The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
This battle not only killed more than 7,000 Incas, but also captured King Atahualpa alive. For the Spanish army, which numbered less than 170 people, the result was simply unimaginable. Just last night, looking at the snow-covered military camp tents on the entire hillside and the starry torches in the military camp at night, some Spanish soldiers were so scared that they wet their pants, and many soldiers regretted that they should not Following the lies of the pigherd Francisco Pizarro, he went through hardships, traveled across the ocean, and followed him here to risk his own death. Therefore, the Spaniards were simply ecstatic about this easy victory and called this victory a gift from the Lord.
It can be said that compared with the Spanish soldiers' past adventures and the extreme fear at the time, this victory was too easy and too sudden. Half a year ago, they had taken a boat from Panama City to Tumbes, a seaport city in the Inca Empire. The reason why they wanted to land here was because during a sea adventure three years ago, they took a small boat around Pinas Harbor and entered a river called the Peruvian River. Later, they mistakenly introduced the name of this river to the entire Inca Empire. This is how Peru comes to be.
When they retreated from the Peruvian River to the seaside, they continued on the sea and met an Indian raft on the sea. There were several Indians on the raft, both men and women, wearing woolen clothes, which were not only brightly colored, but also embroidered with patterns of flowers, plants and birds, which were very exquisite and gorgeous. There is also a scale on board for weighing valuables. What surprised the Spanish adventurers most was that these Indians were wearing many gold and silver ornaments. The Indians said they came from a port called Tumbes. They also said that there were flocks of sheep all over the place, and the wool of these sheep could be woven into a variety of clothing. And in the king's palace, there is as much gold and silver as there are trees in the mountains.
After listening to the stories of these Indians, they detained these Indians and brought them back to their station in Panama City. They also took two of the young men to Spain and trained them to learn Spanish as their future translators. After more than two years of study, the two young men were able to roughly translate Spanish. Three years later, after long preparations, with the appointment and assistance of the King of Spain, these Spaniards formed an expeditionary force of more than two hundred people and began to venture and march to the New World. The expeditionary force first came to Panama City, and then, after two or three months of life and death adventures and sea voyages, they came to Tumbes. Because Tumbes has always been the place where they dreamed of getting rich.
After they landed on the coast, they entered an endless forest. They walked in the forest for an unknown amount of time before they saw a gap in the forest, shining with a ray of light. Pizarro cheered excitedly, thinking that there must be a settlement nearby. So, he led a small team of men to conduct reconnaissance along the direction of the gap. Soon, they passed through a wasteland covered with dense bushes and fallen leaves and came to an open area. There is a small Indian village here. The timid natives left their huts in panic at the sight of these strangers. The hungry Spaniards rushed inside and began searching for food and treasure. They ate all the corn and coconuts in the house, but did not get any treasure.
The frightened locals made no attempt to resist, but returned to the village when they believed the strangers would not inflict violence on them. Some villagers approached these white people and asked, "Why don't you stay at home and farm, but you go out to seize and rob other people's fruits of labor? But these people have never hurt you." Someone pointed out Looking at the gold ornaments of very rough craftsmanship worn by the locals, he replied to them, "We came out to take risks just for this gold."
So the villagers said to them, "Go straight ahead on the path in front of the village and you will reach Tumbes City. Then continue walking south from Tumbes City. There is the capital and palace of a powerful empire very far away. There will be plenty of gold and silver there."
This news was almost the same as what the Spaniards had heard before, which strengthened their dream of getting rich. Soon, they arrived at Tumbes City. However, they did not get much gold and silver in Tumbes, because the gold and silver were in the Inca palace and capital. Therefore, they wanted to rest in Tumbes for a while before continuing towards Cusco, the capital of the Incas. Because their arrival lifted the high-pressure policy imposed on the Inca people by the Inca king, and commander Pizarro also issued a very strict order to the soldiers, requiring the soldiers to treat the locals well and not to disrupt or harass their normal life. Therefore, the locals are very friendly to them and even regard them as a kind of gods.
It is said that when the local Indians saw the matchlock gun and heard that the matchlock gun was very powerful, some wanted the Spanish to perform it. So, a Spanish soldier erected a wooden board as a target, took careful aim, and pulled the trigger. With an ear-splitting sound, the bullet penetrated the wooden board, causing the locals to panic. Some people covered their ears tightly with their hands, and some even fell to the ground.
