The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
After summoning the ministers, Huascar went from the meeting hall to a hall in the palace. This hall is very large and can accommodate about 3,000 people, and can hold larger celebrations and meetings. Generally when it rains, some large-scale activities and celebrations cannot be held in the open square, so they can be held in the palace hall. At this time, provincial governors, chiefs and army officers who rushed from all over the country gathered in the hall, waiting for the summons and lectures of Emperor Huascar.
Normally, every time a national celebration or event is held in the capital, the spacious and tall palace hall is always packed. However, at this time, when the empire is facing a crisis, there are only a few people who can step forward and rush to the rescue. of hundreds of people. This made the king feel very sad and helpless. However, he couldn't blame others. He should have mobilized the country's troops to fight a tough battle with Atahualpa, but he didn't take Atahualpa seriously at all and thought he would send Chief Chamu. Bringing an army of 40,000 people and giving him a shock can make Atahualpa surrender. Therefore, there was no thought of using the entire country’s military. At present, Atahualpa's army is about to attack soon, but troops from most provinces and regions in various countries are still recruiting and on their way.
He slowly sat on the tall golden chair, and said in a very heavy and calm tone to the governors, chiefs and army officers of the provinces who were kneeling quietly on the gold-paved ground. , "All Inca princes, generals, provincial governors and chiefs, I ask you to bring troops this time to help me fight and eliminate the rebellious Atahualpa."
Speaking of this, he paused for a while, and then said in a very hateful tone, "Atahuallpa is a traitor of non-Inca descent. He used very insidious and deceptive means to deceive the trust of the late king and steal the throne." Kingdoms and several other provinces of the Inca Empire. Now, instead of surrendering to me, he has sent 80,000 troops to seize our empire. Therefore, I want all of you princes, generals and chiefs to gather together and form a group. A large army, commanded by me personally, will fight against and destroy the Quidos."
The king added, "We now have 80,000 soldiers and 10,000 members of the royal palace. In addition, Chief Chamul and other princes have once again mobilized troops from other provinces. If we can persist for three to five days, our troops will There will be more than 100,000 to 120,000. In that way, we will have a great advantage in defeating those shameful rebels. The Karasibi wizard has also chosen a place for us to fight and eliminate Quido, that is, the Quipapan Plains , our great Emperor Viracocha once defeated the rebellious Chanka people there, and we can also defeat the rebellious Atahualpa there. Therefore, at this critical moment of life and death, I want to You all follow me closely and lead the army to destroy the Quidos who have traveled thousands of miles away to Cusco. Tomorrow morning, I want you to rush to the front line with me and be ready for a decisive battle with the Quidos. After the great victory, I will heavily reward each of you for your meritorious services."
At this inspiring speech, all the people shouted, "May the sun bless his son, our great king."
On the morning of the next day, King Huascar of Inka rode in a golden sedan chair, accompanied by hundreds of princes, generals and chiefs, and was escorted by more than a thousand guards, heading to the Kipaipan plain east of the capital.
Cusco is located in a large basin in the Andes Mountains. It was the capital of past emperors. After hundreds of years of peace and prosperity, the city of Cusco has become quite prosperous and wealthy. After leaving the palace, it is surrounded by the residential areas of provincial governors, chiefs and royal nobles. Magnificent mansions are built along the street, with large pieces of gold and silver decoration inside and outside the houses. In the past, whenever King Inka left the city for an expedition, people in the capital would come out to sing and dance, and the farewell scene was extremely lively. However, at the moment, the capital was deserted. Not only was there no scene of warm farewell for King Inka, on the contrary, there was chaos in front of the wealthy mansions and on the spacious streets. Groups of tall camels and cargo-carrying llamas swarmed in front of the house and on the street. The master directed the slaves to carry items out of the house. Those noble women and young ladies were put on high camels, protected by some people, as if they were going a long way. Obviously, the war is coming, and these royal family members are preparing to avoid the war.
When Huascar's sedan passed by on the street, people all over the street hurriedly knelt on the ground, not daring to take a breath, and waited quietly for the king's sedan to gradually go away, and then got up from the ground. Huascar was sitting in a large sedan chair, wearing a red tassel on his head, holding a golden staff in his hand, and his expression was extremely serious. He was unhappy to see these nobles fleeing for safety when the empire was in disaster, but he could still understand. Because even he himself had no idea whether he could defeat Atahualpa.
