Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
After the Spaniards distributed the stolen gold and silver to all their officers and soldiers, prices continued to soar in downtown Cusco, while the value of gold continued to plummet. Seeing this situation, some Spanish soldiers took the opportunity to ask to return to their hometown in Spain, because there, the gold in their hands could make them wealthy. However, this also attracted more and more Spaniards to come for gold hunting and adventure. Because Pizarro's success in the Inca Empire was like a legend and myth that greatly inspired thousands of Spanish adventurers.
At this time, an officer named Don Pedro Alvarado crossed the ocean from Guatemala with a team of more than 500 people and rushed over in the wind and waves. This man once served under General Cortez who conquered Mexico and became famous for his outstanding military achievements. After conquering Mexico, he returned home in fine clothes, married a daughter of a prominent Spanish family, and then returned to Guatemala. There, he obtained a large amount of information and reports from General Pizarro on the conquest of the Inca Empire. From these information and reports, he learned that Pizarro's occupation was limited to Peru, but the Kingdom of Quito in the north was the residence of King Atahualpa, and the gold wealth stored and owned had not yet been divided up. These information and reports strongly inspired his greed and dreams. So, he pretended not to know the fact that this territory had been granted to Francisco Pizarro by the King of Spain, recruited soldiers, built mast ships, and rushed there with a huge fleet of more than 500 well-equipped soldiers. On the way to the Spice Islands, he suddenly ordered the fleet to change course and sail to South America.
It was an early morning in March 1534. Galax Bay was completely empty and there was no wind on the coast. The bright sunshine shone on the quaint and beautiful beach, giving people a dreamlike feeling. After two or three months of arduous voyage, this elite force with more than 260 cavalry and more than 270 infantry finally set foot on this exciting land.
They rested in nearby areas for more than a week and formed a force with more than 3,000 Indians who had been recruited and surrendered. Then, with the Indians as guides, they began to march towards Quito, the northern capital of the Inca Empire.
The road from Galax Bay to the northern capital of Quito is difficult and long, requiring several weeks of walking. However, the Spanish general who participated in the conquest of Mexico and his soldiers have experienced hardships and can withstand the hardships and harsh environments under any conditions. So, on the advice of the local guide, they decided to take a very difficult but very fast path.
This path leads from the coast to Riobamba, the hinterland of the Kingdom of Quito. The entire route passes through almost the most steep mountains and vast snowfields in the Andes. There are many active volcanoes and seismic rupture zones here. You can often see and feel volcanic eruptions and earthquake shaking. Even in the best season of the year, it is a bold adventure to pass through here, so only extremely A few Indians passed here.
However, the desire for gold, wealth and dreams motivate them every moment, which gives them the confidence to overcome all difficulties and obstacles, then conquer the city of Quito, and rob and divide up the large amounts of gold and treasures there like Pizarro. .
These Spanish troops and Indian affiliated troops, totaling 3,778 people, set off in a mighty manner on a sunny day, heading towards the depths of the mountains along the paths in the mountains. The air in the mountains is fresh, the breeze is cool, the climate is pleasant, and the scenery is endless. This makes the Spaniards who come here from the tropical region of Guatemala in Central America feel extremely comfortable and happy. Therefore, the soldiers walked a whole day's journey from morning to afternoon, but they did not feel the slightest fatigue. It was only in the evening, after the sun set and the evening wind blew, that I started to feel a little cooler. So Alvarado ordered the soldiers to set up tents on a flat ground and start camping.
Although the Andes are relatively close to the equator, there is a large temperature difference between day and night. Therefore, when the temperature dropped suddenly at night, the soldiers slowly felt the cold. The Spanish can still adapt to this kind of cold, but those Indians have lived in relatively warm and hot areas for a long time. Men and women usually only wear a thin pair of trousers, and their upper bodies are almost naked; in some places, men and women even I didn't even wear pants to cover my shame, so I couldn't stand the cold climate and environment. I shivered in the cold night wind and couldn't sleep all night.
