The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
After walking through the square, I looked towards the military camp where the Inca king was imprisoned, and saw a large torch lighting up the area. Through the light of the torches, one could see sentries walking back and forth in front of and around the military camp. As a result, he felt more at ease. After walking around the square barracks and finding no movement, Pizarro walked towards his house. When he walked to his door, he still didn't feel sleepy at all. If he didn't feel sleepy, it would be difficult to fall asleep. If he couldn't sleep, he would have to do something. He wanted to see the soldiers playing dice and gambling. In the past, he also liked this kind of gambling very much, and he was also considered a relatively professional master. But there was no money at that time and no one wanted to play with him. However, now that I have money, I can’t play anymore. Because as a marquis and commander, he could not confuse himself with those low-level officers and soldiers, arguing and arguing all day long over your victory and my defeat. This would make him lose his status and status in front of the soldiers. Therefore, even if he wanted to go to this kind of place, he would definitely not go. So, he returned to his house. When the young and beautiful Inca princess saw him coming back, she greeted him and asked him to go to bed quickly to avoid being cold. Without saying a word, he took off his clothes and got into the woman's warm bed. The woman's body is very warm and smooth, and when she is hugged, she feels a kind of tenderness and intoxication that penetrates her heart, just like being an Inca king.
He slept for a short while and then woke up again soon. When he woke up, he didn't want to sleep anymore. In fact, it's not that he doesn't want to sleep, but that he feels that there are some things that must be done quickly. So he simply got up, lit an oil lamp, and tried to write something. However, when he picked up the pen, he couldn't write anything. Because his family used to be poor and he had many brothers. His parents were worried about food and clothing all day long, so how could they have money to send them to school? He felt that he should call his secretary.
So, he went out, knocked on the door and asked his secretary to come to his office. After a while, Robert came to his office yawning and rubbing his eyes. The office has a large square table and several wooden chairs that were brought from the Inca residence. There are some papers and quills on the table. When Robert sat down at the table opposite, Pizarro told him what he was thinking and asked him to write to Antonio Navarro, the accountant of the Spanish army who was staying in San Miguel and the head of the local garrison. letter, so that he could tell him the victory and current situation of Cajamarca, as well as his current worries, and asked him to inquire from time to time whether there were reinforcements sent from Panama. Robert was a rare talented student in the army. He was born in a Spanish noble family and had gone to many schools. He came here from Panama with the Bishop, Father Vicente de Valverde.
As the letter was almost finished, Robert asked the Marquis, "Who should I send to San Miguel to deliver the letter?"
"Send Martin and Hernando Aldana," said the Marquis. Martin was the Spanish shorthand for Don Martinillo, the Indian translator. And Hernando Aldana was the brave and resourceful soldier who galloped in front of the Inca king.
Robert thought for a while and said, "If you send Hernando Aldana, there is no need to send Martin, because once Martin leaves, some things dealing with the Inca will not be easy to handle."
Pizarro asked, "What do you mean?"
Robert said, "Just find an honest, trustworthy and reliable Indian to follow."
Pizarro thought about it and thought it was feasible, and said, "You write first, I will go to Martin and ask him to find an honest and reliable local immediately. This letter must be sent as soon as possible."
With that said, Pizarro went out, knocked on the door two houses away from him, and shouted loudly, "Martin, Martin, open the door." But Martin neither answered nor opened the door. Pizarro got anxious and kicked the door open, cursing, "What are you doing, you bitch? Why don't you open the door?"
The Indian translator hurriedly sat up from the bed, quickly put his hands together and apologized, saying, "Marquis, spare your life, but your slave deserves to die."
When Pizarro heard this, he found it funny: He just seduced the concubine of the Inca king, and he was so frightened!
Pizarro struck a match and lit the oil lamp on the table, and then he saw clearly that this damn Indian was kneeling naked on the bed and begging for mercy, and kneeling next to him was the young and beautiful Inca king. My beloved concubine was so frightened that her whole body huddled together, trembling violently. Because in the Inca Kingdom, adultery like this was punishable by death and hanging. Women were buried alive. Especially if he had an affair with a virgin from the Palace of the Sun or the concubine of the Inca King, he would also destroy his nine tribes and burn down his family property. Therefore, when their adultery was discovered by the Marquis, he was so frightened that he almost fainted.
