Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
When Hernando came to Pizarro's office, Pizarro was listening to Ensign Donald report to him about his trip to Quito. This young cavalry second lieutenant was dressed like an Indian. His face was gray and dusty, and he looked like he had just returned from a long journey.
It just so happened that Hernando also looked dusty and dusty, but he was wearing a neat military uniform. Seeing Hernando pushing open the door and barging in, Pizarro immediately stood up from his desk and shouted excitedly, "My dear brother, you are back." As he went over to greet Hernando, he hugged her together. After the hug, he took Hernando's hand and asked him to sit next to him.
However, Hernando immediately turned to Lieutenant Donald and asked, "Where are you from?" Donald said, "I just came back from Quito. Are you from Cusco?" Nando said, "Yes, but I lived in Birkas for a few days. I should say I came from Birkas." As they said that, the two held hands tightly together.
Donald said, "Hey, man, you ran away after you robbed me last time, but I've been waiting for you for almost more than a year." Hernando smiled, "What? Still not convinced?" Donald said , "Submit you? I don't even submit to the Marquis, how can I still submit to you?" Hernando said, "Well, if you don't accept it, let's fight again, how about it?" Donald said, "Okay."
Donald shook hands with Hernando and said to Hernando, "You brothers haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's have a good chat. I won't disturb you." Then he said to Pizarro, "Mr. Marquis, I Will I report this to you in detail when you are free?" But Pizarro said, "Hernando is my brother and not an outsider, so just keep talking."
Second Lieutenant Donald picked up the cup, took a sip of water, and continued, "Following the order of the Marquis, I rushed to Quito day and night, but as soon as I arrived in Quito, Benalcasal's adjutant told me that Benalcasal General Sal has returned to the country to ask for rewards from the king."
Upon hearing this, Hernando asked, "What's wrong with that bastard Benalcasal?" Pizarro said angrily, "According to the report from the spies in Quito, he wants to get rid of the Peruvian government. To establish a government in Quito. After hearing the news, I immediately sent Lieutenant Donald to Quito, brought him to Lima on the pretext of informing him of a meeting in Lima, and then brought him to justice for rebellion. But I didn’t expect this cunning guy to go back to Spain to ask for credit from the king.”
Hernando complained, "Last time, when he disobeyed military orders and made his own decisions and went north to Quito, I told you that this guy would become independent sooner or later, but you didn't take my words seriously. , let him go."
But Pizarro said, "Although I put him back in Quito, I have always been careful about him and sent people to monitor him at all times. Six months ago, I heard that he seemed to have this intention, but at that time because of I was so busy building an immigration settlement that I didn't care about his affairs." As he said that, Pizarro said with great regret and annoyance, "This rogue bastard. I will have to deal with him sooner or later."
After Donald left, Pizarro asked Hernando, "How much silver did you bring from Bilkas this time?" Hernando stretched out the five fingers of one hand and said proudly, "There are a total of More than five hundred pounds, all of which are fine silver." Pizarro nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good. These silvers are supplied to countries around Spain and can be exchanged for a large amount of currency. The king will definitely be very satisfied. .”
Pizarro asked again, "When do you plan to return to China?" Hernando thought for a while and said, "Of course it would be better as soon as possible." Pizarro nodded, then lit a cigarette and smoked After taking a sip, he said with a worried tone, "This return to the country is different from the past. I am afraid that the king will investigate the murder of Almagro."
Hernando smiled nonchalantly and said, "It depends on whether the gift given to the king satisfies him. If the gift is large and heavy, the king will not pursue it as soon as he is happy. If the gift is light, the king may not So easy to talk to."
Pizarro nodded approvingly and said, "In this case, you must bring more gifts to the king when you return home this time. Tomorrow I will ask Pica to go to the treasury to select some more expensive gold objects and put them in two or three large Take the box to the king."
Hernando said very gratefully, "Thank you Marquis for thinking about me. In this way, I don't have to worry about anything." Pizarro said, "What's gold? In this country, I can have as much as I want. How much. But brother, you are my biological brother. If you have three shortcomings, I can't buy it with more gold. After Brother Huan died, I often blamed myself for not taking good care of him, so I can never let you What dangers and mishaps are there with Gonzalo?”
With that said, Hernando took Pizarro downstairs to the military camp behind the building to check the silver that Hernando had brought. The silver is locked in a warehouse in the military camp. There are soldiers with loaded ammunition standing guard in front of and behind the warehouse.
