Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 15

A Hero’s Story
Regents Primary School of Shenzhen, Wu, Nicholas - 11
Once upon a time in China, there was a great and powerful Emperor. He was revered across the
country and ruled most of the land. His life was perfect, he had unlimited amounts of gold, controlled many
kingdoms and had everything he ever wished for. It was a natural consequence that he would be proud and
happy of what he had attained. However, not even all the riches of the world or the material goods he
possessed were enough to make him be contented.
There were times when the emperor felt empty. What was the problem? He couldn’t figure it out. So,
one day, he gathered all the officers and wise men to congregate in his palace. He told them how he felt
discontented and was yearning for something to fill the void that he felt. One of the Emperor’s officers in
the meeting was called Zhang He. He wanted to prove that he was trust-worthy, so he said, ‘Your majesty,
I would like to be of service and help you.’ ‘How?’ inquired the Emperor. ‘How could you help me not to
be so empty? ‘I will make you the richest Emperor in all of the history! I will travel half the world to find
you all the treasure!’ This claim was certainly no easy feat, so the Emperor was naturally skeptical, but since
he felt he had nothing to lose, he trusted Zhang He and said, ‘I have made up my mind! I trust you will
bring me the treasure you mention and I declare that all the officers have to answer to Zhang He!’ The next
day, Zhang called for a meeting. He was going to travel by ship. He ordered the officers to prepare two
hundred ships. He needed to be sure that he had enough spaces to put in all the new treasure he was going
to discover. But the problem was, would his plan work?
Zhang couldn’t sleep. He kept on ruminating about his plans. It was a great responsibility that he
embarked on. There were two outcomes: if he succeeded, he would bring glory and fame to his country
and his Emperor. But what if he failed? The consequences of his failure would lead to a fate worse than
death: shame. ‘I will succeed!’ with this thought, he fell asleep. When came the day of the journey began,
Zhang felt proud.
They travelled for days. At times the sun was so scorching hot that walking by the deck felt like
walking on a bed of charcoals. He scoured and looked for signs of land, but to no avail. Zhang started to
wonder if the map was correct. But when all hope seemed lost, an officer shouted, ‘Island! Island! Island
dead ahead!’ Zhang immediately got up to look at the island. It was Egypt! They went to see the king, who
lived in a big palace made of stones. The two leaders had a long conversation about their countries. Finally,
Zhang said, ‘With all due respect, your majesty, I have bought some gifts from China. I wonder if you had
any gifts from Egypt?’ Later on, the king’s servants brought a big statue of an Egyptian God. In exchange,
the king received silk, gold and valuable vases that Egyptians had never seen before.
As night fell, Zhang and his army returned to their ships. They were unaware that pirates had been
watching them. The ships were undefended, it was a perfect time to strike. They silently tried to board onto
the ship, but Zhang heard their voices. So, thinking on his feet, he gathered his army quickly and quietly,
and right when the pirates were about to attack, they rushed into battle. The pirates were surprised. They
didn’t expect Zhang’s army to be pre-emptive. Under the leadership of Zhang, the pirates fell one by one.
The pirates retreated, but Zhang kept attacking. The pirates who escaped thought they were lucky but their
luck was about to change for the worse. Zhang fought them back to their boats. After a long battle, the
pirates that survived became captives of Zhang. He noticed the pirate’s ship was shining, so he and his men
went on board. Nothing seemed special on the ship but suddenly, he stepped on a secret switch that opened
a secret room. The room was filled with gold, crystals and jewelry!