Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
People were sent out one after another, and then it rained non-stop for several days. Inca King Manco had to stay in the village chief's mansion and wait for the news. In order to facilitate the life of the Inca King and Princess, the village chief has cleaned and tidy the entire large house, and made all the land available for the Inca King and Princess to live in. Because the life of the Inca king has always been very mysterious and unknown to ordinary people, the village chief's mansion is guarded by palace guards in front of it. Moreover, there is an attendant guarding the courtyard gate so that he can report to the king the people who want to meet the king and important events. At noon, the rain was still falling, and the sound of rain outside the house continued. Because he had been intimate with his new love, Tarapaca, for most of the night last night, the young king had not yet recovered from his sleepiness.
The new favorite, Tarapaca, is the niece of the village chief. She is only fifteen or sixteen years old this year. She has a very upright and delicate face. Not only does she have a fair complexion, but her cheeks are slightly red, so she always looks classy. The feeling of bright spring. Her eyes looked like a smile and a look of hope, always flashing with a dreamlike blur. Her figure is light and toned, with a slim waist and tall breasts. But the most endearing thing about a girl is her precociousness and warm temperament. Maybe she was born in the mountains, far away from the towns, and had no fear of the Inca King. Therefore, she just regarded the Inca King in front of her as a wishful lover, and boldly showed her love and coquettishness in front of him. The young Inca king was so obsessed that he couldn't let go of it for several days.
The two slept until after noon before getting up. After getting up, Okoro and Tarapaca brought the food to the restaurant. Although he was an Inca king, Manco's dietary customs were no longer the same as those of the Inca kings of the past. In the past, the Inca King would not eat with anyone at the same time. Moreover, when the Inca King was eating, the concubines around him would wash their hands, hold the leftovers of the Inca King in their hands, and even take the Inca King's leftovers with their hands. Things that fell on the ground were picked up, carefully stored in a box, and then transported to a special place in the capital city of Cusco to be burned. Because Manco lived in a Spanish military camp for a long time, he was deeply influenced by the Spanish.
A plate of wolf meat and a plate of rabbit meat were placed on the table, as well as several plates of vegetables and corn. He sat down at the table with his two concubines and began to eat. Because Manco and Okoro used knives, forks and spoons when eating, Tapalaka did not know how to use these utensils, so they seemed clumsy when eating. Seeing Tapalaka holding a fork with her hand and forking a piece of rabbit meat without even picking it up for a long time, Manco smiled and taught her. The girl said that she was very smart. Under Manco's guidance, she learned it after trying it several times.
Furthermore, Indians usually drink alcohol after meals, but Manco and Okoro drank while eating their food, not much. But Tapalaka was not used to it. She felt that drinking wine and eating vegetables was not satisfying at all. I always want to drink one cup after another until I am drunk. However, she saw the gentle manner in which the king and Okoro were drinking, so she had no choice but to follow suit.
Tapalaka boldly said to Manco, "The king does not look like the king of the Incas. He has simply become a Spanish white man." Manco did not feel angry and said, "Although I am riding a Spanish horse , holding the Spaniard's spear, but I am still the king of the Indians." Then, Manco took another piece of wolf meat to his mouth with a fork and said, "The reason why the Spaniards were able to defeat us is because of their weapons and Their tactics are advanced. Their swords and spears are more advanced than our daggers and hatchets, their matchlocks are even more advanced than our javelins and short arrows, and even the clothes and shoes they wear are more convenient and better looking than ours. Moreover, You have never seen their boat. It is bigger than our yard and can seat more than a hundred people at a time. There are two or three big sails on the boat, and it can run very fast with the wind. It is not like our small wood cutter, which can only It can carry two or three people or four or five people, and it’s very bumpy and unstable.”
After hearing this, Tapalaka asked curiously, "Are Spanish women better than us Incas?" Manco said, "Of course. There are several soldiers in Almagro's army. The young officers from Guatemala all brought their wives. They were beautiful, white, tall, slender, and well-dressed. They looked very cute." Tapalaka said, "The king will do it anytime. I want a Spanish woman to be a princess." Manco shook his head and said, "Spanish women are good, but they are too arrogant, too arrogant, and not gentle and submissive at all. If you want such a woman to be a princess, she doesn't want to listen to me. , but I have to listen to her." Tapalaka said, "In this way, it is better for us Inca women." Manco said, "Yes!" This made both Okoro and Tapalaka laugh. got up.
