Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
The banquet didn't end until late afternoon. At the end of the banquet, Pizarro kept Almagro and asked his entourage to bring a large pack of tobacco leaves and two bottles of white wine to Almagro, saying, "Someone else brought this to me from Panama." The best tobacco leaves and the best whiskey brought from China are really good. You can try them." Almagro took the tobacco leaves and liquor and thanked him repeatedly, "The Marquis sent you such a generous gift. I would be very grateful.”
The two chatted cordially for a while, and then Pizarro said, "You may also know that the King of Spain has appointed you as the Governor of Chile. However, Chile is still an undeveloped area. Originally, I wanted to Juan led his troops to conquer and develop Chile. However, now that the king has appointed you as the governor of Chile, the mission and task of developing and conquering Chile can only fall on your shoulders. I wonder what the general thinks of this? "
Almagro had many considerations about developing and conquering Chile, and he had always been hesitant. Because he didn't want to leave Cusco and was afraid that once he left Cusco, he would end up with nothing. However, on the other hand, he wanted to stay far away from Pizarro so as not to let him treat him like a monkey. The reason why he stood still after Pizarro gave him the order to go to Chile was because he suspected that Pizarro wanted to transfer him out of Cusco and then hand over the power of Cusco to his two brothers. Take charge. In this way he would lose the capital city of Cusco forever.
Now that Pizarro asked this question face to face, he had nothing to hide. He asked rhetorically, "Before the crusade against Alvarado, did the Marquis promise to bring Cusco to me and sign an agreement with me?" Pizarro said, "Of course." Almague Luo added, "In that case, why did the Marquis go back on his promise and write to Juan and Gonzalo to deprive me of my position as the highest military governor of Cusco?"
In response, Pizarro smiled and said, "I heard that King Charles has appointed you as the governor of Chile and assigned you the territory south of Cusco. However, the documents have not been brought over yet. If the king Wouldn't it be contrary to the king's dignity and majesty to put Cusco under your name before the documents and appointment came? Therefore, I think it is better to wait for Hernando to give the king's documents and appointment letter. After bringing it, I will solemnly attribute Cusco to you. Do you think I am justified in doing this?"
When Almagro heard that the king had put Cusco under his name, he couldn't help but feel secretly happy and nodded. Seeing that Almagro's mood was gradually improving, Pizarro said seductively, "Chile can be said to be a new Peru that needs us to conquer and develop. The conquerors will not only gain countless wealth, but also It will go down in history forever. I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone.”
Another important reason why Almagro has remained silent on the conquest of Chile is that this order was given to him by Pizarro, but he felt that he and Pizarro were partners, not superiors and subordinates, and could not Everything was at Pizarro's disposal. However, after listening to Pizarro's persuasion, he felt that this task was not only acceptable, but also his unshirkable responsibility and mission.
So, he said, "As the Governor of Chile, I am bound to conquer and develop Chile, but I must make some preparations." Pizarro asked, "How long does it take for the general to prepare?" Almagro After thinking about it, he said, "One week." Pizarro said, "Okay, then one week." After that, Pizarro shook hands with Almagro and sent him out the door.
Originally, Almagro had a team of 250 people. Although they fought many battles with the Inca army, there were not many casualties. Moreover, these people did not make much money, and not many were in a hurry to return home. After that, Almagro recruited Alvarado's team of three to four hundred people, so that his team totaled five to six hundred people. However, he felt that these people were not enough to conquer an unknown country, so he set up his own flag in the Palace Square of Cusco and launched the slogan of "conquer and develop Chile, take risks and realize dreams" With large slogans, a recruitment registration office for the conquest of Chile was established, and soldiers were recruited with great fanfare.
Before Almagro was appointed governor of Chile by the King of Spain, the soldiers had barely heard of the country Chile. Now they heard that Chile was a vast region stretching along the Andes Mountains south of Peru. No one knows how big this place is. In short, the country and region of Chile is a distant and mysterious place for many officers and soldiers. Therefore, many officers and soldiers almost regarded Chile as a new unconquered and undeveloped Peru.
On this day, Captain Soto came to sign up with more than 60 soldiers. The soldiers at the registration office were very happy when they saw Captain Soto and more than 60 of his soldiers asking to join the expedition. Because they knew that Soto's cavalry squad was a well-disciplined, heroic and fighting team among Pizarro's troops, they immediately brought him to the door of Almagro's office.
