by Mouse
11
Charles sat at the large table in the apothecary's secret storage room, contemplating his next move. They had arrived without incident, and he was certain no one would ever find him or the others inside this cleverly concealed location. Hok had previously used it as a hideout, and there was more than enough room for them, including Ying, WanSow, Fu, and Malao. How ever, Charles was concerned about his sloop. If Tonglong and his men had gotten a good look at it while they were at sea, they might be able to identify it. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
“So, what are you going to do?” Hok asked. “We would like you to remain with us, but I understand if you want to be with your friends.”
“I'm still not sure,” Charles said. “I—”
He was cut short by the seamless hidden door to the room swinging open on silent hinges. It was the apothecary owner, a gentle-looking man called LoBak. As near as Charles could tell, LoBak was a respectful way of saying “old man,” which was interesting, because the apothecary owner didn't look all that old. He did have thinning gray hair, though, and his wrinkled hands were badly stained a rainbow of colors from years of mixing and grinding medicinal herbs. He closed the door behind him and sat down at the table, handing WanSow a drinking bowl full of steaming liquid.
“What is that?” Hok asked.
“It is the brew I deliver to a local official each night to help him with his … condition. It will help her, too. It's a combination of nearly twenty herbs, but the primary ingredient is dragon bone.”
Ying's eyebrows raised and he looked at Hok. “Dragon bone? See, I told you it works.”
Hok shook her head. “It may very well work, but you are no longer ill, Ying. You take it because you think it makes you more like a dragon.”
“You possess dragon bone, Ying?” LoBak asked.
“Enough to last me several years,” Ying replied. “Why?”
“You will need it for your mother's treatments. I can supply you with the other ingredients, but dragon bone is difficult to come by, as I'm sure you know.”
“You sound as if I will be taking her somewhere,” Ying said.
LoBak nodded. “It may be wise for you to leave as soon as she can walk without assistance. The local official I just mentioned is a man called HaiZhe and—”
“Jellyfish!” Fu interrupted.
“That's right,” LoBak said. “You know of him?”
“Yes,” WanSow said, finishing her drink. “I fear he might soon be looking for me.”
“Your fears are well founded,” LoBak said. “He has mentioned your name several times. It seems General Tonglong has laid his hands on a veritable dragon's hoard of treasure that HaiZhe has been after for many years. The man giving HaiZhe the news heard about it from a group of fishermen who'd spoken with Tong -long's crew just this morning. They were docked in a village to the south.”
“Did they happen to mention a little boy?” Hok asked, her voice anxious. “ShaoShu stowed away on that ship.”
“Oh, dear,” LoBak said. “ShaoShu did seem a little too curious for his own good while he was here with you. Fortunately, there was no talk of a stowaway. What is he up to?”
“He is trying to help us, I suppose,” Hok said. “I was thinking maybe we should stay here in case he happens to sneak away to try and find us. This was the last place I saw him.”
“We don't all have to stay here,” Charles said. “Those of us who can leave should do so.”
“But is it safe to leave?” Hok asked. “Now that HaiZhe knows about the treasure, he'll be searching high and low for it, and for WanSow.”
“That's why we should get moving immediately,” Charles said.
“I agree with Charles,” Fu said.
“What do you think, Malao?” Charles asked.
Malao shrugged. “Don't look at me. None of this sounds like fun.”
Charles sniffed. “There is something else we need to consider. What about Tonglong?”
Ying popped his knuckles, one at a time. “Tong long will get what's coming to him. Trust me.”
“What are you going to do?” Charles asked. “No offense, but don't you have other priorities?” He nodded at WanSow.
“I will stay and help WanSow—” Hok began.
“No,” Ying said in a firm tone. “I will take care of her myself, and I will deal with Tonglong in time. All of you can do as you see fit.”
“Why even worry about going after Tonglong?” Charles said. “I mean, won't the Emperor eventually take care of Tonglong?”
