Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 177

Thanks God that I am still alive now. The most amazing thing is: When I asked where the place is,
they told me that this place is Haikou, the southern part of China. It was a close shave, but I lost all my
properties. Worrying about my colleagues, I decided to travel back to the capital and look for them along
my path.
5 th
Sunny
February
1410
Yeah! I have made it. I was back to the capital this morning. The most important thing was that most of
the colleagues survived in that disaster. Still, it is sad to say that some could not make it.
After the Emperor heard that I was back, he immediately asked me to have a meeting with him. I first
reported to him about how we invited the Emperor of Kuzubai to be the ally. He nodded with a grin.
Next, the most difficult things came: I had to report on the disaster.
“Your… Your Majesty, I am very sorry to tell you that a little… Yes, a little accident happened when
we were back…” I hesitated.
The Emperor
frowned.
“Our ships sank when we were back and some of us are missing.” I rattled off the words with fear.
“How dare you! You should and you must be responsible for the losses!” He shouted. “You, as the
leader of the whole journey, misbehaved and caused loss of money and even lives…” I shut my eyes and
was ready to accept the punishment.
“See how I scare you? You shouldn't be as timid as a mouse if you want to succeed!”
Phew! it was a dramatic day. The Emperor actually wanted to praise me as I helped the country to make
allies. After I was home, I sat down quietly and thought deeply about this voyage. Next time, the ship
should be immune to the inclemency of the weather so the tragic catastrophe wouldn't have happened
again.
I am finally brought round to the tenets of truth: Our country needs pillars of strengths that accrue from
modern weapons, but what is topping the list is soft power that best manifests itself in camaraderie with
other countries. Comradeship, with all parties on an equal footing, is always preferable to a mindset to
twist others around the little fingers.