The further you go into the mountains, the lower the temperature becomes. Not only is it unbearably cold at night, but the temperature during the day is also very low. You can see patches of snow on the shady side of the mountain slopes and beside the streams on the roadside. Obviously, the commanders and soldiers seemed to be unprepared for the temperature and environment. They only brought some simple luggage and thin military uniforms, so the cold weather quickly put the soldiers into trouble. Moreover, there is no one in the deep mountains. Except for the cold wind, there are cold cliffs and vast white snow. In some places, even trees and crops are not visible. After several days of travel, the soldiers had very little dry food left, and the journey to the end of the trail was far away. This made many soldiers feel some fear and uneasiness.
After crossing the Dabur River, we entered the alpine zone, and heavy snow began to fall in the sky. Snowflakes as big as cotton wool were flying all over the sky, falling continuously, and soon formed a thick silver blanket on the ground. Terrible disasters began to spread among the troops. First of all, almost all of the Indian soldiers had suffered severe frostbite. Some had swollen hands from frostbite and could not hold things; some had swollen feet from frostbite and walked with a limp; and some had frostbitten hands, feet and ears. Especially among the older and frail Indian soldiers, some have fallen ill and are unable to continue walking. They can only stay in the fallen snow, waiting to freeze to death and starve to death.
The snow is getting heavier and heavier, the road is getting harder and harder to walk, and the food is almost running out. This is the seventh day of the march, and the soldiers are too hungry and tired to walk. At noon, the troops came to a forest, and someone asked to stop and rest for a while to warm themselves up by the fire. Alvarado nodded and asked the troops to stop and light a fire to warm themselves or grill their meals.
So, the soldiers took their hands out of their sleeves and pockets, stamped their feet and breathed heat on the backs of their hands with their mouths, and then bumped their bodies against the trees to shake off the ice and snow on the trees. Start chopping branches with bayonets and start lighting fires.
After a while, someone started a fire, and other soldiers came to start the fire. Soon, there were piles of bonfires burning more and more brightly beside the woods in the deep mountain canyons that were blinded by snowflakes. The soldiers gathered around the campfire to roast their frozen and frostbitten hands and feet. Some soldiers' hands and feet were numb from frostbite and screamed in pain when they were burned by the fire; some soldiers suddenly burst into tears and said that they could not move their hands and feet. However, these cries can no longer attract the attention and help of others, because now everyone is facing the same disaster and danger, and the first thing everyone considers is their own life and safety.
After Alvarado dismounted, he asked the guards to tie the horse to a sheltered place by the woods. He stood behind the horse, put his hands in his sleeves, and kept stamping his feet. After stamping his feet for a while, he saw someone lighting a fire and walked towards the bonfire. The soldiers scrambled to crowd around the bonfire, but when they saw him coming, they made room for him. He stood by the bonfire, waved to the soldiers, and said, "Everyone, huddle up and stay warm."
The soldiers huddled together and began to warm themselves over the fire. After roasting for a while, everyone felt much warmer. At this time, a soldier asked, "Commander, when can we get out of the mountains?" This question was actually the question he wanted to know the most, but he could not give an answer that he did not know, otherwise the confidence of the soldiers would be destroyed. and faith will be shaken. He immediately replied, "It won't be too far. We still need to hold on for a few more days." Then, another soldier asked, "We have finished all our dry food. What should we do if we can't get food again?" "This question seems to be more serious and difficult to answer than the previous question. He sighed secretly and said, "Find a way to hold on for a few more days before we can get out of the mountains. As for these few days, I think God will definitely bless us."
At this time, some soldiers took out the little dry food they had left and ate it slowly and carefully. Some soldiers had already finished their dry food and could only watch others eating helplessly. Although Alvarado still had some dry food, he knew that he could never give it to others because he had no idea how far the road ahead was. He just heard from the guide that it would take at least two more days to walk. weeks. So, he couldn't let himself go without food for the remaining two weeks.
At this time, the guard got him a few small pieces of vicuña meat jerky from nowhere. He didn't want to eat these precious pieces of dried meat at once. He just put a small piece in his mouth, but he just held it in his mouth, but he didn't want to chew it, because as soon as he chewed, the dried meat would be swallowed. In the belly, it turned into nothing.
