Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
Pizarro led a large group of troops and arrived at Haoha at noon on the third day after the cavalry squad captured the Chalkuchma military camp. Haoha is in the center of a flat canyon deep in the Cordillera mountains. The Mantaro River leading to the seaside flows quietly from north to south next to the town. There are many mountain passes in the valley, which lead to the depths of the surrounding mountains. The streams in the surrounding mountains also collect in the valley along the canals and flow into the Mantaro River. This is where the mountain people from deep in the mountains come out of the mountains, and it is also where the mountain people from the surrounding mountains gather and disperse. Therefore, it is also a place where Indians live relatively densely.
When the cavalry and infantry of the Spanish troops entered the main road in Haoha town in neat lines, thousands of local Haoha people stood on both sides of the road to watch. They had honest and simple smiling faces, and some men and women even sang and danced on the roadside, showing a cheerful look.
This somewhat confused and puzzled the Spaniards. Because wherever they go, people are almost always wary and suspicious of them, and even regard them as invaders or robbers. But only the people here in Haoha are so kind and friendly to them. So, they waved back to them with a very friendly and cordial smile. Because they simply didn't know that this place was once a large alien tribe of Indians, which had always lived a peaceful and free life. However, it was later invaded and conquered by the Inca King leading an army of tens of thousands. Although the army withdrew, Inca officials continued to rule them harshly and had to pay a lot of tributes and taxes to the Sun God and the Inca King every year.
Later, the Quitos defeated the Incas. People expected that the Quitos would treat them better than the Incas. However, they found that the Quitos were more vicious and harsh than the Incas, so they hated all the Incas. When I saw the Spaniards beating the Incas to pieces and fleeing in all directions, I felt that they were heavenly soldiers and generals sent by God to relieve them of their grievances and fight against injustice. Therefore, they were delighted and full of expectations at the arrival of the Spaniards.
Pizarro stationed a large force in the Inca camp. Part of the Inca military camp was in the castle on the other side of the mountain pass, but it was mainly on the flat open land beside the Mantaro River, only a stone's throw away from the Inca king's palace and the royal road. The barracks leans against the river bank on one side and the terraced fields on the hillside on the other. There are more than 20 bungalows densely built on the south side of a large playground. These bungalows served as a camping ground for the Spanish troops.
The troops entered the barracks, and Pizarro asked his secretary Antonio to arrange accommodation for the troops. He took Martin, Father Valverde and others for a walk while patrolling around the barracks. The barracks are still surrounded by flat open land, and you can see places several kilometers away at a glance. Pizarro thought the environment and scenery here were good, so he said to the bishop, "This place is good. We can stay here for a few days."
The bishop said, "I heard from the Inca people that this is a geomantic treasure land of the Inca Empire. It is rich in products and has a large population. It is not far from the coast, and there are water and land routes to the sea. So, I wonder if we can Use this place as a settlement to communicate and communicate with overseas?”
When Pizarro heard this, he immediately nodded and said, "This is a good idea and worth considering. Moreover, the people here are also friendly to us."
As they were talking, they came to a temple. The temple is neither big nor small. Perhaps it has been there for many years. The stones on the walls have changed color and look primitive and old. So Pizarro said to the bishop, "If we build a colonial stronghold here, we must transform this temple into a Christian church." When reviewing the bloody record of Spanish colonial history, it should be justly pointed out that from its country As it sent out its hard-hearted conquerors, the country also sent out its consoling missionaries, who carried the light of Christian civilization to the farthest reaches of the New World.
The bishop said, "Yes, it should be so."
They entered the temple together. The temple is also a small courtyard, with a large room for sacrifices and two rows of houses for the priests. But everyone in the small courtyard had already fled. Entering the sacrificial hall, it was a little dark inside, but they immediately saw a throne in the middle of the hall, with wooden statues of gods worshiped by the Incas on it. Father Valverde immediately grabbed the wooden statue of the pagan god from the throne, threw it hard into the open space in front of the door, and then said to the Marquis of Pizarro beside him, "I will soon transform this place into our Church of Christ.”
Pizarro said, "We have been marching forward smoothly on the way to Cusco. It can even be said that we have been achieving great victories in the cause of conquering this empire. For this reason, we should hold a mass to pay our respects. Thank you God. Therefore, you must renovate the church as soon as possible.”
When they just came out of the temple, a Spanish cavalry galloped over and saluted Pizarro, "Report to the Commander, I am under the orders of Captain Soto to report to you that on the road to Bilkas, It was severely damaged by the enemy. Villages were burned, bridges were destroyed, huge rocks and trees lay across the road, and the cavalry's advance was repeatedly blocked. Moreover, the enemy could often be seen coming out to harass, so the advance was slow."
Pizarro frowned and asked, "Where has Soto's cavalry team arrived now?"
The soldier said, "In a village called Arisma."
Pizarro immediately took out a hand-drawn map from his pocket and looked at it. However, he couldn't find the village after looking for a long time, so he asked, "How far are you from Bilkas?"
The soldier said, "It seems like there is still a day's journey."
