Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 225

General Tso beamed brighter and called out, ‘Guards, take him away!’ Wang was knocked out and dragged
away.
The mystery ship was actually the biggest ship in a fleet that sailed steadily towards the Chinese fleet. It reached
the Chinese fleet an hour later. General Tso stood at the helm of the ship. His heart was smiling. Zheng He trusted
him. A promotion was possible. Everything was going smoothly for him. The ship pulled up alongside Tso. His
soldiers put down a plank connecting the two ships, and he walked proudly across.
In a distance, Zheng He saw Tso being surrounded by dozens of men. It was obvious that Tso was trying to use
his verbal talents to full potential, spouting words like rain falling from the sky. The men on the ship suddenly
shifted their focus from Tso to other ships of the Chinese fleet where Zheng He and chests of treasure were. Evil
smiles spread across their horrifying faces. In a flash, a scar-faced, fierce-looking man in black, who seemed to be
their leader, drew his bloody sword and stabbed Tso hard. Tso howled in pain and dropped in silence. The
murderers dragged Tso to the side of the ship and tossed the corpse overboard. The lifeless General Tso floated
away from the ship in a red, murky mess.
Wang came to his senses after what seemed like a millennium. He found himself lying on a bed of straw. He
desperately wanted to save Commander Tso from a sticky end! He dashed to the deck and found a chaotic scene.
The Ming troops were darting forward and backward while more ships with a black flag were approaching the fleet
slowly.
Wang found Zheng He and all the commanders in the War Room, a place where they discussed army tactics.
Zheng He spoke with a solemn expression, ‘Now Commander Tao was killed. I come to consult all of you on
whether we should attack or retreat.’
‘Maybe we could make peace,’ a frail-looking commander muttered in the corner timidly. ‘These pirates seem
much more powerful and well organized than we thought. We should avoid unnecessary bloodshed. We must
reach Africa and then bring treasure back to our emperor without losing any more men.’
‘Bloodshed is inevitable,’ Wang shot out his words, surprising everyone in the room. ‘War is the only solution.
There is no compromise with them. We must defeat these pirates and wipe them off the map not only for our fleet
but many other fleets from our kingdom.’
Zheng He started to clap, followed by others, until the whole room erupted with applause and cheers. ‘Well
said!’ roared Zheng He. He beckoned for Wang to come forward. ‘In that case, Wang, I put you in charge of this
battle. You are now promoted to the commander of this battle!’
Wang was stunned, but he managed to compose himself soon. He was fueled with determination and wisdom.
He faced the commanders and started to explain, ‘First we should…’
Wang and other commanders were on a warship. It had a masthead shaped like a phoenix, and cannons jutted
out from the sides of the ship. Wang’s warship was charging at the biggest pirate ship. Wang and others unsheathed
their swords and jumped on board. The pirates rounded them all up. Dozens of Chinese soldiers were soon
slaughtered by the merciless sea monsters. Wang knew he must capture the leader to win, so he led his team and
headed to the captain’s cabin. He slashed his way through and all of a sudden, Wang was impaled by a sword in the
leg. It was the pirate leader. Wang collapsed, clutching his injured leg, his face contorted in pain. He swung his
sword, the blade reflecting the murderous gleam in the eyes of the pirate leader. The pirate leader slashed down
hard at Wang’s chest. Wang blocked and struck back. It inflicted a long red line on the pirate leader’s arm. Crimson
blood began the flow instantly, but the ferocious pirate leader took no notice. He swung his sword in a wide arc,
and cut a gash in Wang’s armor. Wang parried strike after strike, but soon his energy was zapped. Finally, he
mistimed his block and lost his balance. The pirate leader advanced, an evil triumphant smile spreading across his
face. He skipped aside and tried to thrust at Wang sideway. Wang scrambled to get out of the way, but failed
miserably. He closed his eyes as the blade was making its way towards his heart.
But it never met its target. When Wang opened his eyes, he saw a spear sticking out from the side of the pirate
leader’s neck. He turned, and saw Admiral Zheng He. He was bewildered. Zheng He said, ‘I won’t let you die,
Wang. We are both the best warriors from the wild South West.’ Wang nodded and smiled. He was finally
recognized.