The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
A few days after returning to the palace in Quito, Atahualpa received an announcement from Cusco to the entire empire, saying that Prince Atahualpa had violated the instructions of the late king and took the conquered northern territories and provinces as his own. , and expanded the army to prepare for war, waiting for rebellion, and ordered the world to attack him. Later, a spy came to report that the Inca King Huascar had sent the southern army commander Chamul to lead an army of 40,000 people to set off northward, heading towards the Kingdom of Quito, which was eyeing the Kingdom of Quito day and night.
Atahualpa immediately summoned the commanders to discuss countermeasures. Luminawidao, the commander of the central army, simply said, "The soldiers will stop him, and the water will cover him. Since he is coming to invade us, let's give them a show of strength, so that their 40,000-strong army will never come back."
Quito's army commander Quiskis said, "Old sir, I haven't fought in many years. If we don't fight anymore, the weapons in the warehouse will be embroidered, and the soldiers won't know how to fight. Now, it's better for us. Soldiers are finally going to be useful."
Gilabamba sighed and said, "Is Huascar possessed by evil spirits? You know that the southern army cannot fight, but you still insist on sending troops north to attack. Isn't this killing yourself with an egg against a stone?"
Chalkuchma said, "Huascar was the Inca king. He couldn't tolerate King Atahualpa betraying him, so he had to make an appearance to show to the world. Otherwise, he knew clearly that King Quito would not listen to him. If he hasn’t even responded to the order, then everyone in the world will laugh at him.”
King Atahualpa said to his ministers, "This battle between Huascar and I will be fought sooner or later. Since he wants to fight now, then I will accompany him. Regarding how to fight this battle and where Fighting, I discussed it with Commanders Chalkuchma and Ruminawi, and decided that the battlefield should be set outside Tumebamba. It is the intersection of the northern and southern provinces, and the boundary between the Kingdom of Quito and the Inca Kingdom. An important border town. We have strong defense zones and city defense fortresses there, with sufficient food and military supplies. At present, General Kutachka has recruited 20,000 soldiers, and I will bring another 40,000 elite troops to fight. Our 60,000 There is no reason for the troops to be invincible against the 40,000 tired troops they have traveled a long way. What do the commanders and princes think of this?"
The commanders and princes considered the king's words carefully for a while and all agreed. But Prince Quiskis said, "Chief Chamul is not an Inca prince, but a chief of the Conti Province. He was appointed by Huascar because he once led troops to quell the rebellion in the Lake Titicaca area. The commander of the southern army. However, he is a native of the province and has never fought any big or tough battles. He is not a great soldier. Therefore, I think there is no need for the king to personally lead the troops to deal with it. It is better for me to lead my 30,000 soldiers. The army went to deal with them. I guarantee that it won't take three or five days to capture Chief Chamul alive."
Charkuchma said, "The 20,000 soldiers newly recruited by General Kutachka are not very effective in combat. If Prince Kiskis leads an army of 30,000 to confront the 40,000 troops from the south, he will not be able to form a clear advantage, and , once Tumebamba is lost and the southern gate of Quito is opened, we can only urgently mobilize troops to the foot of Chimborazo Mountain, about 30 kilometers away from Riobamba City, for a life-and-death battle. This is really too risky, so in my opinion Seeing that, together with the 30,000 troops of Prince Kiskis and the 20,000 new troops of General Kutachka, I could easily deal with the 40,000 troops of the south with an overwhelming strength of 80,000 troops. Defeat the southern army. Then, pursue it vigorously and capture the city of Cusco in one fell swoop."
King Atahualpa shook his head and said, "Although Prince Kiskis and Prince Ruminawi each have 30,000 troops, the troops are stationed relatively scattered, and some are even far away, making it difficult to gather them quickly. , and it is reported that the southern army led by Chief Chamul is traveling day and night, and will arrive at the outskirts of Tumebamba in three days. Therefore, I want the two princes to mobilize 20,000 troops each as quickly as possible before dark tomorrow Assemble in the south of Quito and stand by. I will personally lead 40,000 soldiers from the Quito army and the central army to the outskirts of Tumebamba to set up defenses and stand ready. Prince Quischis and Prince Luminawi must continue to seize the time , concentrate all the troops in the south of Quito, waiting for my orders. And Chalkuchma's 30,000 troops must be ready to wait for work. After I defeat Chief Chamul's army, they will follow my orders all the way. A long-distance attack to the capital city of Cusco. With these 40,000 elite troops, plus General Kutachka’s 20,000 new troops, I will be able to give Chief Chamul Chief’s 40,000 southern troops a head-on attack.”
All the commanders said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise."
