The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
Just as King Atahualpa ordered Colonel Tashi Guye to lead his army to continue the expedition toward the northeast, the leaders of several indigenous tribes deep in the dense forest to the east sent people one after another to surrender to King Quit. It is certainly the king's dream to allow those indigenous tribes to surrender without a fight. Because the wars launched by the Inca kings in the past were all holy wars against the primitive tribes who did not believe in the doctrine. They were to spread the belief in the sun god in uncivilized areas and peoples, and to help them escape from the primitive wilderness and ignorant superstition and enjoy the sun. God's radiance shines and the Inca King's grace abounds. Therefore, King Atahualpa held banquets for several days to entertain the tribal leaders, presented many gold and silver utensils and fine clothes to the tribal leaders, and invited them to participate in the triumphal ceremony.
After the indigenous tribes in the eastern virgin forest surrendered, the territory of the Kingdom of Quito expanded by a large area. Therefore, King Atahualpa decided to hold a very grand celebration to celebrate the triumphal return of the Quito army.
It was a warm and pleasant day with blooming flowers in the summer. The sky was cloudless and the weather was clear. The wide marching road leading to Quito was filled with clear and brilliant golden light, and the atmosphere was full of celebrations of victory everywhere. King Atahualpa of Quito returned to court in triumph. He rode on a golden royal chair lifted by eighty people, and led a group of generals, princes and thirty thousand soldiers on tall camels, neatly and mightyly from outside the city. Entered the city. In the endless marching group, you can see large groups of llamas carrying various trophies walking in the middle of the group. Behind the princes and generals are a large group of chiefs and chiefs of conquered tribes. Head man. They came with the king to admire the splendor of the imperial capital. In order to show their surrender to the empire, they looked at the grand and grand celebrations of Quito with admiration and eyes. They followed the generals and princes step by step and were impressed by the grand and grand celebrations in front of them. The generals and princes surrounded the king. The soldiers lined up in order, with a neat appearance. The leading troops cleared the way, and the rear troops followed closely. The city of Quito was crowded for a while, the streets were deserted, colorful flags were flying, and people came out of the city with singing and dancing to welcome the King of Quito.
King Quida is like a commander returning from a battle. He returns victorious with his victorious troops and rich spoils. Naturally, he will receive an epic and warm welcome. In order to welcome the triumph of the King of Quito, Chalkuchma, the commander of the northern army, Ruminawi, the commander of the central army, and Gilabamba, the palace manager, and other palace ministers took a large number of princes out of the city for more than 20 miles to wait for the welcome. At this time, they surrounded and accompanied the king in the triumphant procession and entered the north gate of the capital of Quito.
The citizens came out to welcome him, and people from nearby provinces also came early to see the grand triumph of the king and his army, making Quito crowded with people outside the city. People dressed in colorful provincial costumes, waving high flags, scattered branches and flowers on the path of the victors, cheered, sang and danced.
King Atahualpa sat high on a golden chair carried on the shoulders of his guards, advancing in a solemn procession, crossing the majestic and tall triumphal arches, and walking towards the magnificent Temple of the Sun.
Arriving in front of the majestic and tall Temple of the Sun, all the entourage stopped, and King Quito walked to the door alone. He put down the scepter in his hand, took off the crown on his head, took off his shoes and socks, barefooted, and walked slowly towards the temple along the red carpet leading to the temple with a pious and humble mood.
In front of the temple, two towering stone pillars stand symmetrically high, more than ten meters high. At this time, the temple was empty and quiet, the cypresses and temples were simple and solemn, and the clear and cool air was filled with a respectful and intimidating atmosphere.
The temple is like a palace, like a gold and silver garden. There are all kinds of exotic flowers and plants made of gold and silver, giant trees and saplings, large and small wild animals and domestic animals, as well as snakes, large and small lizards, snails and cattle reptiles, butterflies, birds and other birds. Everything is placed on the simulated In a natural and realistic environment. There is also a corn field, and all kinds of grains, vegetables, and fruits are made of gold and silver to simulate the real ones. Like the palace, the temple also has gold and silver imitation pyres, large gold and silver statues of men, women and children, and many granaries. And these are all to decorate the palace of the Sun God and increase its richness and majesty. For at the great annual festival held in honor of the sun, great quantities of gold and silver were offered to the sun. The gold and silver craftsmen who specialize in serving the Sun Temple do not care about other matters and just make various products with gold and silver every day. Including countless tableware, cooking utensils, as well as all pots, pots, vats, urns, and even hoes and pickaxes used for weeding in the garden are made of pure gold.
King Atahualpa felt very heavy at this time, and felt an inexplicable fear, which made him feel that he was completely different inside the temple and outside the temple. Outside the temple, he holds the power of life and death, and can dispatch and direct all citizens and armies at will. But in this temple, he felt very scared and lonely. He always felt that the omnipotent god was standing high above his head, staring at him with a stern and arrogant gaze all the time, making him dare not There is the slightest hint of frivolity and neglect.
Walking through the open space between the temple gate and the temple, you enter the Sun Temple Temple. The temple is a spacious and bright rectangular hall. In the middle of the hall is a huge portrait of the Sun God painted with colored pens. The red and round sun is surrounded by blazing flames, and beyond the flames is radiating golden light. It indicates that those who disobey the Sun God's will will be burned mercilessly by the flames, while those who submit to the Sun God's will will be blessed by the gods. On both sides of the statue of the sun are golden statues of seated Inca emperors.
