The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
By the time I walked around the entire city, it was already dinner time when the sun was in the west. At this time, the entire city was in flames and silence, with ashes and ruins and dead bodies everywhere after the disaster. Only in a large open grassland on the outskirts of the city, in the large military tent of the Quito army camped, was there continuous laughter and laughter with an unusually fanatical attitude. The soldiers were enjoying the rare delicious food. This was specially transported by the King of Quito from Quito and nearby provinces to express condolences to these soldiers who had won a great victory.
The king likes to hear the soldiers' enthusiastic and unrestrained excitement after the war, because this is the most essential and direct celebration of victory. Therefore, he deliberately passed by the military tent in a sedan chair, wanting to hear more of this intoxicating sound that made him happy. He walked to a tent and got off the sedan chair. The soldiers on guard quickly knelt down and worshiped him. He waved his hand to the soldiers majestically and solemnly, and entered the tent alone without waiting for the soldiers to enter the tent to report.
The tent is not big, with a capacity of only about ten square meters. However, it was crowded with more than a dozen Liwa soldiers. They were drinking solitaire and smoking Kuka, while gathering around and teasing a young and beautiful local aristocratic girl.
When the king entered the tent, he saw some tobacco, wine and food on the ground. A soldier was forcibly hugging and kissing the girl who was very well-dressed and gorgeous. The girl cried and begged and refused to listen. So, the soldier pinned the girl down and forcibly tore off the girl's top.
Because the soldiers were having fun, they didn't notice the king's arrival. Seeing the soldiers being so presumptuous, King Atahualpa snorted loudly. A soldier raised his head and saw his commander-in-chief and the king, and he quickly knelt down and worshiped, "Long live the king!" The soldiers then realized that the king was standing behind them at some point. They were shocked and hurriedly knelt down as if begging for mercy. He shouted, "Your Majesty, have mercy!"
King Atahualpa saw that the soldiers' clothes were stained with blood and mud, and there were small holes burned by the fire. They exuded the very unpleasant smell of alcohol and smoke. He wanted to vomit, and even wanted to vomit. loose the temper. Because Sola is a kind of spirit brewed from corn, for the Inca people who were addicted to alcohol, except for a few royal families and dignitaries, civilians and soldiers were prohibited from drinking this kind of spirit. In addition, soldiers are not allowed to molest or rape civilian women. The Incas punished those who broke the law very severely, often with the death penalty. Therefore, what these Liwa soldiers did was a capital crime.
But of course the King of Quito knew that these Liwa soldiers were usually not very disciplined, but they could play a key role in battles. Therefore, the control of Liwa soldiers was usually relatively loose.
He deliberately turned his face to one side, pretending to be kind and concerned, and asked, "Are you Chalkuchma's troops?"
The soldier who first noticed King Quida's entry immediately replied, "Yes, my king."
The king asked again, "You all still know me, right?"
The soldier said, "The king came to our training ground before the war, gave us a shooting demonstration, and also gave us a speech."
As soon as the king heard this, he felt that these rough and fierce Liwa soldiers were quite lovable. The unpleasant feeling just now disappeared, and he said enthusiastically, "Can you still remember what I said? "
The soldier said, "The king said that whoever fights bravely and kills the most enemies will be rewarded with the most beautiful girl."
"Very good," the king said with satisfaction, "Which of you has killed the most enemies?"
The dark and strong soldier who had just forcibly hugged the girl and kissed her loudly replied, "Your noble king, I have killed the most enemies. I killed a total of thirty Inca soldiers. I also killed more than a hundred Canialis." "
"Is that so?" the king asked the soldier next to him. The soldiers all replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
The king nodded happily and asked the dark soldier, "Do you like this girl from the nobles of Tucheng?"
The soldier said in a tone of reply to the command of his superior, "Yes, my lord."
So Atahualpa pointed to the naked young girl paralyzed in the corner of the tent and said, "Well, she belongs to you now."
The soldier said, "I will kill more people for the king."
The king said, "Very good, I will reward you with more beauties and property."
After saying that, the soldiers of the Great Dynasty waved their hands and left the soldiers' tents. Before he could completely walk out of the tent, the dark soldier jumped up from the ground impatiently and shouted like a carnival, "Listen, she is mine." After saying that, he moved towards The girl pounced.
King Atahualpa of Quito sat on a sedan chair lifted by eighty guards, paraded around the entire city of Tumebamba, and began to return to the camp tent. On the various streets he passed, he saw small groups of soldiers, led by lieutenant-level officers, searching everywhere in the streets and alleys, grabbing treasures when they saw them, and seeing prettier young girls and women. , captured them and took them to the barracks. This happens after every battle.
When he led the guards to a street where princes and nobles lived, he saw a group of soldiers arranging dozens of well-dressed noble women they had captured into a long queue. Several school-level and lieutenant-level officers were arguing together. When the king's guards came to the officers, soldiers and women, all the officers, soldiers and women knelt down on the ground and shouted, "Long live the king!" The king asked everyone to stand up.