The soldiers who signed up asked Soto's soldiers to wait outside the door, and only Captain Soto was allowed into the office. Almagro was looking at a map. When he saw Soto bringing so many people asking to join his team, he was overjoyed at first, but then he immediately became alert. He asked Soto to sit on a chair and asked in a curious and puzzled tone, "Captain Soto is an irreplaceable figure in Pizarro's army, and he is also a man who has made a fortune twice. Today Why do you think of going on an adventurous expedition with me?"
Soto smiled sincerely and said, "The reason why I want to follow you is because I think Marquis Pizarro is too partial to Juan and Gonzalo, and Juan and Gonzalo are always arrogant and do whatever they want, so I think I'm not used to it. But General, you are sincere, generous and approachable, so I want to follow you. Besides, I think that conquering Chile must be a career full of legends and wealth. This is why I want to follow the General on the expedition. s reason."
Soto's words did not seem to dispel Almagro's doubts, because he had been dealing with Pizarro for many years and had been deceived too many times. Therefore, he unconsciously developed the habit of always treating Pizarro. Be cautious. Especially when the conflicts between the two parties became increasingly acute and obvious, he did not dare to relax his guard against Pizarro.
Because Almagro still suspected that Soto's defection to him was a trap set by Pizarro, so while looking at Soto with a discerning look, he said in a rude tone, "Captain Soto." You are welcome to come to me, but the positions of captains of various cavalry squads are not available yet. If Captain Soto does not dislike it, he can temporarily serve as the captain of the cavalry squad in Francis's cavalry squad."
Soto thought that his arrival would make Almagro happy, but he did not expect Almagro to have this attitude. Of course he understood that Almagro was not without a position, but was deliberately wary of him, because he must have regarded him as the insider installed by Pizarro around him. Otherwise, Almagro would not say that he would be assigned a captain's position, but could even grant him the position of deputy commander.
Soto was very disappointed with Almagro's attitude. He felt that the general in front of him, who usually respected and admired him, was just a conceited and stupid soldier. How could such a person be Pizarro's opponent? Sooner or later he would have to Fallen at the hands of Pizarro. So, he said firmly, "I came to you just for the position of deputy commander. If I don't become deputy commander, I won't do it."
Almagro didn't want to accept him in the first place, but after hearing Soto's tough tone, he said, "Then we can only ask Captain Soto to climb another branch." Soto smiled lightly and said, "That's all." , then got up and left the office.
As soon as he left the office, the soldiers outside asked Soto, "How was it?" Soto shook his head and said, "No." The soldiers immediately frowned and asked, "Why not? Don't they need people?" Soto said, "But it's not us they need." The soldiers asked, "Why?" Soto said, "Because we are Pizarro's men." But the soldiers said, "Pizarro and Alma Gro is an enemy. Pizarro must hate us for coming to Almagro. Now we have nowhere to go, what should we do?" Soto said, "In the worst case, we can take our belongings back to our hometown in Spain." The soldiers Said, "This is the only way."
A few days later, Soto left Cusco with more than a dozen soldiers and headed back home. After returning to Spain, he applied to the king and received permission to expedition to North America, and then organized a team to go to North America.
Afterwards, another cavalry captain of Almagro, Orgonez, learned of the incident and came to Almagro to inquire. Then, he complained that Almagro did not keep Soto. He said, "Soto is a real knight and officer. When it comes to fighting, there is no one in Pizarro's entire army." But Almagro said, "I said there is no position in the army. Here we are. He can only serve as a second lieutenant squad leader first, but he said that he is not the deputy commander. Can I let him become the deputy commander as soon as he comes? What will you people who have been with me for many years think? "
Captain Orgonez said, "I was originally a captain and cavalry captain under Pizarro, but I came to join you because I didn't recognize my talent. You don't at least give me the rank of captain and captain? How can you demote him?" Demoted and become a second lieutenant?"
Then, Orgonez said, "Soto represents not only himself, but also the wishes of many soldiers. If you turn him away, you are turning away many soldiers who originally wanted to defect to us." Outside the gate. And these soldiers are all soldiers with very strong combat capabilities, which are incomparable to our original soldiers and those of Francis."
