Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 116

Zheng He's Fleet
St Stephen's College Preparatory School, Cheung, Jesse - 9
"Look, Zheng He's Fleet is here!" Chen whispered under his breath, awestruck by the sheer size and
grandeur of the ships. Chen had always dreamed of joining Zheng He's valiant and undefeatable crew.
Only nineteen years old, he lived in an impoverished and remote village in Nanjing. His childhood had
been rough and was a constant fight for survival, in search for food and resources. Orphaned by seven years
of age when his parents died in a plague, Chen felt determined to help Emperor Xuande to obtain riches,
then spread this wealth with his poor neighbours. Chen practiced his fighting skills and educated himself
about gunpowder and cannons to increase his chances of being chosen by Zheng He himself.
The year was 1431 and Zheng He was commencing his seventh expedition from
China to Africa to explore and discover foreign territories. The first time Chen met Zheng He, he
immediately felt threatened by Zheng He's tall, sturdy build and unique intellect. Chen passed the difficult
entry test and gained the highest scores. Zheng He handpicked Chen to be his lieutenant, and outlined all
the important rules on their fleet. As the ships were about to set off, Chen waved goodbye sadly to his
homeland in Nanjing and returned to his dirty and smelly cabin. Zheng He's ships sailed across China,
distributing wealth to poor Chinese people from Liujigang, Quanzhou and Changle.
One day they set off to Qui Nhon and were confronted by nasty Vietnamese
pirates. These gruesome pirates wore eye-patches and had evil grins stretching across their faces. Their
pirate ships attacked Zheng He's ships mercilessly by throwing hundreds of grenades. Zheng He ordered
Chen and his soldiers to destroy his enemies using their latest invention "Flying-Cloud Thunderclap
Cannon"!! This hollow cast iron shell was packed with deadly, explosive gunpowder. Suddenly, "Boom!
Boom!" Some pirate ships exploded! Then, another gigantic, destructive explosion burned down all the
Vietnamese pirate ships. There were no survivors on the opposing side and Zheng He's crew were the
victors.
Next stop, Zheng He's ships arrived at Malacca where thousands of people were starving
and had no access to clean water. With his heart of gold, Zheng He commanded his soldiers to give out
juicy pork buns and water to the people. Then, they sailed their ships to the ports of Ayuttnaya, Sunargaon,
Pandua, Beruwala and Galle. Chen had never heard of or seen so many exotic islands before. He was
amazed by the splendid architecture of the Buddhist monasteries in Ayuttnaya. On the way, Zheng He's
crew also dived in the deep seas to discover sunken ships, ancient galleons and rubies .
Halfway towards Quillion, they were suddenly ambushed by cutthroat Indian pirates with
a fleet of two hundred ships. "Go and kill those Indians, who have been terrorizing the villagers. Chop
their heads off and blow up their ships. We must win! It is a fight for our survival and we must maintain
our reputation as the Master of the Seas." yelled Zheng He. He commanded Chen and his thousands of
skillful sailors to assume an attack position. His loyal crew loaded their cannons and fired without remorse at
the Indians. Sadly, the unbearable fight continued for five months. Zheng He's crew advanced heavily
while the Indian pirates lost numerous men, but they were persistent and continued fighting until they had
only five ships remaining. The Indians tried to sail away, but Zheng He's crews attacked the enemy ships
with their latest weapon - "Multiple Bullets Magazine Erupter". This bronze cannon could fire up to 100
lead balls and Zheng He finally captured the enemy ships. He went so far to prove his point that he
commended his soldiers to place the Indian pirates inside the cannon, and blasted them into infinity.
After sailing the rough sea for another month, Zheng He arrived at a place in Somalia
called Mogadishu and witnessed hostile terrorists destroying the cities. Zheng He wanted to protect the
citizens of Mogadishu from this terror, so he ordered Chen to take the lead and attack. Chen shot them
down with his guns and took out his immense sword. He slayed the men swiftly without any injury but