Guan Yinping knew full well that without Mi Fang leading the defense this time, she would never have been able to hold off Lu Meng's fierce assault on her own. Now, she understood the importance of a military advisor even more.
Still, the situation was far from optimistic. Only a little over two thousand veteran soldiers were still able to fight. The rest were new recruits converted from bandits. Though they had been infected with battle fervor, defending against more than twenty thousand elite Jiangdong troops would still be incredibly difficult.
Lu Meng had of course seen this too, so he had no intention of withdrawing. He merely ordered the wounded soldiers to fall back, while the assault continued without pause. He meant to wipe out Mi Fang in one fell swoop.
Seeing his defense grow harder and harder to maintain, Mi Fang worried that Guan Yinping would die here. He immediately said to her, "Yinping, take five thousand soldiers back to Jiangling. I'll cover your retreat."
Guan Yinping could see how dire the situation was, and she knew Mi Fang intended to fight to the death here. She hurriedly replied, "Uncle Mi, I'm not leaving. I'll fight alongside you."
She thought that if she stayed and led her troops, they might still have a sliver of hope. If she left with them, Mi Fang certainly wouldn't be able to hold out. After all, she was a girl. Though she had lived through these turbulent times, she still couldn't bear to leave him behind.
Mi Fang was comforted by her words, but also grew anxious. He said angrily, "Niece, don't argue at a time like this. Once this place falls, Jiangling is next. Your father gave me only five thousand men, and I brought two thousand of them here. The