The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
Seeing that Chalkuchma was still worried and at a loss, Hernando added, "If the general is really in poor health, he doesn't have to go. We can convey the general's words and meaning to the Inca King. .”
Listening to these words, Chalkuchma couldn't help but feel a little moved. He said, "It's not that I don't want to visit the king, but I'm worried that you will imprison me like the king."
Of course, Hernando understood what Chalkuchma was thinking, so he swore to the Inca nobleman with a pat on his chest, "The Marquis is my biological brother, and he has to listen to what I say. Besides, we have an agreement with the Inca King. Yes, as long as he fulfills his promise, we will release him unconditionally, and then return to our own kingdom by boat with the gold. Because I am only here for the gold, not to occupy your kingdom."
Chalkuchma listened to the words of the two Spaniards and considered them in his mind. He knew that the Spaniards' words were not credible, but he could not go against the Inca King's will. Because all the information shows that the Spaniards have an agreement with the king. As long as the king raises enough gold, the Spaniards will release the king. Because he also knew that the Spaniards came here to grab gold. As long as they grabbed enough gold, they would return in triumph and would not be able to stay here for a long time. Therefore, there was no need for them to kill the Inca King. If he disobeys the king's will this time, when the king comes out, he will definitely beheaded. And if he goes to Cajamarca with the Spaniards this time, as long as the king is not in danger, Chalkuchma will not have any surprises. Therefore, after much thought, he felt that he should still go to Cajamarca, but he had to ask the marquis' brother to make a certain guarantee.
He said, "I can go to Cajamarca, but I want to know how the captain and the marquis can ensure my safety and smooth return?"
It was easy to get the Spaniards to vouch for it. Hernando said to Chalkuchma, "We are not here to coerce the general, but to convey the will of the Inca King Atahualpa. As long as the Inca King raises the gold, the Marquis will release the king unconditionally. Therefore, General What’s there to worry about?”
Then, Hernando said, "When we come here, the general treats us as a distinguished guest, and we will treat the general as a distinguished guest. As the brother of the Marquis, I guarantee that if we Spaniards cannot treat the general with the same courtesy , we will be punished by the Inca curse.”
Antonio also said calmly, "If the general is worried, he can bring more entourage or guards."
But Chalkuchma said, "That's not necessary. As long as you can strictly abide by your integrity, I will be relieved."
After capturing the Inca King Atahualpa, the Spanish achieved another major victory. They defeated the Inca's most famous military leader with 35,000 soldiers without firing a shot. This is not because of the stupidity of Chalkuchma, but the stupidity of the Inca Kingdom, because in this closed society, people do not have basic freedom and thoughts, only the selfish desires of the Inca king. Although Chalkuchma was the commander of the army, he could not make any decisions, and the only person who could make decisions was the Inca king.
The Spaniards had shown Chalcuchima the safe passage given to them by King Atahualpa, and this exquisite and beautiful knotted rope was specially made for the Inca King. It not only conveyed a certain message, but also symbolized With a kind of royal power. Therefore, when the Spaniards obtained this knotted rope that symbolized royal power, they also had the power to command Chalkuch horses.
It can be said that Chalkuchma had no choice because he did not know whether the Spaniards were deceiving him or whether Atahualpa really wanted to summon him. Therefore, he must go to Cajamarca with the Spaniards to accept the king's summons.
With a very frustrated and conflicting mood, he hurriedly made some preparations, put on a new set of expensive clothes, rode in an eight-person sedan, and brought with him more than 200 followers and guards, as well as all the money he could raise. Two large bundles of gold items as gifts for the king followed Hernando on the road.
Under the escort of 200 soldiers from outside, Chalkuch Ma sat in a sedan chair carried by eight people, carrying two large bundles of gold carried on camels, and followed the Spanish cavalry to start their journey south. On the way to Cajamarca, we walked along the royal road. Everywhere we went, whether it was a town or a village, people welcomed them warmly and treated them like kings. There was something that puzzled even the Spaniards. These farmers in the mountains and deep valleys were all under the rule of Huascar in the past, and they should hate the Quidos who captured and killed Huascar. However, these farmers in the mountains are so simple and simple. They seem to hold no grudge against anyone and are very friendly and enthusiastic towards everyone. As soon as they see someone coming from afar, they will smile at you like sunshine, invite you to their home, and treat you with the best food and accommodation in their home. This may be because the deep mountains are sparsely populated, and it is difficult to see anyone passing by. Therefore, people from outside are very rare.
Although they took the royal road, the royal road also often walked on the plank roads on the cliffs of the valleys and on the towering stone steps. Especially when passing through the Huascaran Peak, it was almost impossible for the Spaniards to pass without the help of Inca soldiers. Because their tall horses cannot climb those almost vertical stone steps and ladders. It was those Inca soldiers who pushed the horse's butt hard behind the horse and pushed the horse to the top of the mountain. Then, they covered the horse's eyes with clothes, tied up the horse's neck and waist with ropes, and tied the horse to the top of the mountain. The horses were hung from the top of the mountain to the platform on the mountainside.
After walking day and night on the spacious and flat Royal Avenue for more than two weeks, they finally arrived at the small town of Cajamarca at noon on a beautiful and peaceful day. As the commander of the northern army of the Inca Kingdom, Chalcuchima had been receiving the kind of king-like honor and courtesy throughout the entire journey, but it disappeared when he met with King Atahualpa. More than two hundred of his soldiers were forced to separate from him and were taken to the barracks of the Spanish Expeditionary Force by Antonio and several cavalrymen because the Spaniards did not allow these soldiers to approach the temple where Atahualpa was imprisoned for fear that they would attack the guards. The Inca king's Spanish soldiers attacked or rescued their king. In fact, as soon as these Inca soldiers entered the Spanish military camp, they were disarmed by the Spanish soldiers and sent them home. Because they stayed in Cajamarca, they were a threat to the Spanish. The Spanish not only had to protect the Incas, but also the houses containing gold and silver.
(Please pay attention to Zhang Baotong's signed work "Poetic Emotions", which includes short prose, life essays and short and medium-sized novels. Today's release is the novella "Love Ladder" (9. True Love))
