The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
The king was startled when he heard that four white men were riding horses to pay homage to him. In fact, he had long heard that a group of nearly two hundred white people came by boat from the distant ocean. They rode a kind of monster and carried a weapon that could emit fire. They burned, killed and looted everywhere, especially His eyes would turn green when he saw gold and silver treasures, so he originally wanted to eliminate this group of aliens, but because he was constantly fighting with Huascar, he put the matter aside. Recently, people often come to report that there are large white men who are constantly intruding near the coast, and there are also signs of invading the inland areas. Regarding this, he has sent envoys many times to negotiate, in fact, to inquire about peace. Understand the motives and purposes of those white men. But what he never expected was that they would dare to visit him.
In fact, the first white people arrived on the Pacific coast of South America ten years before the death of King Huayna Capac. At that time, Balboa crossed the St. Michael Sea and received the first very clear reports of the Inca Empire. Especially when Almagro penetrated deep into the San Juan River at about 4 degrees north latitude, the Indian king obtained the situation when Pizarro and Almagro led a group of desperadoes into the New World for the first time. This news made a deep impression on the king's mind. From the courage and sophisticated weapons of the invaders, he was keenly aware that there was a civilization abroad that far exceeded his own. The king was worried. He said that these white people would definitely come back and one day overthrow the Inca Empire. Although there were only a small number of white people at the time, the wise and far-sighted king had already felt that this was the dark cloud of the coming thunderstorm. As the dark cloud continued to expand, until a thunderclap shook the entire empire.
At the same time, a major celestial event occurred in Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire. A flaming comet passed through the sky, an earthquake shook the empire, the moon was tightly wrapped in a colorful ring of fire, a huge thunder struck a palace, and the raging fire reduced the palace to ashes. Several fierce falcons chased an eagle. The eagle screamed in the air and flapped its wings around the square in Cusco. After being torn apart by the falcon's claws, the eagle fell to the ground and died in front of many Inca nobles. Seeing this, they thought it was a harbinger of their own destruction.
Knowing that his death was imminent, King Huayna Capac summoned his ministers and told them the oracle of King Viracocha, saying that the white bearded people from foreign countries would destroy our empire. He advised his ministers not to rebel. God's will, but to obey the messengers sent by God. This oracle gradually spread among the Indian tribes, and they caused inexplicable and unpredictable terror in the hearts of many Indians like an impending disaster. And natural disasters such as earthquakes in this country with frequent volcanoes are often interpreted by superstitious divination as celestial phenomena announcing the collapse of the empire.
A few months ago, King Atahualpa of Quit received news that a group of big white men had arrived at Tumbes Port. At first, he also regarded these white men as the kind of big white men who fell from the sky as predicted by his father. However, when he learned that there were only a few hundred or two hundred white people in this group, and they robbed gold when they saw it and raped women when they saw them. This made the King of Quito quickly realize that this group of big white men was not the big white men predicted by his father, but a group of roosters, dogs, thieves, and foreign believers who burned, killed, raped, and plundered. Therefore, when he heard that the group of big white men actually came to visit him, he felt very annoyed and angry. His face darkened and he said, "Just say that I am fasting and cannot summon anyone."
The guard said, "Yes, my king." He got up and went out to answer the question. But soon, the soldier ran over again and said, "Report to the king, the white people said that they were sent by the Spanish Marquis and the commander of the army, and they must see the king for important matters."
When Atahualpa heard this, he felt that the white people were forcing him. He couldn't help but feel a little angry and said, "Then kill those white people for me."
However, after a while, the guard came and knelt down in front of the king and said, "Report to the king, those white people said that if we kill them, then the king's envoy will also be killed by them. Moreover, they will attack Your Majesty will exact the most severe revenge."
When Atahualpa heard this, he couldn't help but laugh a little, thinking: It's ridiculous that just one or two hundred of them want to take revenge on the Inca King who has an army of 60,000 or 70,000. However, the envoy he sent was a prince, and he did not want the white people to kill the prince because of this matter. So, he thought for a while and said to the guards, "Let them come in, but not with weapons."
Soon, four large white-skinned men wearing large-brimmed hats, tights, and long bucket boots rode into the small courtyard on tall horses.
