Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
The guards of Usaka and the deputy commander of Supaipa were the four trusted princes appointed by Atahualpa to guard Huascar. After King Atahualpa was captured, they still absolutely respected and obeyed the Inca King and stayed in the strong castle in Bambamarca. However, the execution of King Atahualpa by the Spaniards did give them a great shock and blow. They even felt that the sky was suddenly falling apart and they did not know who they should listen to and obey from now on. Because for the Indian princes, they all had to listen and obey the Inca King, followed by their leaders and superiors. Now that their Inca king is gone, although the Spaniards have re-established a new Inca king, they have no confidence or respect for this Inca king who was supported by foreigners. Therefore, when I heard that the Spaniards were marching from Cajamarca to Cusco via Bambamarca, they immediately panicked and began to evacuate southward with more than 2,000 garrison soldiers early on.
The news of the Spaniards' march into Cusco was sent to the castle barracks of Bambamarca by Indian spies the day before their departure. Usaka, Supaipa and others immediately held a meeting to discuss countermeasures and decided to immediately attack the castle. The troops withdrew to Haoha. On the road from Bambamarca to Cusco, although it is a royal road all the way, there are also many dangerous passes. As long as some people are guarding some of the dangerous passes, they can play the role of one person guarding the pass and no one can open it. What's more, they have more than 2,000 soldiers under their command. However, they had long been frightened by the mythical impact and massacre of the Spanish cavalry. Therefore, when they heard that the Spanish cavalry was coming, they were afraid that they would not be able to escape.
However, in order to prevent and delay the Spanish's southward march, they sent a small force to burn all the villages and destroy all the bridges along the way. Although this failed to stop the Spanish advance, it also effectively slowed them down. Therefore, more than two thousand Indian soldiers arrived at the small town of Haoha three days earlier than the Spanish forward Soto cavalry team, and joined forces with Chalkuchma's deputy commander Hasguana.
Hearing that the Spaniards were coming all the way to Haoha, Hasguana, the deputy commander of Chalkuchma, immediately deployed heavy troops on the mountain passes and castles entering Haoha to block them. The Spanish marched south into Cusco. This morning, Hasguana heard that a Spanish cavalry squad of about 60 people had approached Haoha, so he called Supaipa and Usaka to discuss countermeasures.
When Supaipa and Usaka entered the room, three generals were waiting. They all wore clothes that symbolized the Inca nobility. Their clothes and trousers were relatively short, with long socks underneath. A large cloak from top to bottom is gorgeous and eye-catching. Not only is the fabric excellent, but there are many exquisite embroideries on it. There is a large gold medal pinned to the clothes, which is the military medal of the princes and nobles. It can be seen that almost all of them were nobles of the Inca royal family of Quito.
Seeing the two palace dignitaries coming in, the three generals quickly bowed and saluted. The etiquette and customs of the Inca Empire were very strict. People with lower positions must first salute those with higher positions, and people with lower positions must also arrive earlier than those with higher positions to greet those with higher positions.
After a while Hasguana also entered the room. He was about forty years old, and he wore a helmet with several very long tropical bird feathers on his head. Perhaps the feathers were too long, which made him look a little short and thin. But what impressed people the most was his slightly anxious look. For a military commander, this clearly lacks the magnanimity and responsibility to be bold and energetic. However, it is no wonder that Chalkuchma has always been a victorious general of the Inca Empire. He is famous, has high prestige, is resourceful and has outstanding military exploits. Therefore, before every battle, he explains the entire strategy and tactics to everyone. He just said, "Let the coach make the decision." However, after the coach was imprisoned by the Spaniards, his deputy coach suddenly lost his backbone.
Seeing that Supaipa and Usaka had arrived in front of him, he seemed a little embarrassed and hurriedly said, "I should be the one to greet the two nobles." Although Hasguana, Supaipa and Usaka belong to Pingji positions, but both Supaipa and Usaka were close associates of Atahualpa, and their level of dignity must be higher than that of Hasguana. Therefore, when Hasguana saw the two of them greeting him, he felt that he Somewhat disrespectful.
But Supaipa said, "The Inca king was killed, and the two of us can only seek refuge with the deputy commander. We hope that the deputy commander will accept him." Hasguana said, "The two distinguished guests are so condescending that I am afraid that I will wrong you." Then he asked Usaka and Supaipa to sit down, and then he sat down himself.
After everyone met, they first exchanged greetings and exchanged a few greetings. Then, they behaved and sat quietly on the chairs next to a big table. Hasguana said with a serious face and a very solemn tone, "According to reports from spies, a Spanish cavalry team of more than 60 people has been heading towards Haoha along the Mantaro River. It will probably arrive at noon tomorrow. will come here. Therefore, we must be prepared to completely and completely eliminate this white cavalry."