To further prove that the Spanish knight was no ordinary man, the natives released a puma that had been imprisoned in the prince's fortress and pounced on him. However, the Spanish soldier was a Catholic and he gently placed the cross around his neck on the lion's back. The lion immediately forgot his ferocious nature, fell down at the knight's feet, and began to play around him. This astonished the local Indians and no longer doubted that the Spaniards were not gods.
The Spaniards stayed in Tumbes for a while and then wanted to reach Guayaquil through the island of Puna, where there was a marching road leading to the south. From Tumbes to Puna Island, you have to pass through the Guayaqui Bay, which is more than ten kilometers long. So they made some rafts and prepared to cross the sea. Before setting off, they left two soldiers to guard the residence so that they could have a retreat if they encountered difficulties.
Puna Island faces the city of Tumbes across the sea. At that time, the Inca army had not yet gone to war with the Quito army, and the army leader of Tumebamba, General Cutachica, had not betrayed King Atahualpa of Quito, so he did not flee from the battlefield at the foot of Chimborazo Mountain. that island. However, the people on Puna Island and the Tumbes people have deep hatred, and the two have not communicated with each other for many years.
The Spaniards were attacked when they landed on Puna Island, and three people were killed on the island. Moreover, the mountains here were densely forested and sparsely populated. The Spaniards felt that staying on the island was unlucky, so they immediately withdrew from the island to Tumbes City. However, when they returned to Tumbes City again, they found that the city had just suffered a catastrophe. Almost all the buildings had been destroyed, all items had been looted, and not a single person could be seen in the entire city. . The Spaniards captured two locals for interrogation, and found out that the Puna Islanders had attacked, and all the residents hid in the woods. Moreover, the two people they originally placed were killed for unknown reasons. Some said they were beaten to death for raping local women. But one of them left them a note that read: "There is more gold and silver in the Inca palace than there is pig iron in Skaya."
The scene that happened before them made the soldiers very sad and depressed. In order to cheer everyone up, Pizarro, the commander of the expeditionary force, asked people to read the contents of the note to everyone. However, the soldiers sneered and thought it was theirs. The commander is trying to boost morale and let people continue to dream of gold.
In order to urgently grasp the current situation of the Inca Empire, its military strength and resources, and the current situation of the monarchs who ruled the country, they decided to establish a local settlement so that they could have a retreat if the expedition failed. Therefore, they left the sick and a small number of soldiers who were weak and unfit for marching in San Miguel, not far from Tumbes City. Then, they set out in May 1532 and moved along a relatively flat area. They conducted reconnaissance while marching, and soon collected intelligence that the two kings of the Inca Empire were fighting, and that the victorious king was stationing his army in Cajamarca, which was only 10 to 12 days away from San Miguel. , there were 70,000 to 80,000 Inca troops there, and of course they also heard that there was countless gold and silver in the city of Cusco in the south. This information really shaken the confidence of the invaders, but it also stimulated their insatiable desires.
Commander Pizarro wanted to wait for the arrival of reinforcements, because his partner, General Almagro, had returned to Panama City and wanted to form another army of more than 200 people from there. To this end, they postponed their departure date for several weeks. However, reinforcements never arrived. Therefore, Pizarro decided to lead the troops to the expedition first, because waiting idlely could easily cause disorganization and low morale of the army. However, they had less than 200 people, and almost 50 people were left in San Miguel. It seemed impossible for the remaining people to conquer a powerful empire.
On September 24, 1532, five months after they landed in Tumbes, Pizarro left behind the treasurer Riquelme, the metal inspector, and another government official who had been sent by the King of Spain to supervise them. Antonio Navarro, who worked as an accountant, served as the garrison commander of the San Miguel station, and then led this team of adventurers to set off from San Miguel and penetrate directly into the heart of the Inca Empire, heading towards what is said to be the barracks of the Inca king. Cajamarca advances.
On the morning of the eighth day of their departure, the Soto squadron went out for reconnaissance and brought back an envoy from the Inca king. The envoy was an Inca prince and several followers. The envoy presented some gems, gold and silver ornaments and dried goose meat to the Spaniards, and conveyed an invitation from the Inca King to invite them to the Inca military camp. The envoys had a detailed understanding of the uses of the Spaniards' guns, horses, and unseen objects. They also asked where these people came from and what their real purpose was.