King Quida stopped in front of them and looked at the long row of women. There are about forty of these women, most of them are in their twenties and thirties, and some are only fifteen or sixteen years old. They stood in a long row with their backs to the ruins of the wall that had been burned by the fire but were still emitting black smoke. Facing the Inca King, their faces were full of horror, their expressions were numb, and they were too scared to even raise their heads. , looking completely at the mercy of others. They all wear clothes made of alpaca fine hair, with various colored laces around the edges, bright embroidered velvet on the collar and front, and short skirts with many floral threads on their lower bodies. These are the distinctive signs of Inca noble women. Obviously, almost all of these women are young ladies and ladies from famous families in Tumebamba. However, their destiny can no longer be controlled by themselves. The King of Quito looked at them one by one, thinking that they must hate their men, because their betrayal to the King of Quito caused them to suffer such a tragic fate.
King Ji waved his hands at the officers and soldiers, indicating that they should continue to do what they wanted to do. A school officer said to the king, "Yes, my king." Then he walked up to the row of women, and selected a few of the youngest and most beautiful women among them like a king choosing a concubine, and asked them to stand aside. Next, a lieutenant-level officer selected a dozen pretty women from the remaining women to stand on the other side of the street. The remaining women were all called together by another lieutenant-level officer.
Of course King Quito knew that this was the officers preparing rewards for officers and soldiers with outstanding military exploits. Because the life of the Incas was a supply system, they had no worries about food and clothing, but it became an inherent custom to present beauties to their superiors and reward women to their subordinates. These beauties and women were usually obtained from defeated enemies.
After watching the officers and soldiers select women, the King of Quito waved his hand and asked the guards to open the way back. The officers and soldiers knelt down again and said, "Long live the king!"
The king nodded and followed the guards towards the street. As I walked through a street corner, I heard the noise of crying and yelling in the distance. When they reached the corner of the street, they saw soldiers escorting a large group of boys and girls aged seven or eight to twelve or thirteen years old, at least seventy or eighty of them. Originally, according to the king's original order, everyone in Tumebamba City was to be killed. However, due to the intercession of children and women, the King of Quito temporarily relented and spared them from beheading. Therefore, the king regarded them as survivors of his moment of mercy and softness.
When the officers and soldiers saw the king approaching, they quickly knelt down and said, "Long live the king!"
The emperor asked a leading lieutenant, "What are you going to do with them?"
The lieutenant replied, "Report to the king, the commander will dedicate them to the king, and let the king reward the princes and officers with outstanding military achievements as domestic slaves and servants."
The king nodded with satisfaction and left.
Atahualpa returned to his central tent, and it was already time for the afternoon meal. The king asked the palace chef to prepare a sumptuous banquet for the senior generals who participated in the Battle of Chimborazo to celebrate this victory. Before the banquet, some high-ranking generals such as Prince Kiskis, Commander Chalkuchma and their deputies had arrived in front of the big tent to wait for the summons.
The Incas have had a tradition and custom for hundreds of years. After every major battle or victory over a foreign race, the king would entertain and summon senior generals with meritorious service. These generals will present some captured women and children, or some precious property and gold and silver treasures to the king. Although it is said to be a tribute, in fact, all the spoils of war and captured personnel are handed over to the king for distribution. However, the generals will directly offer the youngest and most beautiful women and the most precious and rare items to the king. The more tributes, the better. Good, it means the greater your achievements.
After the two army commanders and more than a dozen generals knelt before the noble king, they stood respectfully in front of the king, not daring to raise their heads. Because it is a death penalty to stare directly at the king.
Of course the king knew that they were here to offer him the spoils of war, so he asked, "My Prince of Kiskis, what rare things did you bring me this time?"
Prince Kiskis bowed and replied humbly, "I brought some gold and silver treasures to the king. I wonder if the king likes them." After saying that, he shouted out, "Present!"
A dozen soldiers laboriously carried several boxes into the tent. Among them is a large pure gold box. There are many exquisite gold sculptures on the outside of the box, which are very exquisite and beautiful; and the box is filled with various gold handmade products of the Kaniyaris people.
The king looked at the gold objects and nodded slightly. Looking down, he saw several boxes of gorgeous and eye-catching clothes and fabrics made from purebred alpaca cashmere. These fabrics are of course much more valuable than gold and silver items. Only the king and a few royal nobles can enjoy them, so they are very valuable. The king nodded again, then waved his hand and asked the soldiers to carry the items down.
"My high priest Chalkuchma, what have you brought me?" the king asked the leader of Chalkuchma in a long voice.
Chalkukima certainly knew that the king did not care about gold, silver and textiles. There were countless amounts of these things piled up in the king's treasury. Therefore, he was confident that the items he presented would definitely please King Longyan. After he knelt down and bowed to the king, he shouted outside the tent, "Present!"
