The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
It was a beautiful, mild summer day in Cusco in the year 1528. The blue sky above the plateau is clear with white clouds. The sun shines on the whole city with a peaceful smile, making the whole city bright. Although the temperature at this time was slightly warm, the cool breeze blew from the nearby mountains with the scent of grass and flowers, which made people feel a sense of brightness and coolness.
Because the city is filled with various foreign ethnic groups, each group gathers in urban areas designated by government officials. They maintain the customs and costumes of their tribe or ethnic group. Although there are more than 100,000 of them mixed together, the hairstyle on their heads and the color of their clothes are all different. They gathered together in one area and started to prepare since early morning. The men wore all kinds of bright and eye-catching shirts and shorts, and the women wore bright red and green skirts with many laces. With a smile on his face and holding offerings such as cheese, fruit, tortillas and chicha wine, he started from the neighborhoods in all directions and gathered like a tide towards the Okepata Palace Square in the center of Cusco.
The Inca Empire was also known as Tawantinsuyo, or the Four Parts of the World. According to the four directions of the sky, they are called southeast, northwest and northwest. And Cusco is the center. The reason why Cusco is called the navel of the earth is because the entire Inca Empire (mainly Peru and Ecuador) is long and narrow in shape, much like a human body, and the city of Cusco is almost located in the middle, much like a human navel. The Inca king divided the Inca Empire into four administrative regions with the city of Cusco as the center. There is a province in the east of Cusco called Anti, so the east part is called Antisuyu; there is a small province in the west of Cusco called Quinti, and the western part is called Quintisuyu; there is a vast province in the south called Quintisuyu. Colia, the southern part is called Coliasuyu; there is a vast province to the north of the city called Kipchak, so the north is called Kipchasuyu; even though the Kingdom of Chile is located in an area more than 3,000 kilometers south of Colia province, But it still falls under the jurisdiction of Kolyasuyu. The Kingdom of Quito is located 1,500 kilometers north of the Kipchaksyu Province, but it still falls under the jurisdiction of the Kipchaksyu District. The four straight royal avenues leading out of the city from the Royal Palace of Cusco are also known as the Antisuyu Royal Avenue, Quintisuyu Royal Avenue, Coliasuyu Royal Avenue and Kipchasuyu Royal Avenue. .
At the same time, there were many people who came from provinces across the country. They wore the colors specified by the province and held various royal emblems and flags. They sang and laughed happily on the royal marching avenues leading from the southeast, northwest, and northwest to the city center. Singing and dancing, they rushed towards the Okepata Palace Square.
These Indians are short in stature, thin in build, and have simple and sincere expressions. Because they are exposed to ultraviolet rays on the plateau all year round, their skin color is slightly brown, and they are very similar to the Tibetans on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. They were gorgeously dressed and dazzling. The men wear white or colorful cotton shirts and cloaks, feathers, earrings, brooches and gold and silver jewelry; the women cover their faces and heads and wear colorful skirts. Thousands of people gathered together, like patches of bright and dazzling flowers blooming on the canyons and plains in summer.
Because the city was inhabited by various foreign tribes, there were Incas from Chile, Pascal, Cañares, Chachapoya, Guanca, Colia and other tribes. Each tribe formed its own unit and lived in areas designated by officials in the city. They all maintain the customs of their tribes and the attire of their hometown, so if a hundred thousand people are mixed together, they can be easily identified based on the marks on their heads. The symbols on their heads refer to the different hairstyles, which vary among tribes and provinces, and are intended to facilitate identification. This was not an invention of the Incas, but an original custom of those Indians, which the Inca kings ordered them to maintain in order to avoid confusion among these different tribes and races.
By noon, Cusco’s Okepata Palace Square was already a sea of people. Okapata means terraces and celebration square in Indian language. Opposite is the Huayna Capak Palace. This is the palace that Emperor Huayna Kapac built for himself during his lifetime. Almost all emperors built a palace for themselves, but Huayna Capak's palace was the largest of all.
Hundreds of thousands of people came from the entire city and the country's provinces, crowding the Palace Square and the four surrounding streets. However, the Indians who are good at singing and dancing have the custom and nature of carnival. They cleared small open spaces in the very crowded squares and streets, and men and women gathered around and sang and danced non-stop.
