"Good, then. But you must be careful of Jiang Bei. He is full of schemes, and his strategists are as numerous as the hairs on an ox—Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Xun You, Fa Zheng, Xu Shu, and the rest. Every one of them is exceptionally resourceful."
"Alas, it's a pity that I, Liu Bei, still don't have a strategist worth mentioning. If I did, I wouldn't have to work so hard."
Liu Bei sighed. He was so envious of the number of strategists and generals under Jiang Siming that he was practically drooling.
Mi Zhu consoled him, "My lord, please don't worry. Some time ago, I received word that Li Ru, a former minister of Dong Zhuo, recently appeared in Xu Province. I have already sent people to search for him. If we find him, he could be of great use to you."
Liu Bei revealed a pleasantly surprised smile and said, "Excellent. We must find Li Ru as soon as possible. Remember, once he is found, treat him as an honored guest. Do not act rashly."
Mi Zhu said with some concern, "I'm only worried that if you employ Li Ru, the world will condemn you. After all, while he served under Dong Zhuo, he devised many utterly unconscionable schemes."
Liu Bei sneered. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary men. They each served their own master before, and Li Ru had no choice. People hate Dong Zhuo, not Li Ru. Go ahead and make the arrangements."
"I understand." Mi Zhu agreed.
Aside from strategists, Liu Bei was now inferior even in terms of military commanders.
In the past, he still had Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, two peerless fierce generals. But now, when he looked beside him, all he saw were men like Sun Qian.
The only men he could