The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
The Huayna Capac palace was built on a flat and open land on the edge of the city. Behind the house are tall green mountains, and in front of the house there is a crystal clear stream. The palace was built with many equally large boulders. Although no mud or ash was used, the gaps between the boulders were tightly sealed and airtight. Only the roof was made of thatch. The entire palace is dyed dark red, giving people a sense of solidity and grandeur. This palace was built by the Kaniyaris for their great king. In this regard, some Indians said that most of the stones used in the construction of this palace and the Sun Temple were ordered by King Huayna Capac and his father, the great Tupa Inka Yupanki. , brought from the great city of Cusco on thick cables. If this is the case, considering the size, quantity and distance of the stones, it would be a very remarkable thing. The Indians regarded the stones or any other objects in the capital of the empire as sacred. If King Inka ordered the stones to be transported from Cusco, it would be a great act of kindness. The distance from Cusco to Tumebamba is at least more than a thousand kilometers, and the road is rugged and difficult to navigate. This shows how extraordinary the symbolic meaning of this magnificent palace is.
Usually there are soldiers guarding here with spears and battle axes, but now the King of Quito is here in person. There are posts every five steps and one sentry every ten meters around the palace, guarding the entire palace so tightly that needles cannot penetrate and water cannot penetrate. Can't be poured in.
The king's sedan, carried by eighty people, escorted by many noble and beautiful young women riding tall camels, came to a stop on the flat and open grass in front of the palace. Haya helped the king get out of the sedan chair. Chief Executive Ubato, military commander Kutachka and other local officials immediately bowed and saluted, and then welcomed the king and others into the palace hall.
The walls of all the rooms in the palace are decorated with gold and silver imitations of flowers, plants and animals, and the facade of the building is covered with gold leaf and inlaid with gems, emeralds and turquoise decorations. There were so many treasures in the palace. Jars, pots and other containers were filled with jewels, and there were also many gorgeous and expensive clothes, covered with gold and silver ornaments. These ornaments are delicate, exquisite and cute.
There are more than ten separated rooms on both sides of the palace hall, and the king's bedroom is arranged in the largest room on the right side. Next to it are the princess's bedroom, the dining room where the king dines, and the residence of the guards and attendants. The other high-ranking officials and guests who followed him lived in the rooms on the left side of the hall. The welcoming officials sent the king into the main hall and had to stop, because the houses on both sides of the main hall did not allow them to enter casually.
The king was indeed a little tired after sitting in the sedan chair for most of the day, so he entered the bedroom that had been cleaned spotlessly and decorated with great splendor, lay down on the big bed, and fell asleep in a daze. However, before he could sleep for a while, Haya came to report that the banquet was ready, and the chief executive Ubatote came to invite the king to the table.
King Atahualpa entered the restaurant, accompanied by the chief administrator Ubatote and the military colonel Kutachka. There is a large dining table in the restaurant, which is filled with all kinds of rare delicacies. There were some dishes that even King Atahualpa couldn’t name. Commander Chalkuchma and Prince Luminawi, who accompanied the king on his inspection tour, were already seated at the banquet.
The king was tired and hungry after a day's journey, so these rare and delicious meals suited his appetite. While eating the food, he enjoyed the singing and dancing of the local noble women. The women here were mediocre in appearance, and their singing and dancing were difficult to understand and understand. Therefore, the king lost interest after watching and listening, so he waved his hand to let the women go down, and then turned to Haya who was standing next to him. Whispered something.
After a while, Haya called a group of singing girls brought from the palace and the town of Latacunga. They sang ancient and intoxicating Quito folk songs and danced cheerful and exciting folk dances. Not only were they gorgeous and beautiful, but they also sang and danced so sultryly that everyone present only listened to the songs and watched the dances and forgot about eating and drinking. In particular, the local chief executive Ubato and the military commander Kutachka were so fascinated by the songs and dances of the singers that their eyes were fixed on the girl named Delamiche. , and even forgot to greet King Quida who was sitting next to him. When the song and dance performance was almost over, the king waved the singers to leave.
At this time, Ubato realized that the delicacies on the table had hardly been used, so he timidly asked the king, "Is it that the king is not used to these meals, or is it not delicious?"
The king said, "How can such a rich and delicious meal not be delicious?"