Just after dinner, the prince in front of the door came to report, "Your distinguished king, the village chief is coming to see the king." Manco had been waiting for news that the village chief was out, so when he heard that the village chief was coming, he Say, "Please."
The village chief entered the house, knelt down to the Inca King, and said, "According to the king's instructions, I assigned some people to go deep into various places to contact the people and recruit soldiers." The Inca King hurriedly asked, "How is the situation?" The village chief was still kneeling on the ground. He replied, "The situation is very bad." When the Inca king heard this, he asked again, "Why is it so bad?" The village chief said, "The farmers in the nearby mountainous areas are very poor. Due to years of war, there are almost no men in many villages. Labor force, and due to years of grain requisition, farmers have very little surplus grain at home, only enough for their own consumption. Therefore, this recruitment and grain raising has had little effect."
The Inca King frowned and asked with a sullen face, "How could such a result happen?" The village chief said with an embarrassment, "Since the siege of Lima City and the siege of Cusco City failed, the farmers have heard that the Inca The king was defeated miserably by the Spanish and seemed to have lost the confidence to fight against the Spanish. Therefore, although we took the king's knotted letter to recruit and mobilize, not many people responded. Because the farmers did not want to do that. Such a futile and unnecessary sacrifice.”
When King Manco heard this, he couldn't help but became angry and shouted, "Why don't you take compulsory measures?" The village chief was so frightened that he trembled all over and said tremblingly, "When he heard that we were here to recruit and raise food, the village chief The peasants were gathered together, but the peasants seemed very indifferent. Maybe the king already knew that because the king fled, the court was destroyed, and most administrative officials in various places fled. Therefore, bandits were everywhere in many places, the security was chaotic, and the towns and cities in various places were in chaos. The chief and village chief were also panicking to protect themselves, so how could they dare to force farmers to serve as soldiers and raise food?"
Manco sat on the chair and said nothing for a long time. In this silence and disappointment, the army of more than 100,000 people besieged the city for several months but could not conquer it. The most fatal thing was that Kunzu led an army of 80,000 people to besiege the city of Lima. Not only did Instead of capturing the city, they were almost completely wiped out by the Spaniards, which seriously dampened the spirit of the Inca army. From then on, the Inca army that besieged Cusco was dispersed due to busy farming. The Spaniards took the opportunity to attack the Tambo Palace. Until he escaped from the Tambo Palace, the closest and most trusted Prince of Uramaha led his troops when he was in the most critical moment. Abandoning him and leaving, all these things flashed before his eyes one by one like a dream. Yes, he led an army of more than 200,000 people and failed to defeat the Spanish army of several hundred people. Instead, he was chased by the Spaniards all the way to the remote mountains deep in the mountains. Based on this, why would the people of the Inca Empire still believe in him and count on him?
This thought only intensified the sadness and anxiety in his heart. He waved to the village chief in annoyance, indicating that he could leave. As if he had finally escaped, the village chief knelt down to him again, and then hurriedly exited the room.
The two concubines saw that he was worried and didn't know how to comfort him. Okoro said to him in a comforting tone, "Your Majesty, we have just experienced a disastrous defeat. The people in the mountains are also in the most difficult and difficult period like us, and it is also the busy farming season." Season, so please don’t be too anxious, Your Majesty, you should slow down for a while.”
Manco sighed and said, "It seems that the Inca Empire is really hopeless." Okoro said, "That's not necessarily the case. As long as the king doesn't give up and waits for a while, there may be a turn for the better. Because the Inca Empire's Neither the princes nor the people will tolerate the rule and oppression of Spanish foreigners."
At this time, Mokwa brought a middle-aged man to see Manco. The prince who was guarding the gate first let Mokwa enter the room where Manko was meeting. When Manco saw Mokwa's visit, he asked, "What can I report to you, my minister?" Mokwa said, "I have a spy who came from Cusco and said that he has important information to report to the king. So, I Bring him to the king."
