied most of Hebei.