When the Inca envoy left, Pizarro gave him some gifts, a red cloth hat, some cheap glass products and some toys. He sent messengers to report to the Incas that they, Spanish guests, had been sent by the king of a powerful kingdom far away. They had long admired King Atahualpa for defeating powerful enemies and becoming famous all over the world. They paid tribute to him and were willing to serve him and send troops to annihilate enemies on his behalf. The commander also told the envoy that they would travel day and night to try to see him as soon as possible.
Ten days later, the Spaniards arrived at the foot of the mountain village located in the ancient city of Cajamarca. The Andes Mountains reaching into the sky stood in front of them, like huge rocks and strange rocks stacked on top of each other. The evergreen forest at the foot of the hillside is dense and verdant, and from time to time there are pieces of cultivated countryside looming in the forest. The snow-white peaks are shining under the blue sky, and the majestic and magnificent mountain scenery is rare in the world. The expeditionary force must break through this dangerous barrier and pass through the important pass. That kind of terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and a few soldiers can resist a large army. To the right is a marching road with thick shade on both sides and a wide road that allows two carriages to travel side by side. At that time, many people demanded that the march to Cajamarca should be abandoned and that instead, they should follow the marching road, avoid the Inca army, and secretly enter the march south to Cusco. However, their commander Pizarro insisted on visiting the Inca King.
In fact, they had made detailed calculations, trying to kidnap the Inca King when he came to the Spanish military camp for a return visit, and then use the Inca King as a hostage to coerce the Inca people. Because it is very dangerous and undesirable to have a head-on conflict with the powerful Inca army. After everything was ready, they slept with guns in hand in the Inca Apartment in Plaza de Armas, ready for the day. However, looking at the star-studded torches in the Inca camp in the darkness of the night, many soldiers were still so frightened that they trembled all over and even wet their pants. They regretted that they should not have followed Pizarro and come here to die for the Incas.
Just last night when they were scouting the enemy's situation, holding a pre-war mobilization meeting and making battle arrangements, most of the soldiers were in a very pessimistic mood, believing that fighting the Incas, who had nearly 80,000 soldiers, would only lead to self-destruction. They even asked their commander to take them quickly around Cajamarca to the city of Cusco, where there are mountains of gold and silver seas, to make a big fortune, and then leave the country as soon as possible. Fortunately, the commander, who has an optimistic and adventurous spirit and is good at bragging, stabilized everyone's mood with various promising prospects. However, what they never expected was that the scene and ending they saw would be so magical and incredible. When they saw the Inca King Atahualpa being pulled out of his sedan chair by the Spanish army commander Francisco Pizarro, and then under the heavy cover of many Spaniards, he was taken to an Inca apartment near the square. When they arrived and sent dozens of people to guard the Inca King closely, they knew that God was caring for them so lovingly.
At this time, it was getting dark, and Commander Pizarro asked the trumpeter to blow the assembly horn. As a result, the heroic and victorious Spanish soldiers returned from all directions to the Plaza de Armas in Cajamarca, where corpses were strewn with blood and blood. They lined up and gathered for roll call. As a result, except for one Inca in the team who died in the battle, there were no Spanish casualties. If anyone was injured, it was their commander Pizarro who suffered a slight injury on his hand, and was slashed by one of his own soldiers while protecting the Inca King. Therefore, it is very good and timely for the commander and soldiers to achieve this victory. In this way, everyone can willingly follow their commander to continue their expeditions and adventures.
Pizarro stood in front of the team and said to his subordinates in a very happy and encouraging tone, "Brothers, officers and soldiers, we just used the courage and strategy of the Spanish knights to defeat the Incas with nearly 80,000 soldiers, and, We also captured the Inca King Atahualpa alive. This is very important because we can use the Inca King as a hostage and hold him hostage to control their country. In other words, the heroic and outstanding battle we just had will be A great feat that rewrote the history and destiny of this country."
Then, he raised his head proudly and said in a very encouraging tone, "My fellow officers and soldiers, our reinforcements will arrive soon, and we will also hit Cusco, the capital of the Incas. There are inexhaustible gold and silver treasures. Then, we will build a new country here. By then, all the officers and soldiers will be the heroes of the country and will enjoy endless glory and wealth." Pisa As soon as Luo finished speaking, cheers of "Long live the King! Long live the Marquis!" rang out in the square.