But what was unexpected was that Pizarro waved his hands to them and said, "I'm sorry to bother you." He motioned for them to get in bed quickly, and then said to Martin, "Sorry for interrupting." I wish you a sweet dream. Get up right now and find me an honest and reliable local. The sooner the better, I have something urgent to do." After saying that, he said "I'm sorry" again and hurriedly exited the house.
By the time Martin came to Pizarro's office with a young Inca, it was already dark. Pizarro looked at the Inca man that Martin had brought for a long time. He felt that the man looked honest, honest and lean, so he asked Martin, "Where did you get this man?"
Perhaps because of time constraints, Martin had to call the people who herded vicuñas for the Spaniards. Martin said, "Aren't you looking for a herder?"
Pizarro was startled and said, "When did I tell you to find a shepherd?"
Martin slapped his forehead and said quickly, "Yes, I remembered it wrong. However, it was so dark that I couldn't go out to look for him, so I called him over. However, this man had been grazing cattle for the Inca royal family for many years, and he was very Be honest and you will never go wrong.”
Pizarro asked Robert, "What do you think?"
Robert said, "I think this person is suitable."
Pizarro walked up to the young herdsman, patted him on the shoulder and said, "This task is very important. When you come back after completing the task, I will give you five llamas and five hundred kilograms of corn. What? Sample?"
When Martin translated Pizarro's words to the herdsman, the herdsman's lips were so happy that he couldn't close his lips with joy, and he bowed repeatedly to thank him.
After a while, Roberto called for Hernando Aldana. Pizarro handed the letter to him and said in a profound manner, "This letter must be delivered to San Miguel." Antonio Navarro, asked him to keep sending people to inquire about the news of additional reinforcements from Panama, and once reinforcements arrived, he was asked to send people to bring them over immediately.”
"Yes, Marquis," said Hernando Aldana, folding the letter and putting it in his pocket.
Pizarro added, "It will be a difficult journey for you to take this shepherd to San Miguel this time, but when it is done, I will reward you heavily."
Hernando Aldana replied, "Thank you, Marquis."
Pizarro nodded and said, "Let's hit the road now. Rest less and walk more. Travel day and night. Go early and come back early."
Hernando Aldana said, "Yes." He gave a military salute and led the Indian herdsman out of the Spanish Expeditionary Force's office.
After seeing off the two messengers, Pizarro felt that a major event had been accomplished, and his mood immediately relaxed a lot. Then, he said mockingly to Martin in front of him, "Martin, what trick did you use to get the Inca King's beloved concubine into your bed?"
Martin blushed and said, "The Marquis must stop talking about such scandals."
Pizarro said in a serious tone, "The Inca King is the king of your Indians and the son of the sun. How dare you have an affair with his concubine. How courageous you are!"
As soon as Martin heard what the Marquis said, he boldly said, "As long as the Marquis doesn't care, I'm not afraid of anyone." Then, in a disdainful tone, he said, "As for the idiot Atahualpa, I despise him the most. Look at his stupid and arrogant demeanor. You see, he has obviously become a prisoner of others, and is being imprisoned. He still poses as a supreme, noble, infinitely wise Inca king all day long. You think it is ridiculous. Laughing? If it were me, I would not be like him, leading an army of tens of thousands, only to be defeated miserably by more than a hundred Spaniards and captured alive. Do you think this man is stupider than Gray Goose? Do you think I can respect and admire the Inca king who is so stupid and imprisoned?"
Robert said aside, "You only dared to say such things when you saw Atahualpa imprisoned. If Atahualpa had not been caught and imprisoned by us, would you dare to say such contemptuous and abusive words to him?" ? Do you dare to seduce his concubine and have an affair with his concubine?"