Ying scoffed. “Tonglong works for the Emperor, remember? I am sure the Emperor has no idea what Tonglong is up to. He will build himself into an unstoppable force; then he'll overthrow the Emperor.”
“Do you really think so?” Hok asked.
“Count on it,” Ying said. “I know Tonglong well. He double-crossed me, and he'll double-cross the Emperor. I think he would even double-cross his mother to get his way.”
“Well, somebody has to stop them,” Fu growled. “Remember what AnGangseh did to Seh?”
“Look, everyone,” Charles said. “This has gotten too big for any of us to handle. Perhaps I should discuss the situation with my friends on Smuggler's Island? You can come with me, if you'd like.”
“That might be best,” LoBak said. “I know the island you speak of, and it is far more secure than my shop. I suggest all of you leave with Charles when WanSow is ready to travel.”
Hok sighed. “I hate to keep imposing on you, Charles, but maybe this would be best. I would like to go with you, and I want to help WanSow. This plan allows for both. Besides, the longer we wait here, the greater the chance we might get word about ShaoShu. What do the rest of you think?”
“Fine with me,” Fu said.
“Me too,” Malao added.
“Not me,” Ying said. “I think you three should go with Charles, but I will take my mother into the mountains to heal where the air is clear and the earth's chi is strong. I also have a few things of a personal nature to sort out.” He exchanged a knowing look with his mother.
“Are you sure?” Hok asked.
“Yes,” Ying said. “I have made some mistakes in the past, and I need to fix them. I am sure our paths will cross again.”
“I hope they do,” Hok said.
Silence fell over the room.
“Is there anything else we need to discuss?” Charles asked.
No one replied.
“Then it is settled,” Charles said. “As soon as WanSow is fit to leave, we shall all be on our way. Now, I suggest we all get some rest. Tomorrow I'd like to start changing the look of my sloop.”
CHAPTER
12
The next few weeks were among the most trying of ShaoShu's life. Unable to leave the fortress, he spent nearly all of his time following Lei around like a lost puppy. His orders were to learn as much as possible about firearms in preparation for a future assignment, but without knowing what the assignment was, it was difficult for him to concentrate.
To make matters worse, he had an excellent memory, whereas most of the soldiers did not. Lei had to show the men the same basic tasks over and over before they finally understood the proper way to load a cannon or aim a musket. ShaoShu was certain he could now do these things in his sleep, even though he doubted he ever would. Firearms still frightened him.
Three weeks into the training, things finally began to get interesting. While Tonglong was off drilling a legion of foot soldiers, Lei took ShaoShu and several of the officers out to Tonglong's ship for a demonstration. The cannons aboard were Lei's, and the gun crews were made up of men Lei had previously trained to an extraordinary degree of efficiency. The soldiers and officers on shore had fired numerous muskets and pistols up to that point, but their cannons had remained silent, because the long-neglected weapons had not yet been fully refurbished. So far, their cannon training had involved only practice loading and pretend firing.
There were fourteen cannons on Tonglong's man-o-war, fiv
e along each side, plus two at the bow and two at the stern. Lei took command of the center-most cannon along the port side and unlashed it from the ship's side rail with a practiced ease. He ordered the fortress's small transport boat to release six large floating barrels at varying distances from the ship, and once the transport was safely retied to the ship's stern, Lei called all hands to their battle stations.
Amidst a flurry of activity, Lei leaned over, sighting his right eye along the length of his cannon's glimmering bronze barrel. He directed his gun crew to position the cannon to his liking by having them shift the barrel up and down and turn the cannon's carriage side to side on its heavy wooden wheels.
Lei explained that he always left the cannons loaded in case they were attacked, and this particular cannon was packed with a single twelve-pound ball. The floating targets were heavy-duty barrels constructed of wood nearly as thick as the planking on a Chinese junk or a typical Round Eye ship. This exercise would give an accurate representation of what would happen to an enemy vessel in an actual battle.