Usaka asked Hasguana, "How many soldiers are there in our army?" Hasguana said, "More than 20,000 people." Usaka was startled and said, "Didn't you say there are 50,000 elite soldiers?" Siguana said, "It turned out that there were 50,000 elite soldiers. However, since Commander Chalkuchma was imprisoned by the Spanish, and he heard that the Spaniards were coming to capture Cusco, Commander Chiskis said that he would strengthen Cusco. For the defense of Co, 30,000 people were transferred to Bilkas." Usaka said, "It is easy for 20,000 people to deal with about 60 Spaniards, and they can be captured with ease." Supaipa also said , "As long as we surround them, one person can drown them with just a spit of spit."
However, Hasguana shook his head and said, "You can't say that. Our king brought 80,000 soldiers. Didn't he let a hundred or so people be scattered and captured alive?" Usaka said, "That's right. The king underestimated the enemy and did not let the soldiers carry weapons. If the two sides really fought with real guns and swords, I am afraid that those white people would have died without a burial place."
Supaipa said, "However, these big Spanish white men should not be underestimated, especially the tall horses they ride. I heard that they are like the gods ridden by the god Contic. They can knock down a large number of people just by charging into the crowd." People. It also wears a kind of jingling thing around its neck, which makes people feel frightened when they hear it."
But a lean and elderly general under Hasguana said, "The most terrifying thing about the big white man is not his horse, but the sword in his hand. The sword is very long, and it is longer than the sword in our soldier's hand." The hatchets and daggers used were much longer, so we were at a disadvantage when fighting them. Also, they wore armor and had shields on their hands, which made it impossible for our short arrows to shoot through. Therefore, many of our soldiers Seeing that they survived being hit by short arrows, I thought they were invulnerable."
Supaipa asked the general named Pumatanka, "So, there's nothing we can do?" General Pumatanka shook his head and said, "Actually, it's not like there's nothing we can do to deal with these Spaniards. , as long as we avoid their advantages and use the advantages of large numbers of people and familiar geography to deal with them, we will not be unable to defeat them."
Supaipa listened to Pumatanca's words, nodded in agreement, and then asked Hasguana, "Vice Commander, I think we should use General Pumatanca's method to deal with the Spanish. It is best not to confront them on the plains. Fight. I heard that the Spanish cavalry likes to fight on the plains the most." Hasguana asked disapprovingly, "Then how do you think we should fight the Spanish whites?" Supaipa had never fought with the Spanish, but he only heard that , so, when asked by Hasguana, he said, "I think it's better to listen to Pumatanka's opinion."
Pumatanka said, "In my opinion, the first thing to do is to guard the castle at the mountain pass of the town. As long as the castle is not lost, the Spaniards will not be able to enter the valley. If they cannot enter the valley, they will not be able to advance. City of Cusco.”
Deputy Commander Supaipa said, "I agree with Pumatanka's opinion. We must hold on to the castle at the mountain pass." Usaka also said, "We must hold on to the castle, otherwise, let Spain pass the mountain pass and enter the valley and plains. Once their entire army arrives, it may be difficult to fight against them.”
Hasguana also said that Puma Tanka's tactics were feasible, but he took out a complicated knotted rope from a small blue and showed it to everyone. This knot is very delicate, with many knots of different colors and distances. Everyone present picked up the knotted rope and looked at it for a while, and then fell silent.
Obviously, this complex and exquisite knot is specially used by the royal family, and the secrets on the knot can only be understood by the Inca royal nobles who have been specially educated. Judging from the color of the knot and the meaning of the knot, the deputy commander of Hasguana was asked to perform such a task: withdraw from the mountain pass castle, allow the enemy to enter the plains of the Haoha Valley, and then burn down the Mantaro River. Use the small bridge to force the enemy to cross the river and cross the bank, and then attack the enemy so that they have no way to escape, so they can gather together and annihilate them.
When everyone saw this knotted rope, they knew that it was an order issued by a person with a high position, but they did not know who this person was. However, everyone felt that this strategy was well-intentioned and very clever, so they rejected it. The suggestion made by Pumatanka just now to hold on to the mountain pass castle.
Of course, Hasguana must know who formulated and issued this strategy, so he does not need to discuss it with everyone, but requires everyone to implement it faithfully and conscientiously. Indians must obey the orders of their superiors absolutely without any objection or discount. Otherwise, you will lose your head immediately. Even if it is the Inca prince, although he is victorious in battles, returns triumphant, and even has outstanding achievements, as long as he is disobedient at all, the Inca prince can execute him immediately.
So Hasguana issued an order to the three generals, "I order you to carry out the task immediately, withdraw all soldiers from the mountain pass castle, burn the rope bridge on the river, gather all troops on the river bank, and prepare to move all the troops across the river. The white soldiers will be wiped out cleanly and completely." The three generals said in unison, "Yes, my deputy commander." At this time, Supaipa said to Hasguana, "Then what are we doing?" Hasguana He smiled and said, "Let's just stand on the high slope and enjoy the scenery."
