Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 208

The Greatest Foe
Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road), Wu, King Lok - 11
‘Sir, I don’t think you’ve knocked on my door yet,’ said Shi Jingping, ruler of the city of
Palembang, nowadays called Sumatra.
Shi’s statement was directed at Chen Zuyi, the pirate. Shi’s palace was attacked by Chen and his
pirates again. Chen was famous for his ruthlessness. He had control of the seas near Palembang, and whoever
controlled the seas had real authority.
‘Ha! I want gold, Your “Majesty”!’ smirked Chen.
‘You won’t get away with this,’ said Shi, as he reluctantly handed over the booty.
‘Well, then let see who wins,’ whispered Chen to Shi's ears.
Zheng He looked out into the distance. The sun rose above the ocean, his treasure fleets sparkled
with prestige, glory and gifts. Zheng was the admiral. He was a kind and honest man. Born in Yunnan in
1371, castrated at the age of ten, he became a eunuch of the Prince of Yan, who later became the Yongle
Emperor. He and the Yongle Emperor were firm friends.
Today, as he awoke, Zheng quickly went to the control deck of the main fleet. Deputy Admiral
Wang Jinghong and some sailors were already waiting for him. 'Deputy Admiral, what route are we sailing
today?' asked Zheng.
‘We were sailing to Palembang,’ Wang replied.
Zheng was immediately apprehensive. ‘We’re going into pirate-land!’
‘Not only that, the Emperor has decided that we should help the ruler of Palembang capture the
pirates...’ Wang didn't even finish his words.
Zheng sighed. Wang was unsatisfied with this mission too, they read the expressions on the sailors’
faces. ‘The Admiral’s a coward, he shouldn’t be leading us,’ thought Wang to himself.
That night, the ship stopped at Palembang. All sailors-in-command gathered in the main cabin to
think of a solution to fight the pirates. At that time, a guard sailor came in. ‘Excuse me, sirs, there is a
visitor.’
At the port, a mysterious visitor was waiting for Zheng.
‘Who are you?’ asked Wang, with dubious feelings inside him.
The visitor replied, ‘I am the ruler of Palembang, Shi Jingping. I have important information
regarding the pirates.’
‘Let him in! Deputy! He’s a guest! Don't disappoint him!’ said Zheng. But Wang was still suspicious
of him. The visitor was escorted into the main cabin. They discussed for over an hour.
That was when a sailor frantically knocked. ‘Admiral, most fleets are captured by the pirates!’
Zheng, Wang and Shi quickly rushed to the control deck to see what was happening. They saw
many pirates jumping onto the main fleet. The sailors grabbed their weapons, ready for a fight. Zheng and
Wang turned around, to see Shi still rooted firmly on his ground. An odd smile spread across his face.
‘Huh! My brothers are all here, there's no need to hide my identity now!’ said Shi.
‘You brute! I should’ve known you’re the pirate, Chen Zuyi! You wanted to distract us to let the
pirates capture our fleets!’ cried Wang.
Wang wasn't fazed. ‘Alright, listen up. It's time to fight these brutes!’
As Wang finished his words, all sailors began to battle fearlessly and boldly. But as time wore on,
the pirates were beginning to prevail. Some fleets were on fire, others were detonated, and many gifts from
foreign countries were taken. Zheng was scared witless; he was about to flee.
‘Oh help! Can someone help me? Please!’ wailed Zheng.
‘Zheng He, you’re the admiral of the treasure fleets! You can't escape all the time!’ shouted Wang
to Zheng.
Zheng left Wang’s voice trailing a long way behind him, when he was suddenly attacked by a
pirate.
Zheng found himself standing in the middle of nowhere. In front of him were the Yongle Emperor
and his teacher, the Daoyan Monk. He heard the Emperor, in a low booming voice saying, ‘Zheng He, you
can't be scared, you are the leader.’
‘But – but –’ protested Zheng. He didn't know what to do.
‘Zheng He! Fear is your worst enemy! You must overpower it!’ said the Monk.
‘What should I do?’ asked Zheng in desperation.