Joseph was acutely aware of how difficult life was for the common people at that time. If he took their food and livestock without paying, it was likely that an entire family could starve to death.
Moreover, local procurement was much cheaper than transporting supplies via a long and narrow supply line from within France, after all, there were no transportation costs or losses, and therefore, it was not necessary to pinch the peasants' life-saving money.
In addition, paying for supplies could leave the South Netherlanders with a good impression, making it easier to procure supplies locally in the future. Perhaps some locals, eager to make a profit from the price difference, would take the initiative to deliver goods to the Guard Corps camp to sell.
At 3 p.m., the Guard Corps began to move southwest, bypassing the south of Antonov and heading straight to Ghent Province, skirting the boundary of Brussels.