Because there were many Indian tribes and ethnic groups in the Inca Empire, they wore different costumes and their singing and dancing carnivals also had their own characteristics. They first carnivaled and had fun among their own ethnic groups and tribes, and then merged with the crowds from neighboring provinces and regions. Finally, the crowds in the entire square and streets merged together, forming a huge carnival scene. . All the people moved and danced to the same rhythm with the accompaniment of drums and beats, singing in unison in praise of the Sun God.
As soon as noon passed, the enthronement ceremony of the Inca King officially began. At this time, hundreds of horn horns sounded in unison, filling the sky above the Okepata Palace Square. Listening to the sound of horns, people stood solemnly and stared at the majestic and huge ceremony platform in the center of the square.
The ceremony platform was built with many huge flat and smooth stones, about thirty meters long, twenty meters wide and two to three meters high. There are clusters of flowers decorated with red brocade, green embroidery, gold foil and silver thread hanging above the stage. The surrounding area of the stage was filled with various precious flowers brought from the palace garden. Under the golden sunshine, the entire ceremony stage was like a dreamlike wonderland.
After a while, thousands of palace guards armed with hatchets came out of the palace hall of Huayna Capak in two lines. Not only did they surround the ceremony platform, but they also A passage about two meters wide was built among the crowd between the palace hall and the ceremony stage.
Afterwards, two teams of beautiful girls in bright red dresses walked from the passage formed by soldiers to the ceremony stage. These girls are selected into the Palace of the Virgin of the Sun God from the age of six or seven, and receive various trainings in order to become the concubines of the Sun God or the Inca King in the future. They are all the most beautiful girls in all provinces and districts, and many of them are even girls from royal families. If they had not participated in this enthronement ceremony, these girls would never have left the palace, because except for the queen, it was difficult for even the Inca king to see them.
They were wearing bright red blouses and long skirts, with light pink makeup on their faces, their hair styled elegantly and neatly, with beautiful hairpins, and they exuded a floral fragrance. These girls are all stunningly beautiful and as beautiful as gods. If they had not attended this enthronement celebration, perhaps people would never have such a blessing in their lives. Although many people have seen the Inca King many times, they have never seen the girl in the Palace of Virgins.
Hundreds of girls came to the ceremony stage and stood in two rows. They stand gracefully and smile slightly, just like the beautiful faces of the moon smiling at the spring light. Maybe people were shocked by the beauty of the girls. They raised their toes, opened their eyes wide, and looked here with breathless concentration.
When the girls of the Virgin Palace of the Sun God had just stood up under the ceremony stage, they saw a group of young men wearing bright red cloaks walking from the palace. They wore feathers on their heads and many earrings. Big earrings. This is a typical sign of the noble youth of the Inca princes. Behind them was a procession of young women in green blouses and red skirts. They are all descendants of royal families from the capital or other provinces. They came to stand in line on both sides of the team of Sun God girls.
Then, groups of royal nobles and provincial lords wearing various costumes were seen coming out of the main hall of the Huayna Capak Palace along the passage composed of two rows of soldiers. Under the leadership of a palace steward, they went up Arrive at the ceremony stage. Just as they were standing on the ceremony stage, hundreds of horns sounded again. People looked solemnly at the exit of the main hall of Huayna Capak Palace. Hundreds of palace guards with swords and halberds were seen walking in front, followed by a sedan chair lifted by eighty people. Sitting on the sedan chair was a young prince. He is about 27 or 28 years old, with a thin and fair face, a serious expression and an unsmiling look. He wore a yellow tassel, a new set of golden clothes, large earrings and royal badges that symbolized high status, and a bright red cloak. He was surrounded by hundreds of princes and princesses. With. He sat on the sedan chair and kept waving his hands towards people. So people started beating drums, singing songs, and waving to their dear prince. And in the small sedan behind him sat the young and beautiful Barrancaia. She is Huascar's biological sister and the smartest, most beautiful and noble princess. Although King Huayna Capac has lived in Quito for many years, most of his children live in Cusco. Because he followed his father to conquer the Kingdom of Quito several years after his marriage. It took him nearly five years to conquer the Kingdom of Quito, and then returned to Cusco to report to his father. It was only later that a rebellion broke out in the north, and he hurried back to Quito and personally led his troops to suppress it. Since then, he has never returned to the capital city of Cusco.
