The Fall of the Golden Empire, Volume 1: Bloody Sunset by Zhang Baotong
At this time, Princess Paria, Princess Ina and Princess Uga heard that Prince Huascar had come from Cusco, thousands of miles away, and they all came to visit. Prince Huascar greeted each of his aunts one by one. When Princess Pariya saw Prince Huascar, she said with surprise and praise, "After not seeing him for many days, the prince looks more and more handsome, elegant and free."
Prince Huascar smiled and said, "Auntie, thank you very much. I wish I could be as handsome, mighty and noble as my brother."
Yi Na interjected and said, "Although the two princes have different styles and manners, their temperament and demeanor are like heroes and kings." Upon hearing this, everyone praised Princess Yi Na's words.
Everyone happily exchanged greetings, and Princess Palia asked someone to cook. Firstly, she would hold a banquet to welcome Prince Huascar, and secondly, the whole family would have a good time together. Because after the king fell ill, everyone looked sad all day long and rarely laughed or laughed. Today, Prince Huascar has come from afar. The king is happy, and everyone wants to be happy with him.
The banquet was filled with all kinds of delicacies, and Prince Manco arrived at the same time as Prince Huascar. Everyone said all kinds of compliments and auspicious words together, and drank and drank to each other affectionately. The atmosphere was warm and rich. Although the king had no appetite for the food at the banquet and it was not suitable for eating, he felt particularly comfortable just sitting by the bed and watching the family eating and chatting happily.
The banquet lasted until dark. Everyone was afraid that too much time would affect the king's rest, so they stopped as soon as possible and dispersed the banquet so that Prince Huascar could talk to his father. Seeing that everyone had finished their meal, the King asked the maids to clear the table and clean the floor, and then signaled that the three princes and Princess Anna should be left behind. Everyone was sitting upright by the king's bed, knowing that their father must have some final matters to explain to everyone, so they were all nervously waiting for their father to speak.
When Emperor Wayna Capak saw the children gathered around him, he looked at them all with a solemn and sad look and said, "To be honest, children, I am suffering from a plague that cannot be cured. Sooner or later I will leave you."
When Prince Huascar heard what his father said, he said, "My father has been fighting all his life and is famous far and wide. It can be said that the world will be peaceful if his father is there, and the country will be in chaos if his father is absent. My father is in his prime, and although he is suffering from illness, he cannot Are you abandoning yourself and saying such unlucky words?"
Princess Anna also said, "My father is diligent and kind, and manages the country well. He is admired and loved by all the Inca people. Although he is ill now, the priests in the city pray for his father every day and the people across the country bless him, and he is still alive." The Kachapa wizard from the royal palace will prepare medicine to cure my father, and my father's illness will gradually improve. Please don't worry, my father, as worries will turn into illnesses."
Emperor Wayna Capac grabbed his daughter's hand, caressed it and said sadly, "I know your words are to comfort me, but my father, I have fought in the north and south throughout my life, expanded the territory, eradicated rebellions, and pacified the four directions. I killed countless people and offended the Sun God, so the Sun God will not forgive me."
After saying that, he said to Prince Huascar in a very gentle tone, "Prince Huascar, come here."
Prince Huascar walked timidly to his father. The father asked him to sit in front of him, and then called Prince Atahualpa to him. Then, he held their hands tightly together and said to Prince Huascar in a deep voice, " When I die, you will be the emperor of a country. According to the code passed down by the ancestor Inca King Manco Capac, the Kingdom of Quito and all the conquered kingdoms in the north should be under your jurisdiction and rule. However, your brother has followed me since he was a child. We lived and fought together and never left me, and I also like him very much, so if one day I really have to leave, I can't bear to see him with nothing, otherwise I will die with a sigh of relief. So, I want to leave him in my life While leaving a large piece of land to you, give him the inheritance and ownership of the Kingdom of Quito, because it should have belonged to his grandfather in the past, and now it should be returned to him and his mother. If you can agree generously My request is that all the territories you capture in the future will belong to you, and your brother will serve you as a commander. If you can really agree to my request, even if I leave now, I will rest in peace."
Huascar did not expect his father to say such things to him. According to the instructions and laws of his ancestors, his father should not say such words to him that go against the instructions of his ancestors, and he should not agree to his father's request. However, Huascar is a humble, honest, generous and benevolent prince. He feels that his younger brother has indeed been with his father day and night since he was a child, and he also has outstanding martial arts skills. It is not unacceptable to give some of his land to his younger brother, but What's more important is that my father is still the Inca Emperor and will not really leave soon. Therefore, my father's will cannot be violated under any circumstances. In order to please his father and make his brother happy, he replied readily, "Supreme King of the Incas, I respect my father extremely, and I am happy to obey all your instructions and will. As long as it satisfies my father and makes my brother happy, , even if I add a few more provinces and give them to my brother, I will still do it."
The king was very satisfied with Prince Huascar's answer and seemed very excited. He held the hands of his two sons tightly together and asked them to pray to be friendly to each other and to work together to inherit the great cause of the Inca Empire.
It was late at night when Prince Huascar left Ziyuan Pavilion and returned to the palace residence. He was exhausted from traveling day and night for several days, so as soon as he returned to his residence, he fell asleep. However, I woke up after not sleeping for a while and could not fall asleep again.
