Mouse (7 page)

“You will learn about them nonetheless, and we shall start right now. This particular sword has almost
no value as a weapon in the standard sense, yet it is powerful beyond comprehension. It can sway men's hearts. It is one of four, and many people here and in other regions believe that whoever holds these swords and an accompanying set of white jade armor holds the keys to China's future.”

ShaoShu glanced at the small bulge beneath Tong -long's robe, over his heart. It was the key.

Tonglong tapped the key through his robe and leaned close to ShaoShu. “This is the key to
my
future. With the swords, the treasure, and this key, I will be able to succeed where my father failed.”

ShaoShu swallowed hard. “What happened to him?”

“My father? He was murdered.”

“Murdered! How come, sir?”

“He was too ambitious. Oddly enough, he was done in with the help of someone who was even more ambitious—a traitor from his very own camp. No one knows exactly who the traitor was, but I have my hunches. I will seek my revenge in due time.” Tong -long's eyes narrowed. “You're not a traitor, are you, ShaoShu?”

“No, sir!” ShaoShu said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “What do you want me to do?”

“Spy on someone. Do you think you can do that without getting caught?”

The look on Tonglong's face told ShaoShu that he didn't have a choice. “Yes, sir.”

“Good boy,” Tonglong said. He shouted across the deck. “Lei!”

Lei hurried over. “Yes, sir?”

“I believe it is time to give ShaoShu a little background about our next project. Tell him about HaiZhe.”

“Jellyfish, sir?” ShaoShu asked.

“That's right,” Lei said. “HaiZhe is the Southern Warlord, which makes him the most powerful man in this region. I used to work for him, until General Tonglong made me a better offer.” Lei grinned, but Tonglong remained stone-faced.

Lei showed ShaoShu a tattoo of a jellyfish that was on his left wrist, and he continued. “The only person higher than a warlord is the Emperor. There are currently three warlords: the Southern Warlord, the Eastern Warlord, and the Western Warlord. The Em peror, who lives in the north, is considered the Northern Warlord. He is by far the most powerful, and the other three warlords send him vast amounts of tribute each month. As long as the warlords keep paying, the Emperor leaves them alone.”

“So?” ShaoShu said.

“This has been going on for generations,” Lei said. “Nowadays, most of the warlords are merchants first and soldiers second. China has grown weak. HaiZhe here in the south is the worst of the bunch. He has a very strong private force, but his military installations are deplorable. If we were attacked in the south by a foreign force, China would crumble. Tonglong's father figured this out, and he paid the ultimate price for trying to do something about it.”

Tonglong's eyebrows rose up. “How did you know about my father?”

Lei cleared his throat and wrung his hands. “Through rumor, I suppose, sir. My humblest apologies if I've offended you.”

Tonglong scowled and turned to ShaoShu. “You are just a child, so none of this means anything to you, but I'm sure you've seen the vast number of foreign Round Eyes in the city of Hangzhou. They are here because HaiZhe has grown rich trading with them. However, there are far too many of them, and most are thieving pirates. They've recently taken control of an island less than a day's sail from this very coast, yet HaiZhe does nothing. It is only a matter of time before they take more of our land.”

“You want me to spy on HaiZhe, don't you, sir?” ShaoShu asked.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

ShaoShu paused. It sounded dangerous. On the other hand, it had to be far less dangerous than getting on Tonglong's bad side. Besides, perhaps he could somehow use this mission to meet back up with Hok and Ying. “No, sir,” ShaoShu replied.

“Excellent,” Tonglong said. “Because we've just arrived at his fortress.”

ShaoShu looked over at the shore but saw only a sheer cliff that rose as high as a hundred men. He looked closer and noticed a stone staircase, incredibly steep, cut into the cliff. It led from the sea all the way up to a massive stone wall topped with turrets.

A group of men began hurrying down the stairs with what looked like a boat hoisted over their shoulders.

ShaoShu could make out huge black cylinders ringed with a metallic sheen inside the turrets. Can nons—and they were aimed directly at Tonglong's ship.

ShaoShu's nose twitched. He didn't like the looks of this.

“P
repare to be boarded! a rough voice called out, and ShaoShu scurried over to the ship's side. The group of men he'd seen on the staircase were now rowing toward Tonglong's vessel. There were four of them. One held a musket that looked battered and in disrepair, even to ShaoShu's untrained eye.

“I'll handle this,” Lei said.

ShaoShu turned to see Lei approach with something glowing in his hand. It was a section of slow-burning fuse that the sailors called slow match
.
ShaoShu had seen great coils of it strategically placed around the ship's deck in metal buckets next to the cannons.

Lei walked over to the side of the ship nearest the
small boat and whipped the cover off one of his immaculate cannons. He angled the great gun down toward the four men and began to lower the fuse over a small hole in the back of the cannon.

One of the men shouted, “Wait!”

“Wait for what?” Lei said. “Wait for you to attempt to shoot me with that rusted excuse for a weapon?”

The man with the musket lowered it. “A thousand pardons, sir. We are only following orders.”

“Do you have any idea who commands this vessel?” Lei asked.

Before the man could reply, Tonglong stepped out of his cabin, and ShaoShu's eyes widened.

Tonglong was wearing a magnificent armored jacket made from hundreds of small rectangles of pure white jade stitched together with silk cord. In one hand, he held a white jade sword. In his other hand, he held his straight sword. He approached the side rail, his armor radiant in the evening light.

“General Tonglong!” the man with the musket said. He and the others instantly bowed their heads.

“So, you know of me?” Tonglong asked.

“Of course, sir,” the man replied, looking up. “I recognize you from the fight clubs. It is well known that you are also one of the Emperor's top generals. What brings us the honor of your visit?”

“I have come to see HaiZhe.”

