Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
Although Pizarro felt very depressed after killing Chalkuchma, Manco's arrival turned his worries into joy and greatly cheered him up. Manco was Huascar's biological brother and the legal heir to the Inca Empire, which would be very beneficial to the Spanish occupation of Cusco. Therefore, while eating breakfast, he was thinking about holding a grand coronation ceremony for Manco and solemnly announcing it to the entire empire.
At this time, more than ten princes of Quito, including Prince Hakamaga, Prince Beskara and Prince Ukamayaka, came to look for him. Prince Bescara saluted Pizarro and said in a pleading tone, "Mr. Marquis, we came out with the Inca King Huaypalcon and General Chalcuchima, but now that they are no longer here, we still have to let him go." Let’s go back to Cajamarca, shall we?”
Pizarro was stunned for a moment, then said, "No, Vaipalcon and Chalkuchma are dead, but isn't Manco here? You can become a prince and minister for him."
The prince of Xacamaga next to him immediately said to Pizarro, "Mr. Marquis, we used to be close confidants and important ministers around King Atahuallpa. However, King Atahuallpa almost treated all the Inca royal family members, princes and ministers. Kill them all. Manco is Huascar's biological brother. How can he still hate us, the princes of Quito, to death? So, please, Mr. Marquis, let us go home? We won't follow him even if we jump into the river and commit suicide. Together."
Pizarro thought for a while and said, "But there are many Chiskis troops around us. I want to let you go. You go to them and tell them about our situation here. That is It’s very detrimental to us.”
Prince Ukamayaka said, "If Mr. Marquis is worried, you can ask the soldiers to follow us. We will only go back along the royal family, not southward. Besides, we also know that Kiskis and the others are not at all I can’t beat you.”
Pizarro thought for a while and asked Antonio to call Lieutenant Pietro. After a while, Lieutenant Pietro arrived. Marquis Pizarro said to Lieutenant Pietro, “Take four cavalry and send these princes of Quito to Haoja, hand them over to Lieutenant Leonor, and ask him to send four or five more men to take them back to Cajamarca. "
Lieutenant Pietro said, "Yes, Commander." Then, he waved his hand to the princes of Quito and said, "You all come with me."
The Prince of Quito said to Pizarro, "Thank you, Mr. Marquis." and left with Pietro.
After the princes of Quito left, Pizarro felt that it was not the time to hold a coronation ceremony for Manco. This ceremony should be held after Cusco was captured. So, he told Antonio this idea. Antonio said, "That's right. After we occupy Cusco, there will be a lot of time. However, we can announce it first."
Early the next morning, Pizarro gathered his troops and declared Manco the new Inca king. Then, he took the newly appointed Inca king Manco and a large group of followers together with the Spanish army to embark on the final journey south to Cusco. When the Spanish army just left the Haquihaguana Valley and entered a deep valley and mountain stream, they saw tens of thousands of Indian soldiers appearing at the valley pass on the opposite side. They were holding spears, hatchets and javelins, watching eagerly, and blocked the entrance of the mountain stream and valley in a tight formation, as if they had been waiting here for a long time.
After discovering the enemy situation, someone immediately reported Pizarro. Pizarro came to the front to watch. He saw the narrow valley passage about 200 meters between the two armies, and immediately realized that the Indians deliberately opened up the narrow mountain valley passage to allow the Spaniards to enter the deep zone, so as to form a situation where the two armies met on a narrow road. Then, Blocking the pass and valley entrance, forcing the Spaniards to engage in a life-and-death battle with them.
Of course, Pizarro was well aware of the Indians' plan. Because the area was narrow and there were cliffs on both sides, it was inconvenient for the cavalry troops to deploy and attack. Therefore, he felt that he could not allow the troops to risk attacking, so he ordered the infantry to hold up their matchlock guns and be ready at all times. Attack the Indians. At the same time, prepare the cavalry to charge and counterattack.
However, the other side obviously did not want to take the initiative to launch an attack. Therefore, the soldiers on both sides were at war with each other and stood ready for battle. They faced off against each other for an hour or two. However, continuing to confront each other like this is not an option. Seeing that it was noon, Captain Soto came over and suggested to Pizarro, "Commander, it will be very detrimental to us to wait like this. Why not organize the cavalry to rush over and disperse them, then the road will be open." .”
Pizarro couldn't wait any longer, so he agreed with Captain Soto's opinion and said to General Almagro beside him, "General, send your cavalry along with Soto's cavalry. Break a bloody path." Almagro said, "Okay." Then he shouted to a captain named Saavedra next to him, "Captain Saavedra, you lead the cavalry and follow Captain Soto. Let's attack together." Captain Saavedra responded and ordered the cavalry to mount their horses.
The cavalry was ready, and the infantry moved out of the way to make way for the cavalry. More than a hundred cavalrymen mounted their horses, drew their swords, and followed Captain Soto's orders to form a formation. At this time, Captain Soto said to the trumpeter, "Blow the trumpet." In an instant, the charge trumpet sounded throughout the mountain stream and deep valley. Soto waved his long sword and shouted, "Soldiers, rush out of the valley mouth, which is the capital of Cusco. Rush!"
The cavalry lined up in a long line, shouting and charging towards them. But the Indian soldiers were not scared away by the Spanish cavalry charge. They did not move. Instead, they aimed their javelins and weapons at the intruders, just waiting for them to rush forward before launching projections and counterattacks. . Soon, soldiers from both armies rushed together and started a melee.
One side wanted to open a passage, and the other side wanted to block the valley entrance, so the two armies fought in the dangerous area of the valley entrance. For a moment there were shouts and screams. The Spanish swords kept slashing, and the poor Indians fell into a pool of blood one by one. The Indians' javelins and short arrows kept shooting towards the Spaniards. Spanish soldiers and horses were being shot dead and wounded, falling from the crowd.