The smart Martin shook his head and said, "I'm not the kind of fool who would let others chop my head off with a knife."
Pizarro listened to this, tapped Martin with his hand, and said, "You have to be more careful in what you do, and don't let that arrogant and stupid Inca king find out and accuse me. By then, I won't let you off lightly. "
Martin said disapprovingly, "It doesn't matter. What if he finds out? Can he really hang us alive and bury us alive, and then kill the nine tribes and burn all the family property? Unless he can get out of here alive and become the king of the Incas." .”
After the three people talked for a while, the sky began to light up. Pizarro felt a little sleepy and returned to his dormitory. At this time, the Inca princess had gotten up and was sweeping the floor. Pizarro sat on the edge of the bed and took off his clothes while looking at the young princess's rather slender waist, which swayed as she swept the floor, and felt that the posture was light, beautiful, and very alluring. So, he couldn't help but put on his slippers, unexpectedly hugged the woman's waist from behind, and carried her to the bed. The woman turned around and smiled lightly at him. Her expression was so solemn, serene, and extremely beautiful that the Marquis fell into a state of intoxication. He loved her so much that he put the woman in his arms and kissed her. He took off all his clothes, then hugged the woman and got into bed.
However, someone soon knocked on the door. When the Marquis heard the voice of the second lieutenant Petya who was guarding the Inca King, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed and asked loudly, "What's the matter, so arrogant?"
The person outside the door said, "The Inca King said he has something very important to tell you."
The Marquis said, "Let's talk after I get up and have dinner?"
But the second lieutenant on duty said, "The Inca king is making a big fuss and insists on seeing you right away."
The Marquis said, "Just say I will be there soon." After getting rid of the annoying second lieutenant on duty, Pizarro continued to put his arms around the Inca princess and make love. Because this is the most important thing for him right now.
After that, he felt very sleepy and fell asleep. After sleeping for a while, he felt someone crying. When he opened his eyes, he saw the princess looking at the ceiling and crying silently. He lay down in front of the princess, and while wiping the young princess's tears, he asked, "What's the matter with you?"
The princess just shook her head and did not answer. He kissed her on the face and said, "My poor princess, if you have any dissatisfaction or need, just tell me. Except for the sun in the sky and the moon in the night sky, I will satisfy you."
The princess shook her head tenderly and said, "I'm fine. I wonder what happened to the noble King Inca. Go and have a look."
When the Marquis saw that the princess was interceding for Atahualpa, he said in confusion, "Princess, Atahualpa almost killed your entire family. If you were not in Quito, but in Cuba." Sco, you will also die by his knife. Why don't you hate him for this, but think about him? "
But the kind princess said, "But he is our king after all, my brother. Apart from him, I have almost no other relatives."
Pizarro was really sleepy, but in order to make the princess happy, he still got up, then called Robert and Martin up, and walked together towards the cell where the Inca King was held. Atahualpa's cell was in a sturdy house built by the Incas in the military camp. The house is made of very neat and smooth stones, because a kind of red clay is used between the stone seams, and no traces are exposed. Therefore, it makes people feel that these stones are built with high craftsmanship. , rather than being made of adhesive materials. There are three trapezoidal doors in front of the cell door, each door has an iron lock. Outside the door, there were six Spanish officers and soldiers with loaded guns and ammunition tightly guarding the door.
Arriving at the cell door, the Marquis asked the second lieutenant on duty, Petya, "What is going on?"
Petya quickly stood up and saluted, then pointed to the cell and said, "Before dawn, he asked me to call the Marquis and tell you that he had something important to say to you. I said no, the Marquis hasn't gotten up yet, but he doesn't do it. He was yelling like he was going crazy. I had no choice but to report it to you."
Pizarro nodded, and then looked in through the small hole in the wall, but what he saw was half of Atahualpa's eager and anxious face. He smiled and said, "Hi, old friend, we meet again." After saying that, he asked Peter to open the door.
