Though Zee Min had the same thoughts, she was still disappointed at the number. She expected more civilians would answer the call, considering Shi Zhang's reputation.
She wasn't aware that it would be so if the invaders had entered the city, but they did not. There were significantly more reservations for civilians to participate in an offensive operation compared to staying inside the city to defend their homes. Furthermore, with so many refugees living among them, the civilians were even more unwilling to leave their families unattended.
Shi Zhang placed Zee Min as the leader of the gathered militia. He also lent her a portion of the city's battle puppets. He had more battle puppets available, but needed them to maintain order and keep the city running. Three thousand was the most he could lend.
Somewhere around afternoon, everyone was finally ready to leave.