A gun-crew member lit a section of slow match with a flint firestone and a metal strike bar and handed the slow-burning fuse to Lei. Lei stepped off to one side of the cannon, well away from the bone-crushing undercarriage wheels, and leaned toward the cannon's back end. He timed the roll of the ship in relation to the roll of the targets upon the waves and touched the slow match's burning embers to the cannon's priming hole.
KA-BOOM!
ShaoShu leaped involuntarily at the deafening roar. Flames burst forth from the cannon's barrel, and the carriage recoiled sharply backward on its heavy wheels. Acrid smoke poured out of the cannon, filling half the deck. Across the water, the farthest barrel exploded into a thousand splinters, and the men on deck cheered with delight.
Inside its pouch, ShaoShu's mouse shivered uncontrollably.
Lei barked commands to the other gun crews.
“Men, prepare your guns!”
“Aim your guns!”
“Fire!”
The remaining five barrels were blown out of the water with alarming accuracy. The entire deck was awash in cannon smoke, and ShaoShu was left half blind and mostly deaf, wondering what Tonglong had in mind for him. He didn't want any part of this.
Hours later, his ears still ringing and his eyes still burning, ShaoShu sat hidden in an empty crate on deck, feeding his mouse. Shouts from high overhead and the sound of men scrambling about on deck drew his attention over the side, where he saw six large Chinese junks approaching. He was worried at first, wondering if the ships were going to attack, but then he realized that the activity on their deck was the sound of men furiously cleaning and straightening after the earlier cannon exercises. They were stowing their great guns, not arming them. No one was going to fire on anyone. ShaoShu breathed a sigh of relief. That is, until Lei called out his name.
“ShaoShu! Where are you hiding now? Meet me in the main cabin at once!”
ShaoShu tucked his mouse into its pouch and hurried to Tonglong's cabin, where he found Lei alone, seated behind Tonglong's desk. ShaoShu considered saying something about Lei being in Tonglong's chair, but then he thought better of it.
“Your time has come,” Lei said. “Are you ready?”
ShaoShu frowned. “I think so, sir. It depends on what you want me to do.”
“Remember we talked about HaiZhe—Jellyfish?”
ShaoShu nodded. “You want me to spy on him, right?”
“That's right. General Tonglong wants you to collect as much armament information from him as possible, and you're only going to have one night to do it. This isn't going to be easy for you. To be honest, I don't think you'll come out of it alive.”
ShaoShu swallowed hard.
“I've been giving this a lot of thought, and it seems to me the most difficult part for you will be sneaking inside the facility itself. Your best chance probably lies with a man called LoBak.”
ShaoShu looked at the floor in an effort to try and hide his surprise. He knew exactly who LoBak was. LoBak's shop was the last place he had seen Hok.
“LoBak is an apothecary,” Lei continued. “He is a medicine man, and he attends to HaiZhe every evening—he delivers a special drink to help him with his condition.”
ShaoShu looked up. “What's wrong with HaiZhe?”
“His legs no longer work. Many years ago, he was a promising young vendor in the local black market. He borrowed money from a group of questionable investors that included, some say, Tonglong's father. When HaiZhe didn't make several loan payments, the investors decided to make an example of him. They severed every tendon in his body from the waist down.”
ShaoShu cringed.
“Most people would have died from loss of blood or shock or any number of things,” Lei said. “But not HaiZhe. He somehow managed to drag himself down the street to an apothecary, which was how he met LoBak. LoBak has been helping him ever since.”
“Does Tonglong know?”
“Of course. HaiZhe's injuries motivated him to crush nearly everyone around him, and he eventually became the Southern Warlord. As I mentioned earlier, Tonglong's father didn't like what he was seeing, and he tried to do something about HaiZhe's ways. Because of this and his presumed role in disabling HaiZhe, some people believe that HaiZhe killed Tong long's father with the help of a traitor.”
“Oh,” ShaoShu said, a lump forming in his throat. He couldn't help but think of Tonglong's father's ashes, and he changed the subject. “What about LoBak? Is he HaiZhe's friend?”