The door opened, and Pizarro entered the house with Robert, Martin, and Petya. The stone house is about seven meters long, six meters wide and three meters high. The ground is also paved with neat and smooth stones. The room was empty, with only a wooden chair and a large bed. The light was dim and filled with a strong musty smell. Only the two small holes in the wall let in light, bringing a bright atmosphere to the room.
Seeing the Marquis leading people into the room, Atahualpa stood up from his chair and said, "Good afternoon, Marquis." Of course, he learned this sentence from the guards guarding him.
Pizarro looked very happy after hearing this and said, "How have you been, your Majesty?"
Atahualpa smiled bitterly and said, "Do you think the prisoner's life will be easy?"
Pizarro smiled perfunctorily and asked, "I wonder what important matter the king has for me?"
Atahualpa walked up to Pizarro and said bluntly, "I also know that you have gone through hardships and traveled thousands of miles to come to us, not to spread any Christian teachings or religious beliefs."
Pizarro was stunned when he heard this and said, "Then why do you think we are here?"
Atahualpa said emphatically, "Gold." He said the word in Spanish, so Martin did not need to translate it.
Pizarro said "Oh", but he did not feel embarrassed at all, but was surprised by the Inca King's straightforward sense of humor, "Really?"
The Inca king asked, "What do you think?" Both of them laughed.
This was the first time Pizarro saw the Inca king laughing heartily and happily after he was captured, so he said without any subtlety, "Yes, we need gold."
The Inca king said, "Well, you need gold and I need freedom. I think we can make a deal."
Pizarro was a little confused, "What kind of deal can we do?" This also puzzled the others accompanying him, because one was the imprisoned king, and the other was the marquis who had the power of life and death. They What kind of deal can there be between them?
The Inca King said, "Exchange gold for free transactions. In other words, I will give you enough gold, and you let me go." After saying that, he looked at the man in front of him who controlled his life with a look of special price. Kill powerful Spanish soldiers.
"Really?" Pizarro's eyes sparkled and he asked immediately, "How much gold can you give me?"
"Many, many," the Inca king said while pointing to the ground, "for example, enough gold to cover the entire floor of the house."
"With gold that can cover the entire floor?" The Marquis pointed to the house and said to Robert and Martin, "You heard it, right? He said gold that can cover the entire floor of the house. He is not fooling us, right? ?" As he said that, Pizarro burst into laughter. "Yeah, I'm afraid he's not daydreaming."
Robert and Peter both laughed mockingly.
Being laughed at by everyone, Atahualpa looked very embarrassed and even a little overwhelmed, but he still tried to defend himself and said, "Really, this is actually nothing at all."
But Pizarro waved his hand and said in a non-negotiable tone, "Where can you get so much gold? Forget it, there is no need to talk about this impossible thing. You have other things to say. Tell me? Otherwise, I have to leave here."
When he heard that the Marquis was leaving, Atahualpa became anxious, because he had been thinking about this matter for a long time, and if he didn't talk about it, he might not have the chance. So, he pulled Pizarro's sleeve and said, "Listen, , in the royal palace and many temples in Cusco, the ceilings of the houses are covered with gold foil, the walls are paved with gold plates, and the floors are paved with gold bricks. Not to mention other places, it is just that Cusco It is enough to bring the gold from the palaces and temples.”
As Atahualpa spoke, he stood on tiptoes, raised his arms, and used his fingers to draw a mark on the wall within reach. He said, "Not only can I spread gold all over the ground, but I can also fill it with gold." As far as my fingers can reach.”
Everyone estimated that the mark made by the Inca King with his finger was about three meters above the ground. Looking at the very sincere and determined look of the Inca King, they couldn't help but be stunned and amazed, as if they were in a dream like a night pool in the sky. For this reason, Pizarro said to the Inca King in a very solemn and solemn tone, "Isn't it because you are trying to gain freedom and boasting and boasting to deceive us? But you have to know that we are all You are not a fool, we will not let you go until you fulfill your promise."
(Please pay attention to Zhang Baotong's signed work "Poetic Emotions", which includes short prose, life essays and short stories. Today's release is the life essay "Living in a Longevity Village")