Originally, it was still early and we could continue on our way, but the soldiers were all frozen and didn't want to go any further once they were warmed by the fire. Therefore, Alvarado had no choice but to let the troops set up tents in the forest. Light a bonfire and start camping.
The snow fell harder and harder, and soon the tents were covered with thick snow, which collapsed some of the tents. The soldiers had no choice but to climb out of the tent and set it up again. Set up the tent, get in, get under the thin quilt, and huddle up. The poor Indian soldiers had no tents at all and could only sit around the fire and take a nap.
In order to let the soldiers have a good rest, Alvarado asked the trumpeter to blow the reveille very late the next morning. When the soldiers ate some dry food, dismantled their tents, packed their belongings, gathered their team, and prepared to set off, they found that the Indian guide who was leading the way was missing. Moreover, the bay-red horse tied to the edge of the forest and all the soldiers were riding on. The bag of dry food I brought was also missing.
After hearing the guard's report, Alvarado was immediately stunned. He asked the guard to look for it again, but the guard searched two or three times and still couldn't find it. At this time, he saw a string of horse hoof prints on a path that was almost covered with snow. Apparently, the guide who led the way had run away secretly.
In the deep mountains with wind and snow, there is suddenly no guide. What kind of news should this be. Immediately, the entire army became frightened and panicked. Some loudly asked Alvarado, "Didn't you say God would bless us?" Others shouted at him in a commanding tone, "Send someone to chase him quickly. There is no such thing." Guide, we will die here." However, he knew that even if he chased him, it would be too late, because the guide had already disappeared. Faced with this chaotic situation, he shouted to the soldiers, "Listen to me. I am ordering you to move forward. Anyone who dares to violate military orders will be killed."
The soldiers seemed to be in a very low mood. With doubts and uneasiness, under the command of Alvarado, they stepped on the path extending westward with panic and uneasiness. After walking for about an hour or two, we came to a mountain pass. Three paths in different directions appeared in front of us at the same time. This made the leading captain officer who was walking in front of the team stop, not knowing which way to go.
When Alvarado came to the intersection, he looked at the three paths for a long time and didn't know which way to go, because he himself couldn't figure out the direction. Finally, several senior officers discussed together for a long time and decided to walk towards a slightly wider path. Because the wide path meant that there were more people walking on it, hopefully they could find some Indian homes along this path. In this way, not only can the guide's problems be solved, but also some food can be replenished and a hot meal can be had. Because they haven't had hot meals for several days.
However, this road leads to a mountain pass, which leads directly to the top of the mountain. The northwest wind suddenly rushed from the mountain, forming a strong cold air current along the cliffs, making a scary loud noise, and rushed towards the mountain pass, as if it could blow people into the air.
As soon as the soldiers entered the mountain pass, they were blown away by the sudden strong wind and cold air and could not stand up. The soldiers swayed a few times in the strong wind. In the end, they had to take their hands out of their sleeves and struggled to hold on or hold on to the cliff beside the mountain pass. Then they could barely stand up and walked with difficulty against the strong wind, heading towards the mountain. Climbing to the top of the mountain.
The hands that were pulled out of the pockets were covered with deep blood marks and cracks. However, these scarred palms were still strong. They tightly grasped the icy stone wall, and with the support of their palms and arms, they walked step by step towards the top of the mountain. And those who were seriously ill and weak could only stay in the shelter of the mountain pass, waiting for God's call.
After about forty minutes of life and death struggle, everyone except a dozen Indians and two Spaniards reached the top of the mountain.
When you reach the top of the mountain, you will see an alpine snowfield before your eyes. The white snow stretches as far as the eye can see. Under the sunlight, it emits a dazzling light that makes people unable to open their eyes. However, the cold wind on the snowfield seems sharper and more insidious. They gathered together, whistled sharply, and rushed toward people fiercely, blowing people's collars open, tearing people's clothes, and making people stagger and sway. But the most terrifying thing is that there is thick white snow on the snowfield, and it is impossible to see the road and the direction. People can only move forward based on their feelings.
