He scratched his head, thinking about another shiny object—the key. ShaoShu wondered what it was for.
As his mind continued to wander, Tonglong walked over to him.
“Amazing, isn't it?” Tonglong said. “Most men would give their right arm for only a small portion of this treasure.”
ShaoShu shrugged. “I guess, sir.” He glanced at the white jade sword Tonglong now wore at his waist. It glowed in the bright afternoon sun.
“Do you like this?” Tonglong asked, gesturing toward the sword. “In many ways, this is worth more than all that treasure combined. Did you know that?”
“Is it worth more than the key, sir?”
Tonglong scowled and lowered his voice. “Never mention the key again. Do you understand?” He gripped the jade sword menacingly.
ShaoShu's eyes widened. “Yes, sir. Understood.”
Tonglong pulled the white jade sword out of his sash and examined it. “Doesn't this impress you more than a shiny little key?”
“No, sir.”
“Well, it should. And it will. I will have another job for you soon, and acquainting yourself with weapons of every sort is now of the utmost importance.”
ShaoShu frowned. “I don't like weapons, sir. They scare me.”
“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.”