The Fall of the Golden Empire, Volume 1: Bloody Sunset by Zhang Baotong
This day was particularly long, and the king felt that death was waving to him. And he also clearly realized that once a person got the plague, life would be worse than death. Therefore, life has no value and meaning to him, and death is no longer a terrible and abominable destination. He even felt eager and anxious to leave early.
Because there are always random thoughts in the mind, people feel very tired. Fortunately, there was no one else inside and outside the house except Princess Yina. Princess Yina stayed by his side, feeding him water and wiping his sweat. She could only lie down for a while when the king was quiet. Maybe I was too sleepy and fell asleep soon. But the king didn't want to disturb her and wanted her to sleep for a while. However, after a while, he would cough non-stop or moan for a while because of pain, which would wake up Yina. When Yina woke up, she quickly wiped his face or gave him water. He shook his head gently, indicating that she didn't need to be busy and asked her to continue sleeping. But Yina knew that it was not the time to sleep now, so she kept her eyes open and stayed with the king.
If you don't sleep when it's time to sleep at night, you will feel that the night is long and the time has stopped, as if it is endless. It can be said that this night was the longest night in the life of Emperor Huayna Capak. However, no matter how long the night is, it has an end. Finally, there is a faint light outside the window. The whole night of suffering and thinking had made him feel physically and mentally exhausted and his breath was weak, as if he was already standing on the edge of life and death. So, he used all his strength to pull the sleeping Yina. Yina suddenly trembled and woke up from her dream, only to find that the king was talking to him with his mouth open. She immediately stood up, sat down, and asked, "My noble king, what do you want to say?"
The king said with great effort, "I can't do it anymore." After saying that, he made a few gestures with his hands. Yina immediately understood what the king meant and asked, "Does the king have something to say to his relatives and ministers?"
The king responded with "Ahhh" twice, and then said, "Hurry up!"
Yina hurriedly got dressed and called Haya, asking him to immediately deliver the king's order to Prince Atahualpa. The prince rushed over immediately, with sweat on his forehead, because he was busy burying Ninan. He leaned next to his father, waiting for his father to speak. The king breathed hard and said to the prince, "Your Majesty, I am dying. You quickly send someone to inform the royal family, nobles and chiefs of the provinces, saying that I have something to say to them."
The prince said, "But some provinces are very far away, and it will take at least three or four days just to convey the imperial decree to them."
The king said, "I know, but we have to hurry. I'm afraid I won't survive for a few days."
The prince nodded, "Father, don't worry, I will send someone to inform them immediately." After saying that, the prince left quickly.
Emperor Huayna Capac was relieved when he saw that his order had been conveyed, because he knew that even if the news reached the province closest to Quito, it would take a whole day and wait for the chiefs and chiefs. After receiving the order and rushing to the palace, I could get another whole day at the earliest. If the news was to be transmitted to provinces thousands of kilometers away from Quito, even if the postmen were running day and night, it would still take three days. Then, the princes and ministers would be traveling day and night to get to Quito. It will take seven or eight days. If the calculation is less than ten days, it will not work. However, at this time, he felt that his strength was at the end of his rope, and he didn't know if he could survive these days.
In order to maintain his strength, he wanted to have a good sleep, so that the time would feel less long and difficult. So, he closed his eyes and wanted to take a nap. Besides, he had stayed up all night and was really too sleepy. However, he still couldn't sleep, so he could only lie quietly with his eyes closed. But no, he still had so many things to explain to his relatives and ministers, how could he sleep? Because he was afraid that once he closed his eyes, he would never be able to open them again. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked out the window for a while. Seeing that it was bright outside, he asked Yina what time it was. Yina said, "It's just dawn. I wonder what the king has to say?" When the king heard that it was just dawn, he closed his eyes in despair.
Emperor Wayna Kapac knew that he would die soon, and he would also meet with some important ministers in these days, so he asked the prince to secretly carry him from the princess's Ziyuan Pavilion to his own bedroom in the palace. Because except for the king, no other men are allowed to enter the harem. Therefore, as the supreme Inca King, he was not allowed to summon ministers in Ziyuan Pavilion.
At noon, Xiuwei brought the king his favorite corn porridge as usual. However, the king has actually not eaten for two days. The persistent high fever and facial pain have made him dizzy and confused. How can he still have the appetite and mood to eat and drink? Not only did I not feel hungry or thirsty, but I also felt upset when I saw food. However, this morning, he forced himself to eat a small bowl of polenta because he wanted to gain some energy so that he could persist until relatives and officials from nearby provinces arrived.
That afternoon, he felt a little better, so he summoned the Inca auxiliary minister, Chiskis, the commander of the Quito army, Prince Luminawi, the commander of the central Inca army, and Prince Gilabamba, the general manager of the Quito palace, to his house. At his bedside, his last words and will are to be imparted to them. These three ministers have been his important ministers for many years, and they are also his half-cousins or brothers. As long as the three of them assist, the Inca Empire and the Kingdom of Quito will not be shaken by his departure.
