Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
Almagro, with the Spanish king's trust and his desire for gold, led more than 500 soldiers and 15,000 Indian auxiliary troops, left Cusco in July 1535, and began his coveted expedition. and the unforgettable expedition south to Chile. He led his troops at the front of the expedition, while his second-in-command, Orgones, followed with a large force. In the early days of the southward expedition, they had been traveling in Peru. They could follow the royal road built by the Inca all the way south. Although there are undulating mountains and crisscrossing rivers along the way, the construction of the Royal Road has turned all the natural chasms into thoroughfares. So they had a smooth journey from Urcos and Juleleca to Arequipa, and the royal road was built all the way to the border with Chile.
However, once inside Chile, the whole situation becomes completely different. Chile is close to the ocean, with the towering Cordillera Occidental Mountains to the east and the desolate desert area to the west. Their natural choice was to enter Chile from the Cordillera Occidental. This earthquake rift zone is dotted with famous volcanic peaks, some of which are covered with white snow. Therefore, what they faced and experienced were almost the endless barren mountains and ridges of the Andes Mountains, the boundless snowy plateaus, the deep and bottomless ravines, the towering peaks reaching into the clouds; The rapids of the river and the unobstructed violent snowstorm turned this expedition full of wealth and dreams into a nightmare with endless terror. They were trapped in a deep mountain canyon and could not tell the traces and direction of the road, but they still continued to march towards the south. This is the winter of the year. The farther south you go, the higher the mountains become, the heavier the wind and snow, and the more dangerous the road becomes. In fact, in many places there are no roads at all, just a very narrow, steep and winding path. What they experienced was far harsher, more difficult, and took much longer than the environment faced by the troops entering the high mountain snowfields of the Andes from Guatemala.
Here, their march was blocked by the barren mountains and steep peaks of the Andes Mountains. On the edge of the deep and rugged ravine is a long, narrow path that winds and twists to the dizzying summit of the cliff. The river surges along the steep slopes of the mountains, forming huge waterfalls and pouring into the gaping abyss. The towering and sharp peaks are like knives and axes, and a path in the clouds goes up and down. Sometimes you have to crawl slowly along the mountain side, and you will fall into a deep cliff if you are not careful. The weather was bad and unpredictable. It was sunny just a moment ago, but suddenly there was flying sand and rocks, and the wind and snow filled the air, making it difficult to stand up straight. Sometimes, strong winds roar in the mountains all day long, carrying snowflakes or ice particles flying down from the sky. The cold wind howled in the gloomy pine forest, boundless.
After leaving the pine forest and descending into the mountains, you will find a deserted and deserted platform composed of hills and mountains. The platform has been blown by the wind for many years, with little rain. It is full of bare rocks and yellow sand. Therefore, the strong wind howling from the icy mountain tops blows straight and unobstructed, causing the temperature to drop suddenly. Harsh and unbearable. The poor Indians usually live in tropical and temperate zones near the equator and cannot stand such cold weather, snow, and wind. Therefore, many of the half-clothed Indians and the Spaniards in military uniforms had their nails and fingers frozen off in this harsh temperature, and some even had their entire bodies frozen, as if Nature is severely punishing those who recklessly crash into this remote and primitive area.
Because the air in the plateau area is thin, the strong light reflected by the sun is particularly dazzling. Many people's eyes were blinded by the dazzling desert snowfield. The scariest thing is hunger. In this uninhabited and isolated majestic mountains, there are no villages, no mountain people, no plants that can be eaten by humans, and no birds and animals. Only the Andean vultures soar above their heads, hoping that they will survive. Got a hearty meal on me. Cold and hungry, the Indians fell piece by piece on the roadside. And their dead bodies would soon become food for other Indians. Because there isn't any food here for them to eat. The Spaniards relied on frozen horses to satisfy their hunger.
Until they walked out of the boundless mountains and came to the beautiful Cojinbo Valley area. The Coquimbo Valley is located in the central valley of the Andes Mountains at about 30 degrees south latitude. It has a section of coastal mountains and a narrow coastal plain. It has an arid and semi-arid climate with scarce precipitation. Many fields and goats can be seen in the flat valley. The Indians lived a self-sufficient and peaceful life.
The arrival of the Spanish broke the tranquility of the local Indians. After enduring unprecedented hardship and fatigue, they stopped to rest on the fertile plains of this valley. They drove away the local Indians, seized their houses, and went to every household to collect and rob grain. They took away the goats, sheep, cattle, and donkeys they raised as military rations. If there is resistance, he will be executed immediately. After settling down in life, Almagro held a meeting and decided to station the troops here for rest and recovery, and then sent scouts to the hinterland of southern Chile to conduct reconnaissance and inquiry.
Soon, deputy commander Rodrigo de Orgonez arrived with follow-up troops and brought him a document. This made Almagro very happy. This document was supposed to be handed over to Almagro in person, but Juan and Gonzalo did not hand it over until the end to Rodrigo de Orgonez, who finally left Cusco.
This is a letter about the king's appointment as Governor of Chile and Marshal of the Spanish Expeditionary Force, and this letter of appointment also stipulates that one thousand one hundred kilometers south of the Santiago River, one degree and twenty minutes north of the equator, All areas are under the jurisdiction of Almagro. After seeing these contents, someone immediately pointed out that the city of Cusco should be within this range.
In order to confirm its accuracy, someone immediately took out a nautical chart for review. However, the navigation chart is relatively rough and it is impossible to tell whether Cusco is within this range or outside this range, but most people think that Cusco should be within this range. This naturally made Almagro and the officers and soldiers feel happy, because it made them feel that Cusco should belong to them.