Ubatto said flatteringly, "Then why doesn't the king use it?"
The king smiled and asked, "What do you think of the singing and dancing of the singers just now?"
The chief executive hurriedly said, "It's so wonderful, so wonderful, like a fairy or a goddess."
The king said, "It's not that your food is not good, but that everyone is too busy looking at the beauties to eat. Now that the singing girls are gone, we can concentrate on eating and drinking."
Ubato hurriedly said, "The king is wise, the king is wise."
This meal lasted from afternoon to dark, because the king had been sitting in a sedan chair all day, and the next day the king had to go outside the city to inspect the army. Therefore, after everyone had eaten, they left the restaurant and returned to the dormitory to rest.
After breakfast the next morning, King Atahualpa, accompanied by the local administrator Ubato and the military commander Kutachka, took Chalkuchma and Ruminawi to station outside the city. inspection of the barracks.
The military camp is located in an open land in the mountains not far outside the city, and is densely covered with a large number of houses. It was noon, the sun was shining warmly on the mountain riverside, and the surrounding riverside wilderness was peaceful and quiet.
When I came to the playground next to the barracks, I didn't see any soldiers practicing. All I saw were some young men in rags wandering around the camp and basking in the sun. These people were not soldiers so much as It is better to say that they are a group of free and undisciplined farmers who have just been summoned. King Atahualpa originally wanted to inspect a troop of soldiers with high morale and well-trained skills, but he didn't expect to see a scene like this. He couldn't help but feel furious, and he didn't have the mood to inspect further.
He immediately shouted, "Stop the sedan."
Seeing that the king's tone was wrong, Haya immediately walked to the sedan and asked, "Why did the king stop the sedan?"
The king replied angrily, "It's better to ignore this kind of barracks and go back home."
When everyone heard that the king was angry, they all followed the king's sedan back to the palace listlessly with their heads lowered.
As soon as the king returned to the palace, he said to Haya, "Let them all wait in the meeting hall. I have something to teach them."
Haya said yes and left the king's bedroom. After a while, Haya reported back, "Officials are waiting in the hall, please teach me."
King Atahualpa entered the meeting hall with a sullen face and glanced at everyone present. They were so frightened that everyone fell to the ground and did not dare to say a word. He chuckled softly, and then asked sternly towards Luminawi, the commander of the central army, "Prince Luminawi, did you see what happened in the barracks just now?"
Ruminawi quickly replied, "I saw it, Your Majesty."
The king asked again, "Can such soldiers still fight?"
Luminavi was so frightened that he trembled and said quickly, "No."
The king then asked, "Then how do you manage and train your troops?"
Luminawi said, "It is because the ministers failed to manage their duties, and we will definitely strengthen the rectification in the future."
The king sternly lectured everyone again, "How did the territory of the Inca Empire expand, and how did the wealth of the Inca Empire come from? Do you know? It was built by the army. Why did the Inca Empire last for hundreds of years? We continue to be rich and powerful because we have a well-trained, heroic, and invincible army. Otherwise, the Inca Empire would have been destroyed by other foreign barbarians."
Having said this, he took a breath and added, "Although the aliens have been conquered, the north has been pacified, and there is no war to fight for a while, the army cannot be passive and relaxed, and the soldiers can disarm and return to their fields. To tell you the truth, now It’s not that we have no battles to fight, but we need to be prepared to fight big battles, hard battles, and fierce battles. With the army we see today, can it be able to fight a war?”
At this point, King Atahualpa said to Ruminawi in a very tough tone, "From the situation we saw today, it can be said that the style and will of the entire central army is weakening. This cannot but cause us to Everyone's attention, especially since we are on the eve of preparations for a big war, cannot help but arouse our worries and worries. Therefore, I would like to remind Commander Luminawi to pay special attention to this issue and must take measures to deal with it. Rectify.”
Luminawi replied repeatedly, "Yes, my great king."
After King Atahualpa finished speaking, he turned around and left the meeting hall and returned to his dormitory. Luminavi's reprimand made him somewhat less angry and angry. But he also knew that this should not be Luminawi's responsibility, but that the local military commander Kutachka should bear the responsibility. As a school officer of an army, for bringing the team to such a level, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he would be removed from his post or that he would be severely punished. However, he did not do this, but scolded Ruminawi severely so that Kutachka could reflect and repent. Before he could sit down and drink a glass of wine to calm down, Haya came to report that Colonel Kutachka had come to ask for an audience. The king said, "Let him come in."