They entered the small courtyard, did not dismount, but lined up in front of the Inca King, saluted the King, and stared at the Inca King in front of them with an inexplicable doubtful expression, who had just won the throne not long ago. Maybe they have heard many legends about the cruel and cunning prince of Quito, but the king in front of them is very dignified and peaceful. He is neither as cruel and cruel as people say, nor as smart as people say. .
A man who looked like an army officer spoke for a long time to King Inca. Then, the Indian next to him pointed at the officer and translated to the king, "Your Majesty, this is Hernando Mr. Pizarro is the envoy sent by the commander of the Spanish army, his brother Francisco Pizarro. He said that they are subjects of the powerful king over the wide ocean, and have long admired the martial arts and military might of the Inca king. They came here to serve the king. If the king does not abandon them, they will stay temporarily and serve the king; then, they will sail across the empire. He said that they came here mainly to spread Christian doctrine and believe in the teachings of Jesus God. He did good deeds, eliminated violence, and appeased the people. He also said that the Spanish army had arrived in Cajamarca, and he also brought an invitation from General Pizarro, inviting King Atahualpa to visit the Spanish military camp."
Atahualpa listened to the Indians' translation and kept his eyes toward the ground. He remained silent for a long time without saying a word, as if he did not hear or understand what they said at all. Seeing that the king didn't answer for a long time, the Chincha chief next to him nodded and replied, "Okay. Our king will definitely make a decision." After saying that, he stood up and took over the man named Hernando Pi. The invitation was handed over by Salo's messenger.
The Inca King's cold expression made the Spaniards feel a little embarrassed and uncomfortable because they could not figure out the Inca King's true intentions. So, the Spaniards said respectfully that they wanted to ask Atahualpa to express his position.
Atahualpa smiled silently and said in a very straightforward tone, "Tell your leaders that I am fasting and can break the fast tomorrow morning. I will lead the ministers to return the visit." Then he added, " Please let your leader live in the public housing on the square, not anywhere else. I will make some new arrangements for him after I go there tomorrow."
Among the envoys was a Spanish knight named Soto. He was riding a purebred Spanish war horse. The horse was tall, big, and had a strong temper. Perhaps because he had stood for too long, he seemed a little restless and started to stop. It scratched the ground with its front hooves. This made the Inca king both curious and interesting, and he kept watching and observing the divine object in front of him that could carry people to fight.
When the Spanish knight saw the Inca king's infatuation with his horse, he wanted to perform in front of the king. Because not only is his war horse a BMW, but his riding skills are also unmatched.
So, he loosened the reins, clamped hard on the horse's belly with his pedals, and urged the horse forward to start running wildly on the grass. Then, he turned the horse's head and circled back and forth on the grass, performing various exciting and thrilling movements and performances. Finally, he made his horse leap high and charged towards the Inca King. Seeing that the war horse was about to pounce on the Inca King. The Spaniards quickly reined in the reins and raised the front legs of the war horse, almost sitting back on the ground. This prevented the horse from jumping on the Inca King.
Faced with such a dangerous situation in front of him, the Inca King was unusually calm, without any dodge or panic. And when the Spanish knight galloped towards the guards, he was so frightened that the guards hid in a hurry and their faces changed color. This made the Inca king feel very embarrassed.
What needs to be said has been said. The Inca King asked his maids to bring out some food to entertain the Spaniards. It stands to reason that the Incas would not entertain guests for meals on fasting days, because there would be no guests visiting on this day. But when dealing with guests from distant foreign countries, he still makes an exception and invites them to dinner. But the Spaniard seemed to have some concerns and refused to dismount, so he politely declined. The Inca king thought that the Spaniards understood their rules of fasting and insisted on not eating food, so he asked his concubine to bring them some wine to treat them. Several young and beautiful concubines held large golden pots and held the foaming chicha wine in front of them. Several Spaniards looked at the beauty in front of them affectionately, took the golden pot, and drank the wine in one gulp. Then, he bowed respectfully to the Inca King and said goodbye, then rode out of the small courtyard.
After the Spaniards left, Atahualpa's expression immediately changed. He stood up from the stool, pointed at the guards who had been frightened by the galloping horses and scolded loudly, "Did you see that? Even When princes and ministers come to see me, they have to carry heavy loads and kneel to me with bare feet and legs. But these foreigners from the distant ocean dare to ride into my private courtyard on horseback. How brave they are. .Look at you guys. You are supposed to be the guards for my king. You are all brave and courageous people. But look at you, just let that kind of tall monster rush in front of you and scare you away. Dodging around. Aren’t you embarrassing my Inca king?”