Almagro assigned an officer to lead a capable task force to go forward to explore the situation in southern Chile. The Coquimbo Valley is located in the northern central part of Chile, and almost two-thirds of the area further south remains unexplored. Two weeks later, the task force arrived in a place called Santiago and sent someone back to report to the commander. Almagro immediately sent his adjutant, Rodrigo de Orgonez, with a squadron of cavalry.
Rodrigo de Orgones was a native of Oropesa who had been trained in the Italian wars. In the famous battle to capture Rome, he held the rank of flag bearer in the army of General Bourbon and was an outstanding soldier. of soldiers. Loyal to his commander, he was a rare talent in Almagro, always decisive, fearless and unswerving in executing orders. His exploits attracted the attention of the king, and soon after this period he was promoted to the rank of Marshal of the New Toledo. With such an adjutant worrying about Almagro, he was naturally very relieved.
However, the large army has been resting and waiting in the Coquimbo Valley area. After two months of exploration, the scouts reported that the southern area is a wilderness without any cities. This news was like a bolt from the blue to the Spanish officers and soldiers, turning their last hopes and dreams into smoke. For these Castilians, the only ideal place was a place rich in gold. However, they have penetrated more than 600 kilometers into Chile and experienced numerous difficulties and narrow escapes, but they got this result. How could they accept this?
The soldiers had long been disgusted and tired of this futile and unprofitable expedition. They ran to the commander in groups to complain and shout, saying that the city of Cusco belonged to them. Since there was If you can't stay in such a nice city, why should you come to these barren mountains and wild places to risk your life like a romantic? They asked the commander to return to Cusco with his troops and capture Cusco. They even reminded the commander that if he didn't do this, he wouldn't be able to provide for his son Diego. Because only by staying in Cusco can he truly let his son live a stable and happy life. Diego is Almagro's illegitimate son. When a father dotes on his son too much, he will naturally consider his son's future.
When Almagro saw that the soldiers were asking to return to Cusco, he felt embarrassed for a while. Because he knew that Cusco was occupied by the Pizarro brothers, and if he went back, he would have to fight with them for Cusco. And this is what he really doesn't want to do, because he knows that he can't compete with the Pizarro brothers. This made Almagro very frustrated and hesitant, but he still listened to the strong requests of the soldiers and decided to stop the expedition and return to Cusco. Because they can't stay here forever. There was neither gold nor anything they needed. He decided to return to the city of Cusco and use the king's letter of appointment to ask for Cusco from Hernando.
To return to Cusco, we must return to the division and head north. However, the various experiences of crossing the towering Andes Mountains have left the soldiers frightened and frightened. Therefore, they did not want to experience the frightening scene on the top of the ice and snow plateau again. Instead, they took the road north from the coast and passed through the Atacama Desert. However, this is a journey that is as difficult and adventurous as climbing over the mountains. The Atacama Desert, which stretches for 500 kilometers, is barren of grass and desolate. There is no oasis for pedestrians to breathe.
Especially in the desert, the temperature difference between day and night is very large, which makes the soldiers almost die and miserable. The food and fresh water they had brought with them soon ran out. Therefore, they could only survive by looting. There are almost no oases in the desert. However, as long as you find an oasis or a village, you will loot the village and burn it all. You will also use the captured Indians as labor for them, making them like Luo They carried their luggage and belongings like horses. In order to prevent these Indians from escaping, the Spanish tied these Indians together with iron chains. Many of the Indians were so overwhelmed by disease or weakness that they dropped dead from exhaustion. The slightest resistance will be burned alive.
One day, they came to a larger Indian village. After looting the village, they began to arrest people. They chained together dozens of captured Indians so that they could serve as laborers for them. However, in the evening, the Indians attacked the Spaniards living in the village and killed three Spaniards guarding the Indians. When the Spanish discovered it and prepared to attack the Indians, the Indians had already disappeared.
Almagro was very angry and ordered his soldiers to arrest people in various places nearby. Before long, they captured more than thirty local Indian headmen. In order to severely punish the killing of three Spaniards, Almagro ordered the soldiers to take more than thirty Indian headmen into a house where he had just lived, tie them to wooden poles, and then , and then asked the cavalry to lock the door. While ordering the troops to set off, they also asked the cavalry to set fire to the house where more than thirty Indian headmen were locked up. The poor and innocent more than 30 Indian headmen were burned alive by the fire.
After seeing the behavior of Alvarado's soldiers, everyone would condemn that their troops were more brutal and cruel than Pizarro's troops. However, many of Almagro's soldiers were recruited from Alvarado's troops. It is said that Almagro was dissatisfied with these heinous practices and did everything in his power to control them. However, his own actions did not set a good example. Such atrocities committed against an innocent race are abhorrent, and for these innocent Indians, what crime do they have except defending their homeland to the death?
Therefore, this expedition to Chile not only caused heavy casualties to Almagro's troops, but also accused them of being vicious and cruel. Because wherever they walked, everything was robbed and the villages were burned down. The Indians they captured were chained up and carried materials for them until they were exhausted. Falling to the ground. The slightest resistance will be burned alive.
The Europeans had extremely superior talents and fighting prowess, so they regarded the local Indians as livestock, born to be enslaved by them. Therefore, they believed that Indians only had the natural right to obey and not to resist in any form. Because resistance is a serious sin to them, it must be washed away with the blood of the victims. Such thugs are not limited to Spaniards. The history of any civilized people dealing with barbarians, whether Eastern or Western, is often written in blood.