Many things that have happened recently have troubled Manco, so when he heard that someone had something important to report, he felt a headache. However, he felt that he still had to meet the people of Mokwa. So, he nodded lazily and said, "Let him in."
The spy came in, looking dusty and dusty, just like the mountain people in the mountains. He raised his head and looked at the visitor, and said unfavorably, "Go ahead." The spy leaned forward respectfully and said in a slow tone, "A few days ago, I saw something on the outskirts of Cusco. A scene of fierce fighting between the two Spanish armies. Hernando led more than 700 cavalry and infantry, and Orgonez led 500 cavalry and infantry in a fierce battle on the salt flats outside Cusco. "
When Manco heard this, he seemed to not believe his ears. He stood up from his chair, walked to the spy, pointed at the spy and said, "You mean Hernando and Orgonez got into a fight. ?” the spy said, “Yes, they started by shooting at each other with guns and cannons, and then they charged with cavalry, engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and fought with each other with swords and spears. They fought for almost half a day, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. In the end The soldiers led by Hernando were numerous and had fierce weapons. They not only defeated Almagro's soldiers and fled to Cusco, but also killed Orgonez on the spot and Almagro. Luo also caught it and chased it all the way to the city and captured the city of Cusco.”
After hearing this, Manco grabbed the spy's collar and said excitedly, "Are you telling the truth?" The spy said, "If I tell lies to the king, wouldn't I be guilty of deceiving the king and risk my life?" Manco was a little excited. He shouted, "That's great, that's great. The Inca Empire can be saved." Then he said to Okoro, "Go and get some food for this young man, and entertain him well." You must be very hungry after walking such a long way." Okoro responded and led the spy out of the room.
After Okoro led the spy out of the room, Manco said to Mokwa, "Send someone to Cusco to inquire about what is going on in Cusco. As long as you know them situation, we can take action." Mokwa said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Then, Manco asked Mokwa, "How many people are there in the army now?" Mokwa said, "After recent mobilization and recruitment, the number of soldiers has reached more than 3,000." Manco nodded silently. He nodded and said, "It would be great if we could have at least ten or twenty thousand people." Mokwa said, "No, I will send someone to contact the people in Bilkasi and Prince Ulamaha. If they If you are willing to submit to your Majesty and join forces in three places, our military strength will reach nearly 10,000."
However, Manco shook his head and said in a firm tone, "The people over at Bilkas are from Atahualpa and Chiskis, and they are irreconcilable and sworn enemies with us. Although Ulamahar was my former prince and close minister, he betrayed me when I was most in danger and needed it most, and abandoned me with his troops. This shameless betrayal cannot be forgiven in any case. "
Mokwa nodded repeatedly, and then said in a asking tone, "I wonder how many princes and nobles there are in Cusco now?" Manco said, "There are almost no nobles and princes in Cusco. Because Kus After Kecheng was burned down, all the houses of the princes and nobles were also burned down.”
After listening to this, Mokwa was silent for a long time and said, "Although we can't build a force of ten or twenty thousand soldiers now, we can use a small force to attack their troops in the deep mountain passes and intercept their passage. Pedestrians, killing their inhabitants living outside the city.”
Manco listened to this and said in a very appreciative tone, "Yes, although we are small in number, we can still make them uneasy. On the one hand, we must constantly harass them and let them kill each other. On the other hand, we must continue to mobilize and recruit. Just wait until the time is right before launching a nationwide uprising and riot." Mokwa said, "The king is wise."
Manco said to Mokwa, "Take someone to the Yucai Valley immediately. See if the Tambo Palace was burned down by the Spaniards. If it was really burned down by them, you have to send someone to repair it quickly." . It is relatively close to the city of Cusco and the Royal Avenue. We can use it as our base camp and gather all the troops there. This will not only allow us to have a clearer understanding of what is going on in Cusco, but also organize soldiers to attack the royal family. Spaniards passing by on the avenue were attacked.”