After passing a street, the houses here are not only smaller, but also not so luxurious. Not only did the whole street not have the same panic scene as before, but instead the doors of every house were closed, and the whole street was sparsely populated and quiet. This counterargument made the extremely noble Inca king very unhappy. But King Huascar knew in his heart that most of the owners of these residences were slaves and servants of the previous kings. Although the previous kings have been dead for many years, the lands of these dead kings are still there. The mummies of these kings have to be accompanied by women to sleep at night, and the slaves and servants of these kings have also been retained. Over time, these kings' servants and servants formed a huge group and class. In the name of serving the dead king, they occupied the interests of many empires, and gradually became a class with a lot of wealth. In this regard, after the death of Emperor Huayna Capac, Huascar carried out vigorous reforms, abolished the slave system that had existed for many years, confiscated the land of the previous kings, and dismissed a large number of slaves and servants. Therefore, this reform not only encountered strong resistance from the slave class, but also encountered dissatisfaction and opposition from many royal families and aristocrats. Therefore, he knew very well that these people were actually resentful and resentful towards him.
Going further and passing a street, the residents' houses look more ordinary. This is the residence of ordinary people in Cusco. Most of these people were residents of Upper Cusco, where the first Inca king Manco Capac settled, and Lower Cusco, where the Inca king's wife Mama Oculo settled. Although they are all common people, they are all residents with special honors bestowed by King Inka, and they are also the most loyal subjects of King Inka in the past generations. Therefore, all the Inka kings and servants and servants in the royal palace were selected from among them. Due to the continuous wars and the royal palace's recruitment needs, there are not many young men in the villages in the upper city and lower city, and all that can be seen are women and children.
Continuing to walk along the Royal Avenue, we soon reached the outskirts of the city. The outskirts of the city are a hillside. After passing the hillside and walking for dozens of miles, you will reach the famous Jipaipan Plain. In fact, the Kipaipan Plain is also a basin, surrounded by mountains. The basin is very spacious and covered with grass half as tall as a man. There were only some shepherds driving their sheep in the pasture. The spacious and flat Royal Avenue passes by. This is also the only way for Quito's army to enter the city of Cusco.
It was already afternoon when King Huascar of the Inca, after a tiring journey, brought his princes, generals and chiefs from various provinces and regions to the edge of the spacious and flat plain of Kipaipan. At this time, the sun was clear and dazzling, and cool breezes blew through the spacious, flat, green grassy fields. In the silent space and time, there seems to be an idea that can only be understood but cannot be expressed in words, conveying an elusive message. Huascar, the young, handsome and supreme Inca king of the Inca Empire, stood on a high slope with his back to the mountains. Looking around the plain, he saw tens of thousands of military camp tents lined up neatly and orderly along the mountain side. Open, there are still some troops carrying out pre-war preparations and training in front of the military camp at the foot of the mountain.
Staring at everything in front of him, Huascar couldn't help but think about it for a while, and his mind was heavy. As the Inca kings of the past dynasties, they all led their own expeditions and led their armies to conquer all directions, constantly expanding the territory of the Inca Empire. Now, he was also on the battlefield in person, but he was leading the army to resist his brother's rebellion. He really regretted that he should not have agreed to his father's decision to allocate the Kingdom of Quito to Atahualpa. At least he should have thought of a way to put his non-Inca brother to death to avoid future troubles. But now, everything seems to be too late.
Before he could settle down under his tent in the military camp, an urgent message came to him saying, "Report to your Majesty that the Quidos have gathered thirty or forty thousand people at the ford of the Apurimac River and are preparing to cross the river on rafts."
The young King Inka had been ruling and supervising the country in the peaceful and stable capital city of Cusco for many years. He had never fought a war. Therefore, when he heard the report from the spies, he did not know how to respond, so he loudly announced, "Summon Chamul." Commander.”
However, Prince Barbara Palka, the assistant minister beside him, immediately reminded him, "The Supreme King, Chief Chamul has gone to other provinces to mobilize troops."