Tonight's dinner at Ziyuan Pavilion and the scene when his father summoned him made him think about it, and he always felt that something was wrong, as if it had been arranged in advance to let him infiltrate the circle. Logically speaking, his father should not have allowed him to cede Quito and other northern provinces to Prince Atahualpa. Doing so would obviously violate the inheritance rules established by his ancestors for hundreds of years. Although he did not expect that his father would make such a request to him at the time and was not mentally prepared, he also knew that even if he was prepared in advance, he could not refuse his father's request because his father had not yet passed away and still had the supreme responsibility. that power. Therefore, even if he disagreed, the father still had the power to divide the northern provinces such as Quito to Prince Atahualpa. It's just that he feels that his father really shouldn't do this.
Because he was upset and couldn't sleep, he called Prince Barbara Palca, the assistant minister who accompanied him. Prince Barbara Palca yawned from the room next door to his room and asked Prince Huascar, "How is your condition?"
Prince Huascar shook his head and said, "It looks like he won't live long." After saying that, he asked the assistant minister to sit on the chair next to his bed.
When the prince heard this, he said, "The king didn't say anything about the succession to the throne?"
The prince nodded disapprovingly and replied, "Yes, but he also said that I would give Quito and other northern provinces to Prince Atahualpa."
Prince Barbara Palca hurriedly asked, "You agreed?"
The prince asked, "Do you think I can refuse to agree?"
The prince said, "Yes, you have to agree." But the prince added, "This is really not a good thing."
The prince was startled and asked, "How do you say this?"
The prince said, "Quito and other northern provinces are thousands of miles away from the capital city of Cusco, and the main force and military commanders of the Inca Empire were also brought to Quito by the king. After the death of the king, if Prince Atahualpa claims to be in the north, King, that would be very detrimental to you, Prince."
Hearing what the prince said, Prince Huascar was startled and asked, "What should we do?"
The prince thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I don't have any good ideas. I can only recruit troops, expand the army and prepare for war, and then strengthen Cusco's city defense in case Prince Atahualpa changes."
The prince also felt embarrassed, because almost all the stronger young men were recruited to fight in the north, and the rest were old people, children and women, so he felt that this method was still not feasible. Seeing that the prince did not agree with his opinion, the prince said, "Then there is only one way."
The prince asked, "What can we do?" The prince said, "After the king passes away, as soon as you succeed to the throne, immediately transfer Quito's heavy troops to outside Cusco and put them under your personal control. Then, send Prince Atahualpa to the throne." Summon him to the capital city of Cusco, remove his military power, and place him under house arrest, so that the northern provinces can be returned to the hands of the prince."
The prince immediately shook his head and said, "It's impossible. If I attack my brother just after my father's death, people in the world will probably say that I am heartless and unjust."
Seeing that the prince was so kind, the prince said, "If the prince does not strike first, he will be overpowered, and sooner or later Prince Atahualpa will use force against you."
Prince Huascar didn't believe it and said, "No way. He is not a direct relative of Atahualpa. A non-direct prince cannot inherit the throne. This is an ironclad law established by the Inca ancestors for hundreds of years."
Prince Barbara Palca couldn't convince Prince Huascar, so he sighed secretly and asked, "When does the prince plan to return to the capital?"
The prince thought for a while and said, "My father is suffering from the plague and his condition is getting worse. I am afraid that he will not live for ten days and a half. It is better to wait until my father dies and bury him before leaving."
The prince's expression changed greatly, and he said to the prince in a horrified voice, "Prince must not stay here for a long time. The prince is kind and kind, and everyone in the world knows it. However, Prince Atahualpa is not as honest and trustworthy as you, prince. If you wait until the king Once he passes away, I’m afraid the prince will never be able to return to the capital city of Cusco.”
The prince was surprised, "How can you say this?"
The prince said, "Although Prince Atahualpa has an extraordinary bearing and a dignified appearance, he is arrogant, narrow-minded, and full of intrigues. If the king leaves, Prince Atahualpa will definitely capture you alive." Take it, punish it as a crime, and then ascend the throne and proclaim yourself emperor. The prince must be on guard."
The prince was still a little doubtful and said, "No way? Although I have been separated and had little contact with Prince Atahualpa, I heard that he is cautious and careful in handling things, and he is loyal, respectful and filial to his father. Moreover, I He also divided Quito and other northern provinces into his hands. After all, he won’t be ungrateful and repay kindness with hatred, right?”
Seeing that the prince did not believe his words, the prince said, "If the prince has any doubts about my words, he can summon Princess Anna tomorrow to inquire carefully."
After hearing this, the prince nodded and said, "You have been working hard all the way with me. You are tired, so you should go back to the house and rest."
After Prince Barbara Palca left, Prince Huascar blew out the lamp and lay down, but the prince's words still made him toss and turn, unable to sleep. Prince Atahualpa has been away fighting with his father since he was a child, but he has always been in the capital city of Cusco. Therefore, the two brothers rarely have the opportunity to meet. Even if they do meet, it is only in a hurry and then goodbye. In fact, they are very strange to each other. Don't understand. Although he had heard some things about Prince Atahualpa, they were all trivial and irrelevant, making it difficult to form a more complete impression. Therefore, when he heard Prince Barbara Palca say these words to him about Prince Atahualpa, he really felt a little doubtful and even a little unbelievable. However, he also felt that he had to listen to the prince's words because he was leaving. In this strange city of Quito, thousands of miles away from Cusco, the prince was the only person he could trust and feel reliable.
It wasn't until the third watch of the cock crow that Prince Huascar fell asleep in a daze. When he woke up, the palace maid had already delivered breakfast to his room. He then got up and started eating breakfast. After breakfast, he planned to go to Ziyuan Pavilion to visit his father, and then go to Qingxin Pavilion to visit his mother.