Prince Huascar sat on the sedan chair and walked around the ceremony stage, waving to people constantly, then got down from the sedan chair, holding his own Keya, who was his wife Barrancaia's. Hands, slowly went up the steps to the high ceremony podium.
There were many princes and princesses standing on the ceremony stage. They bowed respectfully to the prince. The prince walked past the princes and princesses and came under a awning in the middle of the ceremony stage. There are two chairs placed here. Prince Huascar sat on the chair with Keya Barancaia.
After the horn sounded again, the whole place immediately fell silent, so quiet that you could hear the wind blowing from the mountains in the suburbs. At this time, Prince Barbara Palca, Assistant Minister of the Palace of Cusco, walked from the princes to the middle of the ceremony stage and began to speak to the people in the square with a loud and high-pitched voice. He said, "According to the heir to the throne of the Inca Empire, According to the order of inheritance and the will of the late King Huayna Capac, Prince Huascar is the new heir to the throne of the Inca Empire. Now is the time for Prince Huascar to inherit the throne and enthrone."
As soon as he finished speaking, cheers like a roaring tsunami erupted from all around the square. When the cheers subsided, Prince Barbara Palca solemnly announced, "Prince Hurtado Huaco, the high priest of the Inca Empire, will now crown Prince Huascar and confer the scepter."
A white-haired old man with a long white beard came to Prince Huascar with two young and beautiful women. The two women each held a tray. On the plate lay a red tassel and a solid gold cane. Both of these items were unique to the Inca kings, symbolizing their incomparable nobility and supreme power.
The high priest of the Inca Palace walked up to Huascar, slowly took off his yellow tassel, handed it to Keya Barancaya next to the prince, and then took out the tassel from the tray of a woman next to him. The red tassel was put on Huascar's head very respectfully, and then he took out the shining golden scepter from the tray held by another woman and presented it to Huascar. When Huascar stood up and took the golden staff, which was less than one meter long, the whole square was filled with thunderous cheers: "Long live the Inca King, long live the Inca King!"
Huascar wore a crown on his head and held a golden staff in his hand. He held the hand of his wife Barrancaia and walked around the ceremony stage, waving to the people from all over the country. As a result, the princes and girls on the stage and off the stage, and the people in the square and on the streets immediately knelt down and worshiped the new king with their faces on the ground. The cheers of hundreds of thousands of people rose again and again, resounding throughout the sky.
The young king raised his hands in all directions, asking the people to stand up and avoid courtesy. The people immediately stopped cheering and became quiet. At this time, King Huascar began to speak to the people in his pure and emotional tone. He said, "My dear people, today is a great day for me, Huascar, to be king. It is also a grand festival for our Inca Empire and us. After I take office as king, I will be like my father and ancestors." Like us, we will lead you to open up new territories and conquer the wilderness, so that the light of the sun god can illuminate more places, and the territory and boundaries of the Inca Empire will continue to expand and extend." Then, he said, "As the sun Son of God, father of all nations, I would like to pray to the father of the sun god to bless you with abundant crops and abundant descendants. I wish each of you happiness and good health."
The cheers of the people resounded like thunder again.
As soon as the king finished his speech, the palace band began to play hymns, and all the people sang hymns praising the Inca king loudly. The main idea of the lyrics is: "The incomparably noble King of the Incas, you have given us peace and food, protected our health, and protected the growth of our children. You have led us to open up borders and conquer the wilderness, so that the empire continues to expand and expand. Be strong and prosperous, so that the descendants of the people will live forever and the prosperity will last forever."
Amid the singing of thousands of people, the young king who had just ascended the throne walked to the altar located in the corner of the ceremonial stage and poured a pot of chicha wine made from corn into the altar. Let Prince Hurtado Huaco, the high priest of the palace, light the sacred fire and light all the sacred fires on the altars located at the four corners of the ceremony platform to symbolize that the Inca Quartet has been illuminated by the light of the new king.