The four guards, who were kneeling barefoot and bare-legged in front of the king, were so frightened by the king's angry reprimand that they were so frightened that they did not dare to say a word. After the king finished his lecture, he called out, "Usaka."
The palace guard Usaka immediately ran over and said, "Follow the king's instructions."
Atahualpa said, "These guards are cowardly and have insulted the dignity of our army. They must be punished according to military law." After saying that, he left several close friends present and angrily left the small courtyard and entered. In your own room.
This is a single room of about twenty square meters, with only a square table and a few wooden chairs. It is where Atahualpa usually works and holds meetings. There are many things called knots on the table, because the Incas did not have writing, so they could only rely on these knots to record and preserve information. This kind of knot comes in various colors, each color represents a different species or meaning, and the number of threads in each knot varies, some have thousands, and some only have dozens. Different colors and different numbers of knots can express and convey a lot of information to people. However, in order to identify this knotted rope number, strict study and training are required.
Atahualpa picked up a bunch of knotted rope and looked at it and studied it over and over. Because this knotted rope is the information about the white people that a spy sent from Tumbes not long ago. But there is not much information on the knotted rope. It only says that there are only more than 200 white people and some weapons. No other situation is known. So, he shouted out, "Usaka." Because Usaka was the palace guard in charge of Chaschi. Qia Shiqi is a spy.
Usaka immediately ran over and said, "Please give me the king's orders." Atahualpa asked, "Have those cowards been dealt with?"
Usaka said, "According to the king's order, those cowards were hanged."
The king nodded with satisfaction, then handed the knotted rope in his hand to the guard and asked, "Who sent this knotted rope?"
Usaka looked at the knotted rope for a long time and said, "It was delivered by courier from Tumbes a few days ago."
Atahualpa pondered for a while and said, "It would take four or five days to get here from Tumbes at the fastest. It seems that these big white men are marching very fast."
The guard said, "Yes." Atahualpa asked again, "What do you think these big white men want to do when they come to us from the far away ocean? Do they want to conquer and rule us?" Because This reminded him of what his father, Huayna Capac, had told them many times before his death: The ancestors of Viracocha once predicted based on the celestial phenomena that some bearded white men would rule them in a few years, because they were Races with higher intelligence and stronger abilities. Therefore, Atahualpa felt that the big white men just now seemed like the bearded white men mentioned by ancestor Viracocha in his prediction.
The guard shook his head and said, "They seem to be only interested in gold and silver treasures. They rob them whenever they see them. Sometimes they kill men and rape women. I also heard that they want to help the king eliminate Huascar." "
The king smiled sinisterly and said, "They are a group of treacherous aliens. If they are not eliminated, I will not be able to live in peace." Then he said to the guard, "Now that they have arrived outside the city of Cajamarca, you must immediately Send people there to inquire about the number and weapons of the white people. Pay special attention to how many sacred horses they have that can carry people to fight."
As soon as Usaka left, the chief of Kipchak Province, Hakamaga, came to ask for an audience. As soon as he entered the door, he turned to Atahualpa and said very worriedly, "The king is really going to pay a return visit to those big white men tomorrow?"
Atahualpa smiled slyly and said, "Do you think I could be so stupid?"
The chief felt relieved and said, "Even so, I don't think the king is too honest and kind. Because those big white men are very insidious and cunning people. Otherwise, why would they come from the ocean thousands of miles away?" Take a boat and run to our kingdom."
Atahualpa said with some disapproval, "They are just a bunch of roosters and robbers. They rob gold and silver whenever they see it, and they also kill people and rape them. If they are not eliminated, the country will be restless."
Chief Hacamaga reminded Atahualpa in a very worried tone, "But, could these big white men be the kind of idols that Viracocha's ancestors mentioned, who wanted to destroy our idols and occupy our empire?" A bearded white man?”
Atahualpa shook his head speciously and said, "I don't think so, because the bearded white men mentioned by the ancestors of Viracocha are gods. They will not rob gold and silver or rape women."
The chief immediately said with admiration, "Your Majesty is wise. I wonder how your Majesty will treat those big white men tomorrow?"
Atahualpa smiled enrapturedly and said, "You'll find out tomorrow."