King Atahualpa said to the Governor of Gilabamba, “Since Huascar has sent Chief Chamul to lead the southern army to attack me, then we should also declare war on Cusco and let the citizens of the Kingdom of Quito We are all ready to fight against Cusco's army."
Prince Gilabamba said, "As ordered, I will immediately issue a proclamation to the whole country and declare a declaration of war against Cusco."
Originally, the commanders did not agree to let the king lead the army to conquer in person, but the king was stubborn and insisted on leading the army to conquer in person, because he had followed his father in the north and south since he was a child, and had long been accustomed to the military life of fighting thousands of miles against the wind. Not fighting made him feel idle and empty. Of course, the most important thing was that he wanted to personally lead the troops to Cusco, capture Huascar alive, and let the exiles see what Atahualpa could do. He cannot sit on the supreme throne of the Inca King and let the world know that Atahualpa is also a hero of the Inca Empire and can also become the king of the Inca Empire.
In addition, there is another reason why Prince Atahualpa personally led the army to the south, that is, he knew that the elite soldiers and generals of the Inca Empire were brought to Quito by his father. This army has been attacking cities and plundering territory all year round. Suppressing the rebellion and fighting non-stop, not only are they well-trained and extremely powerful, but their numbers and establishment are also constantly expanding. The number of elite soldiers can reach 70,000 or 80,000, and if they are all mobilized, they can reach as many as 100,000. The southern army left behind in Cusco usually only has 30,000 to 20,000 people. In addition, the southern side has been peaceful and peaceful for many years, and the army has been in a state of pampering and idleness. If a war really breaks out, It can be said to be vulnerable.
Therefore, King Atahualpa, who had been fighting bravely for many years, did not take his gentle and gentle brother Huascar seriously at all. Without even making much preparation, he was about to lead an army of 40,000 people all the way south, preparing for a decisive battle with the southern army led by Chief Chamul on the gentle plains outside Tumebamba City.
It has always been a very important event for the Inca Empire for the king to lead his army to an expedition. The ceremony for the expedition must be very grand, with virgins and princes lining up to see him off, and tens of thousands of citizens singing and dancing to send the king and his army to the big gate outside the city. On the way. However, the king's expedition was silent this time.
The Quito army and the central army had been mobilized to the gentle areas along the river and mountains in the southern suburbs of Quito in the evening of the previous day. Rows of white tents cover the sky and the sun, and you can't see the edge at a glance. Because Chaschi came to report that the southern army had passed the Indian town of Cajamarca and would reach Tumebamba, the southern town of Quito Kingdom, in two or three days. It would take at least three days for the Quito army to reach Tumebamba along the marching road. Therefore, the Quito army must stop the southern army on the outskirts of Tumebamba before the Inca army reaches Tumebamba and prevent them from penetrating deep into the Kingdom of Quito. Because the road to Quito is almost all in narrow mountainous areas, with only one marching road accessible, and if tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides met on the narrow road, it would be difficult to form a formation for a decisive battle. Only the plains by the river on the outskirts of Tumebamba and the open plains under the Chimborazo Mountains 30 kilometers outside Riobamba can allow tens of thousands of troops from both sides to form formations and fight hard. However, Riobamba is only 200 kilometers away from Quito. It is located in the central mountainous area of the Kingdom of Quito and is the capital of Chimborazo Province. If the two armies fight in Riobamba, once Quito's army falls, then Quito will have no chance of defending. Therefore, the Quito army must carry out a forced march and rush to the outskirts of Tumebamba as soon as possible, where they will have a showdown with the southern army.
As soon as it dawned, the two thousand palace guards quietly left the palace. On the sedan chair in the team was King Atahualpa of Quit. He did not bring a concubine, a queen, or even a high-ranking official with him on this trip. He only took Tashiguye with him to conquer the Tumaco region in the northeast and made many military exploits. However, he has been promoted from a school officer to a general. Because neither Prince Kiskis nor Prince Ruminawi went on the expedition, apart from King Quida, General Tashiguye was the supreme commander of the expedition troops. Now he is in the army south of Quito, commanding the soldiers of the two armies to march quickly from the marching road leading to the south.
When the King of Quito led his guards to the bridge of the small river south of Quito, he saw the troops passing over the bridge one after another. Seeing the king's guards coming, the troops stopped on the river embankment to let the king and the guards pass on the bridge first. In this way, the king's guard walked among the troops.
The army traveled south along the marching road and arrived at the small town of Latacunga in the evening. The troops set up tents along both sides of the marching road to the north of the town. Thousands of tents were neatly arranged and stretched for several kilometers. Then, the soldiers started to make fire and make rice. Because the king of the Inca Empire had already stipulated that the army should not harass the people when marching and fighting, let alone destroy the people's property and crops. Otherwise, you will be found guilty and punished.