Pizarro said to the soldiers, "Tell Captain Soto that I want him to find a way to repair the bridge and clear the roadblocks, because our large army will be there soon."
The soldier replied, "Yes, Commander."
With the idea of establishing a Spanish colony here in Haoha, Pizarro began to make preparations in this regard. He was deeply impressed and moved by the friendliness and enthusiasm shown by the Haoha people towards the Spaniards, so he thought of a way to mingle with the locals.
Early the next morning, he asked all the soldiers to assemble on the playground of the Inca camp. When the Spanish bugle sounded for the first time in the Haoha Canyon, many locals rushed to the Inca military camp to watch the excitement. In the past, locals were never allowed to approach the Inca military camp.
After the soldiers gathered on the playground, Pizarro, dressed in a neat military uniform, walked in front of the soldiers with a stern expression, his hands behind his back, and began to speak in a very solemn and solemn tone. He said, "Officers and soldiers of the Spanish Expeditionary Force, today we occupied the central town of Haoha in the Inca Empire. This is a key step for us to march into the capital city of Cusco, but this place was once the headquarters of Chalcuchima's Quito army. At the base camp, there will definitely be many Inca troops around us, so we must be vigilant and be prepared to guard against sudden attacks by the Inca troops."
Then, he added, "The local Haoha people are very friendly to us. We must respect them, love them, and maintain good relations with them. To this end, I require every officer and soldier to strictly abide by military discipline and must not You are not allowed to harass the people, let alone rape women or plunder property. Anyone who dares to offend will be severely punished by military law."
After Pizarro finished speaking, he asked the troops to train on the playground. Almagro's soldiers were divided into two teams, and a team of more than a hundred cavalry was doing shock training, commanded by Almagro himself. With the sound of the bugle, the cavalrymen waved their swords and charged towards the other side of the training ground. Suddenly, the dust kicked up by the galloping cavalry on the huge Indian barracks swept across like a hurricane, filling half of the sky. The cavalry team rushed to the end of the playground by the river before stopping.
More and more Indians came to watch, and they all felt inexplicable surprise and awe at this tall and galloping animal. Due to over-hunting or other reasons, the wild horses in the Indian territories have long been extinct, so the Indians have never seen this tall and powerful animal. However, similar animals often appear in their metaphors. The legend of animals such as Kontic riding a flying horse leaping out of the sea, riding in the clouds and mist, and killing people is almost a household name, known to women and children alike. This is also the active reason why they have a kind of deified reverence for animals like horses.
On the other side of the square of the Inca military camp, nearly two hundred Spanish infantrymen lined up in a square formation, holding matchlock guns and shouting slogans. Under the command of a captain, they walked back and forth in the square with neat steps. Walking. However, their training was inferior compared to that of the cavalry, and there were very few onlookers.
After a while, Commander Pizarro, accompanied by his secretaries Antonio and Martin, came to the Indians who were watching the soldiers training on the sidelines, greeted them and asked some questions. Martin kept translating between the commander and the locals. The Indians felt that this tall white officer had a kind and approachable attitude, so they gathered around and saluted him.
An old Indian asked, "Are you the tall white man Contic flying from the sea on a white horse?" Pizarro smiled and asked Martin, "Who is Contic?" Martin said, "This is A god-man in Indian mythology, who sometimes rides in a big boat, sometimes rides on a white horse, can breathe fire, cast thunder and lightning, and specializes in punishing those who have sinned or made mistakes."
Pizarro nodded, smiled and said to the Indians, "We are dedicated to punishing those gods who oppress the people." When the old man heard this, he immediately shouted to everyone, and then people all moved towards him happily. Pizarro and the others cheered.
Then, the older man with a long white beard clasped his hands and said to Pizarro, "Please come and sit in the humble house." Pizarro hesitated for a moment, then nodded and agreed, taking Antonio and Together with Martin, surrounded by the Indians, they walked toward the village along the path next to the Indian military camp.
When they walked along the path by the river to the square where the cavalry returned, they saw some soldiers riding horses and some leading horses. They seemed a little scared when they passed by. Pizarro said to them, "You don't have to be afraid, our horses will not hurt you." In order to confirm the Marquis's words to the locals, Antonio even brought a bay horse from a soldier for them to see. However, before the horse could be brought over, the people were so frightened that they scattered in all directions. In order to reassure everyone, Pizarro picked up a three or four-year-old boy from an Indian woman, supported the boy and put him on the horse.
The boy was ignorant and looked like he was laughing while sitting on the horse. This surprised and excited the other Indians, and they were no longer afraid of horses. As a result, other people gathered around the horse. The first person who came around was a young man. He wanted to put his hand on the horse and touch it, but he was still a little timid, so he stood far away from the horse and suddenly touched the horse's body with his hand. After reacting, he dared to put his hand completely on the horse's body and touch it for a while. However, when the young Indian touched the horse's butt with his hand, the horse suddenly neighed. The young man was so frightened that he turned around and ran away. He ran for a mile or two before looking back and saw that the horse was still standing there. He didn't move, so he squatted on the ground and gasped for air. It made people laugh at him.