“No,” Lei said. “LoBak is more like a slave. HaiZhe would kill him if he stopped supplying the medicines that keep him healthy. Wait until you see HaiZhe. He is in amazing shape for someone with his disability.”
“How is LoBak going to help me?”
“Indirectly. LoBak always enters through a little-used rear entry that only has one guard. When the guard opens the door for LoBak, you must find a way to sneak in behind him.”
ShaoShu closed his eyes. He'd done this sort of thing before, but never with a guard standing there.
“Can you do it?” Lei asked.
ShaoShu opened his eyes and shrugged. “I guess I have no choice.”
“Smart boy,” Lei said with a grin.
“How will I get to the warehouse?”
Lei pointed out of a porthole to the fortress transport boat tied off at the ship's stern. Workmen swarmed over it, affixing a mast and a sail.
“A group of my best sailors will take you up the river and drop you off at HaiZhe's warehouse,” Lei said. “They will use the wind as well as row, as speed is of the essence. Did you notice those six Chinese junks approaching?”
“Yes.”
“They are merchant vessels that General Tonglong will use as transports. You may recall that he was gone for a few days last week. That's what he was doing— hiring these captains. He's been planning to mobilize our troops once these ships arrive. The merchant men have no idea what he is up to. Likewise, the men transporting you do not know your true mission. I hope you can keep a secret.”
“Sure,” ShaoShu said.
“Very good,” Lei replied. “The men transporting you will not be wearing uniforms so as to not raise any suspicion. They will drop you off and wait for you. You will only have one night—tonight. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” ShaoShu said. “Except, I'm not sure exactly what kind of gun information you want.”
“Inventory details. Equipment and supply lists. That is why you have been spending so much time with me. HaiZhe is the largest firearms dealer in China. Nearly all the guns and cannons in our country come from the Round Eyes, and they only work with him. We want to know what he has in his warehouse, including gunpowder and shot.”
“Why?”
“So that we can take it, of course. You've seen how pitifully armed we are.”
“But once I'm inside, how am I supposed to find it?”
“HaiZhe stores the weapons in a special wing at the eastern end o
f the building. There is only one door way in or out, and it's located inside his office. Find the office, and you'll find the door. This will be a challenge, because the doorway into his office is secret. It's hidden within a huge mural down a very long corridor.”
Great, ShaoShu thought. This is going to be impossible. He said, “If I find a way into the office, how will I know which door is the right one?”
“You can't miss it; it's huge. Be very careful, though, because there is a nearly invisible web of silk trip wires positioned in front of the door. If you so much as breathe too hard on the trip wires, four rows of muskets will simultaneously fire down on you from the ceiling. When I worked for HaiZhe, I saw three different guards accidentally brush against the web. Not even their closest family members could have identified their remains.”
“I'm going to die, aren't I?” ShaoShu asked.
“Maybe. I told General Tonglong that I thought this was a bad idea. He said he has faith in you.”
ShaoShu stared at Lei. “Tonglong is going to kill HaiZhe, isn't he?”
“With the right kind of information, we might be able to avoid conflict. The last thing General Tonglong wants is a bloody battle in the middle of the city. Perhaps we can pressure HaiZhe into surrendering his position with the information you retrieve, or maybe we can devise a plan to capture the weapons wing with only minimal casualties. If we take control of that wing, HaiZhe will have no choice but to surrender. I have to tell you, though, HaiZhe did not get to be where he is by giving in to pressure. He is as cunning as they come.”
Lei turned to the porthole again, and ShaoShu saw the workmen leaving the transport. A mast and sail had been raised, and rugged seamen armed with muskets and pistols were climbing aboard.
“Time for you to go, Little Mouse,” Lei said. “Good luck. HaiZhe's life might just be in your hands—as well as your own,” he added with a smirk.
CHAPTER
13
ShaoShu's transport vessel sailed hard for hours, the sailors often dropping oars into the water to urge the boat on faster than the sail alone would allow. They were obviously in a hurry, which was fine with ShaoShu. He needed to get there before LoBak's evening visit.
