Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 74

While they were cleaning, they overheard the sailors speaking, and found out a few things. The Ming
treasure voyages were the maritime expeditions by Ming China's treasure fleet . The Yongle Emperor
initiated the construction of the treasure fleet in 1403 and Admiral Zheng He was commissioned to
command the treasure fleet for the expeditions. They also found out it was already the third voyage.
When the kids were giving Admiral Zheng He his food, Zheng He said, “We are going to arrive in Ceylon
after a while. Prepare to land and ready the treasure.” After a while, they landed in Ceylon and Zheng He
offered treasure to Sri Lanka. “The Yongle Emperor wishes to establish a good relationship with this
country.” The king of Ceylon, also named King Alekeshvara, received the treasure. But the King did not
accept the peace offering. “Oh dear, this is where it gets nasty,” Collin whispered to the other two.
They found that the King posed a threat to the neighboring countries. Admiral Zheng He stood up and said,
“We are men of honor! We will fight for our country!” “Not all of us are men.” Holly jokingly whispered,
the three of them chuckled. A few days later, the admiral and his troops invaded Kotte and conquered their
capital. They captured Alekshvara, his family and principal officials. Francis said, “I might be a trouble maker
back at home but I never thought that I would go this far…” The three of them felt really guilty. When one
of the crew saw their faces, he said, “You guys might be new here, don’t worry, there’s an army outside
waiting to strike, but the Chinese army is going to take care of it.” Their faces instantly went green and
terrified. The guy saw their faces and then asked, “D-did I say something wrong?” They tried to reply but
nothing came out, they were speechless.
Collin mumbled beneath his breath, “W-we’re in the m-middle of a w-w-war…!” They could barely
believe it. Francis hissed, “We have to get out of here!” While trying his best not to speak too loud. They
scurried through the streets trying to blend in and went to an alley way to hide from the enemies, but
instead they found the book that caused them to fall into this place. They opened it to see a beam of light,
they stepped into the beam and found themselves back in Holly’s room. “Man! That was an amazing
journey! We also learned a lot about The Ming Treasure Voyages,” said Collin. They all decided to put the
book in the attic, so that they could tell the story to their grandchildren and let them find the book for an
adventure.