He knelt down in front of the statue of the sun in fear, and silently worshiped for a long time, expressing his gratitude and devotion to the glorious god who controlled the fate of the Inca King. After worshiping the gods, the great King of Quito stood up from the ground and began to pay homage and worship to each Son of the Sun one by one. On both sides of the statue of the sun are the golden statues of Manco Capac, the first king of the Inca Empire, and his father, Huayna Capac, the twelfth generation king of the Inca Empire. He stood silently in front of each ancestor, his heart filled with infinite gratitude and emotion. I thought that if it weren’t for their pioneering development and continuous success, how could he be the King of Quito today? At the same time, he also made a vow in his heart that he would also erect his golden statue here in the future so that future generations of Inca people could look up to it and worship it.
When Atahualpa came out of the Temple of the Sun God, put on his shoes and socks again, put on his crown, and picked up his scepter, he saw tens of thousands of people singing and dancing in the huge square in front of the temple, cheering and shouting slogans, Warmly congratulate King Quito on his triumphant return and thank King Quito for adding new territory to the Kingdom of Quito.
Atahualpa sat on the sedan chair and walked towards the palace, waving to the citizens constantly. Enthusiastic people even surrounded him, surrounding a large number of guards who escorted him towards the road to the palace.
Arriving at the gate of the palace, nearly a thousand Inca princes lined up neatly, dressed in festive costumes, standing on both sides of the road, respectfully waiting for the arrival of the king. In the square in front of the palace, hundreds of chaste girls from the Palace of Virgins were dressed in bright red and colorful dresses, beautifully dressed, with charming smiles like flowers, singing and dancing to their heart's content.
Tens of thousands of citizens surrounded and escorted King Quito all the way to the Palace Square, and immediately filled the square with water. The escorting soldiers squeezed out a passage to allow the sedan chair to pass.
Atahualpa was carried into the meeting hall of the palace by the guards. At this time, dozens of favored concubines including Yina, Uga, and Chiarina hurried over, saluted and greeted the king cordially and warmly, and then surrounded the king as he entered. Arrive at the Imperial Dining Hall.
For the next seven or eight days, the entire city of Quito was immersed in carnival. During the day, they feast, have fun, and gather to celebrate; at night, they decorate with lights, sing and dance, filling the entire city of Quito with a cheerful festive atmosphere.
The Royal Palace in Quito is already full of flowers and decorated. The entire ground was not only spotlessly clean, but also there were many flower branches and petals scattered from the front door of the palace to each aisle. The meeting hall of the palace was even more lively and festive. Atahualpa held luncheons here for several days, entertaining royal family members, princes and ministers, or chiefs and leaders of various tribes.
That afternoon, King Atahualpa hosted another banquet in the meeting hall for the chiefs and leaders of each tribe. These chiefs and leaders were all tribal leaders who were conquered or persuaded to surrender by King Quida during the Eastern and Northern Expeditions. Many of them were once naked savages with their faces or bodies painted in various colors and tattooed with various strange patterns. But now they are all dressed in brocade and embroidered clothes, and their hair is combed and smoothed. Except for the crowns they wear on their heads, which are the crowns of the leaders of their tribes, it is almost difficult to identify which tribe or ethnic group they come from.
These chiefs and leaders were arranged by the king on Fugui Street opposite the palace. The houses there are tall and luxurious, equipped with various living facilities and male servants and maids. Their daily necessities are the same as those of the Inca princes and nobles living across the street, and they have everything they need. It can be said that they will not have any worries in terms of material life. The officials in charge of their lives will prepare everything for them according to their needs. It’s just that some of them will return to their origin and ethnic group after a few years to demonstrate and guide the Inca way of life for their tribesmen, but some may never return to their generational life. and the tribal villages where they live.
However, these chiefs and leaders who have just left their tribal villages have not yet experienced the worry and sorrow of homesickness. They were surprised by the prosperity and power of the Kingdom of Quito, and enjoyed the hospitality and happiness given to them by the King of Quito.
There are twenty or thirty large dining tables in the banquet hall. The table was filled with delicacies from all over the world, and nearly a hundred chiefs and chiefs of various tribes gathered together. The scene was somewhat comical. They were shouting and making noise in various tones, making the whole banquet hall a chaotic noise. Especially the way they behave and look when eating makes people laugh and laugh.
As a rule, at the beginning of the banquet, the King of Quito would give a speech. However, the dishes have not been served yet. The chiefs and leaders began to grab and wolf down the food. When Atahualpa came to the banquet hall with Quiskis, Chalkuchma, Ruminawi, Gilabamba and other princes and ministers and some provincial governors, the chiefs and chiefs were staring at the dining table. On the table, he was busy grabbing delicious food and chewing it. It was as if he had not seen the arrival of King Quida and other princes.
Seeing this, Atahualpa stopped saying anything. In fact, they couldn't understand him even if he spoke. So, he waved to the chiefs or chiefs present, asked other princes and ministers to accompany him at the VIP table, and left the banquet hall. Because as an Inca king, he would not eat with others in normal formal occasions.