He asked Prince Atahualpa and the three important ministers to sit on the chairs beside the bed, and asked his beloved daughter Princess Anna Yama to hold him against the head of the bed. He spoke to the three important ministers with weak and sincere words. Said, "I am about to go to heaven to rest with my father, the sun. A few days ago, he prophesied to me that he would call me from the lake. So, I felt sick after going out to the lake. This is what we This is a clear sign that my father has summoned me. After my death, you are to cut my body open as you always do with the body of a king. I command you to bury my heart, heart, and inward parts in Quito as a token of my love for Quito. Feelings of attachment. My body will be transported back to Cusco to be laid to rest with my parents and ancestors. After I leave this world and rest in peace with Father Sun, the Inca Empire will be ruled by my son, Prince Huascar, who will serve as The thirteenth generation king of the Inca Empire, ruling the entire empire. I entrust you with my deeply beloved son, Prince Atahualpa, who will succeed me as King of the Inca, rule the Kingdom of Quito, and be in charge of the northern provinces. And you , generals of my army, I want to specifically order you to serve the king with the love and respect you deserve for him, knowing that I am making him your king, and I ask you to obey orders only. Be obedient, for that will be what I command him by the command of our Father the Sun. I want you to honor him and obey him as you honor and obey me.”
The three ministers immediately knelt on the ground, pressed their faces to the ground, and said in unison, "As you command, my supreme king."
Then, Kiskis said, "Please don't worry, Your Majesty. I will respect and worship my nephew as much as I do the King."
Prince Luminawi said, "Your Majesty, you don't have to worry. After you go to rest with Father Sun, your two nephews will be my Majesty. I will do my best to fulfill my duties as a minister, be loyal to your Majesty, respect your Majesty, obey your Majesty, and do my best to serve you." Serve your Majesty. Ensure that the great cause of the Inca Empire becomes stronger."
Prince Gilabamba kowtowed to King Inca again and said with confidence, "Your Majesty is the son of the sun. I will do my best to be filial and loyal to King Inca and Prince Quito. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
After hearing the statements of the three important ministers, the king felt very satisfied. He nodded and said, "After listening to your words, I feel relieved and can go to Father Sun's house to rest in peace without any worries. I originally wanted to invite The three important ministers drank wine to express their gratitude. However, I am seriously ill and unable to do what I want, so I had to ask the prince to honor everyone on my behalf." After saying that, he asked Prince Atahualpa to take the three ministers to the Royal Dining Pavilion next door to drink.
After seeing off the three ministers, the king felt that another important task had been accomplished, so he let Princess Anna help him lie down. But because there were some things I hadn't done yet, I couldn't rest assured, so I could only lie down with my eyes closed, but couldn't fall asleep. It wasn't until late in the evening that the king really slept for a while, but when it got dark, he woke up again. After sleeping for a while, he felt that his energy was much better and he no longer felt drowsy. He closed his eyes and listened quietly to Yina telling him a mythical story called "The Shepherd". This story is about a young and handsome shepherd who was seduced by two beautiful young goddesses in every possible way but still refused to fall for them. The plot of the story is already vivid and touching, and when Yina tells it vividly and emotionally, it becomes even more eloquent and fascinating.
In fact, the King has heard of this story a long time ago, but in order to make the long night pass faster, he can only let Ina tell him the story. Halfway through the story, the king suddenly opened his eyes wide and weakly shouted, "Call Wang'er."
Yina immediately walked outside the door and shouted to an open room next to her, "Summon the prince to see the king." The room immediately echoed with Haya's echo, "Yes, princess."
After a while, Prince Atahualpa hurried over, walked up to the king respectfully, and asked in a low voice, "What are your instructions, father?" The king pointed towards the north with his hand. The prince immediately understood what the king meant and replied, "I am telling my father that the chiefs and chiefs of those remote provinces will not be able to arrive until tomorrow morning at the earliest."
When the king heard this, he sighed in disappointment and closed his eyes slightly again. This was repeated several times, which made the king very angry, but he did not have the strength to vent it out.
After staying up all night, the king felt that he was exhausted and out of his mind when it got dark the next day. He was like a residual flame of a lamp that had used up all its sesame oil, flickering in the wind. . He looked at the roof with dark eyes and weakly called, "Your Majesty."
Prince Atahualpa, who was accompanying him, immediately put his mouth next to his ear and replied, "Don't worry, father, my son has sent people to the four inns to pick him up. After all, by noon, all provinces will be here." The governor and the chief will arrive soon."
The king remained silent for a long time, breathing very anxiously and irritably. It was obvious that he was impatient and dissatisfied with the prince's answer. This made Prince Atahualpa very embarrassed and embarrassed, but there was nothing he could do.
