Mouse by Jeff Stone Page A

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