When Almagro heard this, he seemed to wake up a little, but he still said, "But he is one of Pizarro's men. I'm worried that he will be an insider that Pizarro deliberately placed around us." Orgo Ness sighed and said, "This only shows that you don't understand Captain Soto."
Then, Orgonez said, "I have said long ago that sooner or later we will have to fight Pizarro. Either you die or I live. If we have Soto, we will no longer be afraid of his skin." Salo." But Almagro said, "Didn't Pizarro also lose Soto?" Orgonez said, "But they still have Juan and Gonzalo, especially they also have E Fernando. No matter who these three people are, they are difficult for us to deal with." Almagro said, "It's not that scary!" But Orgonez still said, "I think the general will regret doing this sooner or later. of."
At this time, Saavedra and Francis came to the office together. Saavedra said to Almagro excitedly, "Have you heard? Soto and some soldiers left Pizarro and returned home." Almagro had just been attacked by Orgonez. He was blamed and in a bad mood, so when he heard Saavedra's words, he didn't want to answer and asked him, "How was the preparation work of your previous team?"
Saavedra said, "Everything is ready. I have sent Paul Topa, the brother of the Inca King Manco, and an Inca priest Biliac Umu to the front station with three cavalry. They have already set off in the morning. . Our previous team totaled more than 150 people, not to mention 3,000 Indian soldiers, and we will set off early tomorrow morning."
Almagro nodded and said in a deep voice, "You must be extremely cautious when you are on the front line. You must bring enough food and grass. When you encounter local people, you must see the situation clearly before taking action. Don't act blindly and haphazardly." Saavedra said, "Don't worry, general. I will send someone to ask for instructions and report to you at any time."
Almagro nodded with satisfaction, and then said to Orgonez, "Follow me and lead a large group of more than 300 people, plus 8,000 Indian soldiers, in the center, let Francis press behind, but don't let the front and rear The three teams are too far apart to avoid taking care of each other in the event of an emergency." Orgonez said, "Commander, please rest assured."
Almagro added, "Saavedra and his friends will leave tomorrow, and you will have to leave in two days. I'm worried that when Saavedra goes far away, we will be weak and drag ourselves forward and backward. What if Pizarro If you launch a surprise attack on us, we will suffer big losses." Orgonez said, "Yes, General." Finally, Almagro said to Francis, "You lead more than a hundred people and more than 4,000 Indians. After the soldiers are pressed, you have a very heavy task. In the afternoon after we leave Cusco, you have to leave Cusco, camp on the outskirts of Cusco at night, and be ready for battle at all times in case of Pizarro's attack. Raid.”
Francis said, "Yes, General." But Francis said, "General, there is no need to be afraid of them. Our troops are large in number and well equipped. If there is a fight, we can destroy them immediately." Almagro said, "If we fight with real guns and knives, they will definitely suffer a loss. However, it's not like you don't know Pizarro. He won't follow you seriously. I'm afraid he will play some tricks and tricks."
Just as he was talking, Pizarro came with Juan and Gonzalo. As soon as Pizarro saw Almagro, he patted Almagro affectionately on the shoulder and said, "Old man, tomorrow is the last day of your journey. How are you preparing?"
Almagro didn't like Pizarro's hypocritical behavior, but he was used to it, so he said, "Don't worry, Marquis, the advance team will set off early tomorrow morning, and the main force and follow-up troops will also be ready in the next two or three days." It's a journey." Pizarro smiled and said, "The general's style has always been vigorous and resolute, I know this." Then he asked, "If there is anything else the army needs, please tell me, old man, as long as I can solve it , didn’t say anything.”
Almagro knew that Pizarro was hypocritical, so he deliberately said, "Nothing else, just that some horses are missing. Some of our cavalry have no horses. I heard that Panamanian merchant ships shipped a lot to Lima." Horses, can the Marquis buy us dozens of them?" Pizarro immediately replied, "I'm afraid that won't work. Those horses are private property, not government property."
When Almagro heard what Pizarro said, he had no choice but to say, "Forget it, we don't need anything else." Pizarro said, "When are you leaving? I'll see you off." Almagro Said, "If the Marquis is very busy, he won't come to see him off." Pizarro said, "No matter how busy I am, I still have to come to see him off. Besides, I don't know when the old man will be back." After that, he Leaving Almagro's office with Juan and Gonzalo.
In the next two or three days, Almagro's troops left Cusco in three groups and embarked on a journey to conquer and develop Chile.