The men glanced at one another, concern flashing across their faces. “He is not here, sir,” one of them said.

“Where is he?”

“He is at his new warehouse in Hangzhou. He lives there now.”

Tonglong gave Lei a questioning look.

“It's true,” Lei said. “I thought you knew this.”

“I did not,” Tonglong said, rubbing his chin. “But it does not matter. In fact, it may make things easier.” He glared down at the men in the boat, one of whom was murmuring to another.

“What did you say?” Tonglong demanded.

“Your armor, sir,” the man replied nervously. “I've heard the legend since I was a boy, but I never dreamed it existed. They say whoever wears it is the rightful ruler of China.”

“What do you think?” Tonglong asked.

“Seeing it on the shoulders of someone with your legendary fighting skills, it has to be true.”

Tonglong nodded. “So it will be.” He turned to Lei, lowering his voice. ShaoShu had to strain his ears to hear what was said.

“How many men does HaiZhe have at this warehouse of his?”

“Roughly one hundred,” Lei replied.

“Do they possess cannons and other firearms?”

“They all carry pistols or muskets. HaiZhe also has more than a hundred cannons for sale, but none of them are used for defensive purposes, if that's what you are asking.”

“How many soldiers are here in the fortress?”

“Approximately one thousand, I believe.”

“Then I've changed my mind,” Tonglong said, pulling off his heavy armor. “HaiZhe has abandoned his official post, and I am going to take his command by force. We will keep the jade swords and armor out of sight for now. Is there any chance anyone outside this ship and that small boat knows about them?”

“No, sir,” Lei replied. “I've heard talk that some of our men spoke of the treasure to fishermen while we were off paying respects to your father, but to the best of my knowledge, no one mentioned the swords or armor. They probably didn't think anyone would believe them.”

“Very well,” Tonglong said. “Take these men aboard and add them to our crew. Make sure no one leaves this ship. You and I will take their boat ashore, along with ShaoShu.”

“Yes, sir!” Lei said.

ShaoShu stood at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the sea. From up here, he could understand why someone had built a fortress in this location. The stone stairs they'd climbed were on the northernmost edge of an enormous complex that stretched so far to the south it bordered the mouth of the Qiantang River. Someone could easily defend that busy opening from above—that is, if there was anyone posted to defend it.

“This is absurd!” Tonglong said as he turned away from the cliff's edge. “Where
is
everyone?”

“Likely napping or gambling,” Lei replied. “Those are their two favorite pastimes.”

“Everyone?”

“The men here can bribe their way out of their duties and even their training. Most take advantage of it.”

“Who gets the money?”

“Their immediate officers take half. The other half goes to the commander.”

Tonglong scowled. “So they only post four men at a time to guard the stairs?”

“Yes, sir. For sentry work, the men prefer to operate in groups of four. That is the ideal number for playing
mahjong.”

Tonglong spat and gazed back over the sea. “This was once the strongest naval base in all China. Where are all the boats?”

“Sold, sir. Or pressed into service as merchant vessels.”

“What happened to the docks?”

“A typhoon came through several years ago and destroyed them. At low tide, you can still see a few pilings out there. HaiZhe was going to rebuild but then decided to simply move his operations to Hangzhou. He spent most of his time there, anyway. The river docks are much more convenient than hauling everything up and down these stone stairs.”

Tonglong stormed over to one of the cannon turrets. Lei and ShaoShu followed.

“Are these of any use?”

Lei inspected a cannon that had rusted into a fixed position. Beside it sat a pile of lumpy brown metal that appeared to be iron balls fused into a solid mass by years of neglect and decay

“I might be able to recondition the cannon,” Lei said. “But it would take weeks. The shot is of no use to anyone.”

“We don't have that kind of time,” Tonglong said. “Let's hope their portable equipment has been better maintained. Take us to the encampment.”

ShaoShu followed Lei and Tonglong for quite a while before they encountered their first soldier. He was sleeping in a hammock beneath a tree. Tonglong swung his straight sword as they walked past, slicing through the hammock's ropes as though they were nothing more than blades of grass. The man crashed to the ground and jumped to his feet with his hands up, ready for a fight. When he saw Tonglong, he dropped to his knees like a frightened child.

“General Tonglong,” the man said. “I recognize you from the fight clubs—”

“Round up the officers,” Tonglong ordered, interrupting the man. “Immediately.”

The man took off like a shot toward the distant inner compound.

By the time Tonglong, Lei, and ShaoShu arrived at the encampment's series of low buildings, an impressive crowd had gathered. Men were squeezed between the buildings and sitting on the rooftops, elbowing
each other for the best viewing spots. They didn't appear to be very disciplined.

Tonglong stopped short of the buildings, and ShaoShu and Lei stayed back several paces. The crowd parted for a fat middle-aged man who strode forward with a confident air, adjusting a ridiculously large hat on his balding head. His robes were brilliant green silk, a stark contrast to the shabby gray cotton uniforms of the men.

“General Tonglong!” the man in green said, offering Tonglong a slight bow. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Commander Sow.”

Tonglong glared at the man, and ShaoShu could almost feel anger flowing from his rigid body. The mouse in his pouch began to squirm.

“You have been neglecting your duty, Com mander,” Tonglong said tersely. “Your camp is a disgrace.”

The commander smiled. “Come now, General. Don't you think you're overreacting?”

“From what I see, you're not prepared for a raid by a handful of schoolchildren, let alone a superior force.”

Commander Sow laughed. “Are you alluding to war, sir? We haven't had a war in more than two hundred years! We have no time for war. War is bad for business.”

Tonglong's teeth ground loud enough for ShaoShu to hear. “What about the wars in the north?” Tonglong asked. “What about the new Emperor, the
man I represent? His inauguration was the result of war.”