Seeing that if the fighting continued like this, there would be greater casualties, Pizarro asked the trumpeter to blow the retreat trumpet. As a result, the cavalry quickly retreated from their positions. After counting the casualties, seven or eight Spanish people were killed and more than twenty were injured. In front of the Indian position, there was a large pile of fallen people, at least one hundred and eighty people.
While Pizarro asked the cavalry to seize the time to rest and give the horses water and food, he also called Almagro, Soto, Saavedra and others together to discuss a more effective attack method. Several people discussed together for a while. Finally, Pizarro felt that Soto's method was more feasible, so he asked everyone to prepare for another attack according to Soto's method.
In order to make the attack more powerful and effective, Pizarro asked the troops to stop only seventy or eighty meters away from the Indians, and suddenly ordered the infantry to shoot and bombard the Indian soldiers with guns and small cannons. Suddenly, there was a loud sound of gunfire in the valley, and Indian soldiers fell one by one. The Indians suffered numerous casualties due to this sudden shooting and shelling. They wanted to hide but had nowhere to hide. They could only be knocked down and blown down by flying bullets and shells. While they were in a panic and hiding in a hurry. The Spaniards stopped shooting, and the cavalry rushed over with swords waving.
At this time, the Indian soldiers no longer had the ability to parry and resist. When they saw the cavalry charging towards them, they retreated and fled. When the cavalry chased them to the valley pass area, the Indians' positions had been cleared away, and the soldiers only focused on facing towards the valley. He ran away desperately on a high slope outside the valley entrance. The entire road leading out of the valley was open to the Spaniards.
Pizarro directed the soldiers to quickly pass through the dangerous pass at the valley pass. After leaving the dangerous pass at Taniguchi, we entered the flat avenue and Pingchuan River. At this time, the scattered Indian soldiers quickly regrouped on a high slope, and the entire hillside was crowded with darkness. However, they did not rush over from the high slope, but stood on the high slope and shouted at the Spaniards, bluffing and emboldening themselves.
The Spaniards were worried that the Indians would pursue them, so they set up a fighting posture in the plain area and waited until the Indians were halfway down the high slope before letting the cavalry charge over. People are disconnected from each other and unable to connect. However, the Spaniards waited on the plain for a while, but did not see the Indians coming down from the high slope. Perhaps they already knew that they would not gain an advantage or advantage in a decisive battle with Spain on the plains. Seeing that the Indians had no intention of rushing down the high slope or pursuing them, and seeing that it was getting late, Pizarro commanded the troops to speed up their march towards the south.
After leaving the canyon area, the terrain gradually became flat, and there were no more Indians along the way. Therefore, the troops walked very fast. At dusk in the afternoon, when the sun shed the last light of the day on the mountainous land, the soldiers had already arrived in a large flat basin surrounded by mountains, where they could see clearly to the silhouette of a city.
Moving forward, the outline of the city becomes clearer and clearer. On the edge of the city, the tall altars dedicated to the sun god and the majestic and sturdy castles protecting the capital are the most eye-catching. They seem to be the endorsement and symbol of the city. . Behind the tall altar and castle, there are rows of low and continuous houses. In the afterglow of the setting sun, they fill the entire flat canyon basin or the nearby low hillsides, seeming to be brighter than the night sky. The stars are even denser.
As the sun sets, this city, known as the city closest to the sun, looks more and more simple and dignified in the afterglow, like a puma lying prone in the fertile valley of the Eastern Andes. Under the sun, the golden land and golden houses complement each other, and the whole city seems to be glowing with golden light, giving this simple and beautiful city a layer of tranquility and mystery.
Speaking of this ancient and beautiful city, there is a beautiful and moving story in the oracle of the creation of the Inca Empire. Legend has it that the Sun God created a young man and woman on the Sun Island in the center of Lake Titicaca. The man was Manco Capac and the woman was Mama Voao. The two fell in love and eventually got married. So, the Sun God gave them the magical golden staff and told them to find the place where the golden staff sank and settle there. Following God's will, they wandered around the world with their golden staffs and came to the Cusco Basin. They found the beautiful scenery and pleasant climate here, so they inserted the golden staffs into the ground. In an instant, the golden staffs disappeared without a trace. They knew that this was the place guided by the gods, so they lived and worked here, lived and multiplied, and established the city of Cusco.
Whether it is the beautiful legends from the oracles or the temptation of gold all over the place, these Spaniards who arrived here after three months of fighting will feel extremely excited and happy. This ancient and mysterious city becomes even more exciting and fascinating because of the temptation of gold everywhere. Therefore, the soldiers stood on the high slopes near Pingchuan, ecstatic, running to tell each other, cheering, jumping for joy, and daydreaming about the most beautiful things in their hearts.
After the sun sets, the entire Cusco Basin is shrouded in quiet twilight. The peaks and tall buildings present ancient and mysterious silhouettes in the quiet twilight, which makes the Spanish conquerors who have been pursuing and expedition for a long time even more excited. Full of expectation and longing. However, it was getting late at this time, and it was very unsafe to enter the city at night. Therefore, Pizarro decided to set up a tent and camp on a plain grassland outside the city, waiting to enter the city early tomorrow morning, and sent some spies there. Explore the city for reconnaissance.
Most of Kiskis' troops are stationed in or outside Cusco, and it is very unsafe to camp here. Therefore, Pizarro deployed many sentries and patrols around the camp, and asked the soldiers to be alert and ready for battle at any time. However, this night was very peaceful.
