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

The Final Truth
Quarry Bay School, Barton, Luke - 9
"Sir! Ship sighted!" called a sailor on board Admiral Zheng He's flagship, The Liberty . "Do you think they're
traders from across the seas?" Zheng He shouted across his ship filled with cargo as he took in a big whiff of
the smell of beautiful flowers and spices. He was back in the Straits of Malacca for another treasure voyage
two years after they had killed the infamous Cantonese pirate Chen Zuyi. "We have no idea, sir," another
sailor answered. "Look! They're raising a flag!" It was the dreaded flag that all traders hated and feared. The
Chinese flag with yellow skulls instead of stars. It only meant one thing: Cantonese pirates.
Another flag was then raised. It was the terrible red one that signified death for all. No one on the fleet was
to be spared, especially the Admiral. The mysterious pirate across was thinking of the most excruciating
death imaginable for Zheng He, while looking at the massive treasure fleet. It may look glorious and
beautiful now, he grimaced, but it would be more befitting when reduced to ashes. Already he could smell
the burning embers of the treasure ships after he has had his way. He ordered his fleet into an almost
invincible flanking position.
Meanwhile, Zheng He was studying this pirate as he ordered his crew to prepare the cannons and man the
decks. "Prepare for battle! Get to your stations!" Admiral Zheng He hollered. Whoever this pirate was, he
thought to himself, he knew he was facing an opponent as skillful and intelligent as he was.
The pirate mastermind also ordered his men to load the cannons in anticipation of the major victory that he
had envisioned. He gave command for all of his men to charge forward The famous Admiral countered this
attack by ordering all his combat ships to turn to their portside and open up on the cannons, with smoke
billowing in full force. At first the battle was not going well for Zheng He. He had started with a moderate
fleet of combat ships but in no time he was down to around half the number. But Zheng He had wisely
ordered his crew to keep the treasure ships away from the battle in case the pirates sank them.
However, the pirate had taken more casualties despite seeming like he had the winning edge, due to his
recklessness. He had started the battle with a superior force three times larger, but unbelievably in a few
hours it was almost a draw between the two sides. To counter this, the pirate had ordered every single ship
to hit portside hard and fire their cannons with maximum power so smoke rained down on everyone. This
resulted in the destruction of a few more of Zheng He's ships and even more suffering severe damage,
leaving him with only a handful of battle-ready combat ships.
The pirate was feeling extremely smug about the outcome of the battle. He was gloating too much to realise
that half of Zheng He's remaining ships had managed to outflank his own forces. The Admiral felt his hopes
rising as he witnessed his enemy’s errors.
Zheng He's plan was beginning to come together. The famous Admiral's fleet had now surrounded the
larger, more powerful enemy fleet. It continued bombarding the opponent, obliterating some of the pirate
ships. But the pirate retaliated by blowing up even more of Zheng He's ships. It dawned on the Admiral
that the tide could be turning against him and called out: "Men! Whoever this pirate is, his fleet is far too
strong for us! We will retreat now but we will return!". The pirate mastermind began laughing his loudest at
Zheng He’s retreat and his crew celebrated their supposed victory with heavy drinking and merrymaking.
Several hours later, Zheng He and his crew had recouped for a final all-out battle. His fleet sailed back in
heavy mist and his men began firing the cannons while the mystery pirate and his crew were still asleep.
They took out even more of the pirate's ships. The enemy crew awoke with a start and jumped up to duty,
bumping and pushing each other overboard to man the cannons. They steered the flagship in a drunken
stupor, crashing some ships and leaving them with an even smaller fleet..
The Liberty’s heavy firepower took out some more of the pirate's fleet. Now the heat was really on. It came
down to just the two flagships fighting for survival. The pirate ship fired fiercely, which saw The Liberty's
sails being damaged but the ship remained standing. Zheng He remained calm and ordered his men to fire
the only ammunition they had left to blow a tiny hole in the hull of the opposing flagship . There was no