As soon as Kutachka came in, he knelt down in front of King Atahualpa and cried bitterly, "I plead guilty to the dereliction of duty and ask the king to punish me."
King Atahualpa immediately helped him up, and then said, "I can't blame you entirely for this matter. After all, this place is far away from the capital of Quito, and the news is not good. In addition, the empire has been without a war for a long time, and the soldiers are lax and demoralized. It is inevitable. So, I don’t blame you, I just blame Commander Ruminawi for his lax control and failure to explain things clearly to you.”
But Kutachka said, "I feel more uncomfortable when your Majesty blames the commander than when he blames his humble position. This is the fault of his humble position."
At this point, Kutachka cried while swearing, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I must strengthen discipline and training, and train the army to be the same as the troops in the Quito military camp."
The king nodded with satisfaction and said, "I heard from Luminawi that you are an officer who is very capable of leading troops in war, and the city of Tumebamba is a transportation hub between the north and the south. It is a battleground for military strategists. It is the south of the Kingdom of Quito." The frontier is also the first line of defense for the Kingdom of Quito to defend against the attack of the southern army. Therefore, you must know the importance of this place and the great responsibility you bear. "
Colonel Kutachka immediately responded respectfully, "Your Majesty's will, I will always keep it in mind."
The king said, "Well, I can tell you that we will eventually have a battle with Cusco, and your place is the frontier. So, I will come here again before long. By then, you have to come up with something for me." A well-trained and victorious force."
Kutachka said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. If you can't do it, Your Majesty will operate on my head."
The king finally smiled and said, "Very good."
The king asked Haya to call Delamiche to serve the wine. Delamiche quickly put the wine on the table. The king picked up a glass of wine and wanted to clink it with Kutachka, but Kutachka said, "The low-ranking officer is not strict in running the army, and the blame cannot be escaped. But instead of pursuing and severely punishing the low-ranking officer, the king gave him wine and entertainment, making the low-ranking officer shameless." A profound kindness to your Majesty.”
The king smiled and said, "The king first thinks of your loyalty, and secondly thinks of your great achievements, so I can't bear to punish you." Then he asked, "I wonder how many soldiers the school officer has now?"
"About three thousand soldiers," Kutachka said.
The king frowned and said, "Too few, too few. This city is a strategic location of the Kingdom of Quito, and the number of troops should be at least 30,000."
Kutachka smiled bitterly. He said, "What the king said is extremely wise. Although Tumebamba is a transportation hub between the north and the south and has an important strategic location, it cannot support so many soldiers due to insufficient financial resources."
The king said, "Colonel officers don't have to worry about money, food and resources. I can give you as much as you need. As long as the school officer can recruit and train me an army of 30,000 people in the shortest time, I will appoint you as the commander of the southern army." "In fact, the Inca Kingdom had a northern army, a central army and a southern army, and later the Quito Army was established. Three of these four armies were stationed near Quito. In the life-and-death battle with the Kingdom of Quito, Emperor Huayna Capac concentrated almost all the Inca troops to attack the Kingdom of Quito, leaving only the southern army of 20,000 people stationed in Cusco to take charge. The task of protecting the capital. After the north was conquered, some tribes still had rebellious intentions, so the main force of the Inca Kingdom has been stationed near the city of Quito.
Hearing that the king wanted to make him the commander-in-chief of the southern army, Colonel Kutachka was flattered and knelt down to salute the king again, thanking him profusely.
The king helped Kuta Chika up, called Delamiche next to him, and said to the school officer, "This is the dancer presented to me by the mayor of Latacunga, named Delamiche. Not only is she beautiful in appearance, she has a gentle temperament, but she is also good at singing and dancing. She is deeply loved by me and has always been with me. Yesterday, I saw the school official showing admiration when watching the dance, so I gave her to you as a gift."
Kutachka quickly waved his hand and said, "No, Your Majesty. I will never dare to accept the woman that Your Majesty loves."
The king smiled and said, "The king loves beauties deeply, but he loves wizards and warriors even more."
Kutachka burst into tears of gratitude, speechless, and kept kneeling to the king.