King Inka immediately realized that when facing such a powerful enemy, he really shouldn't let Chief Chamul leave him, because with him by his side, not only did he have someone to serve as his adviser, but he also felt at ease.
So, he asked Prince Barbara Palca, "The people of Quito are crossing the river. What do you think our army should do?"
Prince Palka thought for a while and said, "It is better to send a large army to rush over. On the one hand, the Quidos who have crossed the river can be killed, and the Quidos who have not crossed the river can also be blocked on the other side of the river."
King Inca also thought this was a good idea, but he added, "This place is still far away from the Apurimac River. I'm afraid that by the time the Inca army gets there, the Quidos will have already crossed the river."
The prince said, "The Apurimac River has always been famous for its wide river and fast flow. Without a very large raft and very experienced river crossing people, it is very dangerous to cross the river. I think this place is only a few steps away from the Apurimac River." It’s more than a hundred kilometers away, and we can get there in less than a day by sending a large army on a rapid march.”
Huascar felt that this plan was feasible, so he immediately summoned the wizard Karasibi and asked him to do a calculation. The wizard calculated for a moment, then shook his head quickly and said, "It's impossible. If the king sends a large army to rush to the river bank, the people of Quito have already crossed the river and are waiting on the high river bank to wait for work, leaving my tired army to fight alone. We are weak and there is no danger to defend. It is better to concentrate our troops and stand ready here to face the Quidos who have come from afar." At this point, the Calasibi wizard added, "Besides, we have hundreds of people on our side. The statue blesses the king and the army of Cusco. This invasion of Quito is undoubtedly seeking death."
When Huascar heard the words of the Calasibi wizard, he felt that the wizard's words were reasonable, so he said, "Then we should wait here for the Quito to die for us." After that, he asked the Calasibi wizard, "Sacrifice How are you preparing for this?"
The wizard said, "My noble king, everything is ready. The princes and ministers are waiting for you to participate in the sacrifice."
So, King Huascar led many princes and followers and followed the Calasibi wizard up to a nearby hill. Although the hill is not very high, it is located on the edge of the middle of the plain, and you can have a commanding view of the entire plain. There is a flat land on the hill with hundreds of large and small statues of gods placed on the ground. Most of these statues are made of stone or wood; the big ones are as tall as a person, while the small ones are only as big as a palm. These statues were arranged in a large circle, with their faces facing the plain opposite.
All around the statue were neatly lined up with princes, ministers and senior officers in military uniforms. They looked pious and solemn, waiting for the arrival of the king. When they saw the king coming in front of them, they all knelt down, bowed to the ground, and said in unison, "Long live the king."
Huascar raised his hand to signal for everyone to stand up. Then, he said to everyone, "Prince Atahualpa has conspired to rebel and has been despised and condemned by the people of the world. In order to get rid of the isolation dilemma, he has sent two commanders, Kiskis and Chalkuchma, to lead eight An army of ten thousand came to invade and has now crossed the Apurimac River. They are going to fight to the death with our Cusco army on the Quipapan plain in front of us. At this critical moment, officials from various provinces and regions immediately took action , actively recruited and mobilized, and the people also put down their farm tools, picked up their weapons, and came to Cusco. Therefore, we now have 80,000 or 90,000 soldiers, and tens of thousands more soldiers are on their way to Cusco. "At this point, the king added, "Moreover, we have hundreds of statues of gods in front of us to help protect us. These statues are gathered from areas within nearly a hundred miles of Cusco. With them With the help and blessing of God, we will be able to use the power of God to completely defeat and destroy Quito." As soon as the Inca King finished his words, the whole hill resounded with the cry of "Long live the King."
Next, the Karasibi wizard began to preside over the sacrifice. He muttered for a while first, and then said loudly, "May the gods bless us and make our Cusco army invincible and victorious; let our king regain the provinces of Quito that should belong to him. At the same time, May the gods hate and punish the evil rebel Atahualpa, so that he and his army will be despised by the gods and the world, and be captured and destroyed alive by the brave Cuzco army."
All the people prayed and said, "May the gods appear and bless us!"