Hernando asked the soldier to ask someone to open the door, and then entered the warehouse with Pizarro. It was very dark in the warehouse, but when Hernando opened the straw mat wrapped outside, he could see the shining silver, neatly stacked one after another.
Pizarro said happily, "Very good, the silver can be sold at a very good price when shipped back to China. But you have to be careful along the way!" Hernando said, "Please rest assured, Marquis." Pizarro added, "How many people did you bring this time?" Hernando said, "You brought a cavalry squad, about thirty people." Pizarro said, "I will equip you with the largest sailboat and some of the best boatmen. . As long as this silver can be safely transported back to the country, then our family will be the richest family in Spain, and even in Europe. Even the king will salivate over our wealth."
Hernando said, "In fact, we have long been the richest family in Spain and even in Europe. The gold and silver items we brought back to China in the first two times alone are said to be much more than the gold and silver in the entire Spanish treasury. Last time, I After delivering the goods back home, when the cargo ship arrived at the Spanish port dock, a nobleman who was once responsible for guarding the royal treasury came to the ship after hearing the news. He was so surprised when he saw the gold and silver objects on the ship that he could not believe his eyes. He said that he had guarded many The royal treasury has never seen so much gold and silver. Otherwise, more and more people have come to the New World for adventure and exploration in recent years, just because they saw so many gold and silver treasures that we brought back from the New World. "
Pizarro said with emotion, "I think about how poor our family was back then. Apart from you, we have been studying for several years, but your brother and I have never even entered the school. After I returned to China, we We must use this money to open the best school in our hometown."
Hernando said, "But, when can you return to the country?" Pizarro was silent for a while and said, "Yes, when can you return to the country? I can't tell. But, as soon as I leave here and return At home, I will no longer be the master of this new continent."
Having said this, the two of them left the warehouse together. Pizarro said to Picardo who was standing outside the door, "We need to send a few more people to guard here day and night to make sure there is no mistake." Picardo responded quickly, "Yes, Mr. Marquis."
A few minutes' walk from the military camp was the apartment where Pizarro lived. As soon as he entered the apartment door, Pizarro shouted to his wife, an Inca princess, "Hernando has come back from Cusco and asked the chef to prepare a table of delicious dishes for us. We want to drink." The Inca princess responded. Then he entered the kitchen.
Pizarro took Hernando to the reception hall on the second floor. There is a large room in the hall, which is not only spacious and bright, but also magnificently decorated. As soon as the two of them entered and sat in the living room, a soldier came in and handed a leather bag to Hernando. Hernando took out a pure gold oil lamp and an exquisite pure gold Indian gun, placed them on the table in front of Pizarro, and said, "Brother, I am coming from Cusco this time. I didn’t give any special gifts, I just brought two fine gold objects from Tambo Palace to the Marquis, hoping that the Marquis would like it.”
Pizarro looked at the two gold objects in front of him again and again. He didn't like them very much, and said to Hernando, "You can call these Indians stupid, but they can make such exquisite gold objects; but To say they are smart, this big country was defeated and conquered by more than a hundred of us. So, sometimes I can’t figure out, are these Indians stupid or not?”
Hernando couldn't help but said with emotion, "In fact, the Indians are not stupid, it's just that they are too honest and simple, and always imagine others to be as simple and honest as themselves. Or it can be said that maybe we Spaniards are too You're smart." At this point, both of them couldn't help laughing.
At this time, another shouting sound came from the street in front of the apartment. Hernando thought there was some commotion, so he walked to the window and looked outside. I saw five or six almost naked Spanish men wandering and heckling on the street. So, he asked Pizarro, "What do these people do, wearing rags and wandering around the streets?" Pizarro said, "They are not those soldiers from the Chilean gang. They have no property or profession, and they spend all day All I know is wandering around and shouting."
Listening to this, Hernando couldn't help but frowned and said, "How can you let such people live so close to you? This is very dangerous and unsafe." Pizarro was startled. Said, "They have no weapons and no leaders. What else can they do except wandering and shouting in the streets, or bullying the local Indians?" Pizarro took a puff of cigarette and added, "Although they are wandering and yelling, , but they haven’t done anything illegal. As long as any of them dare to do anything illegal or disciplinary, I will severely punish them.”
Hernando warned, "Such people should be sent to a wilderness area far away from the capital, and their entry into the city should be restricted. Only in this way can we ensure our safety. Otherwise, if they want to do something Riots or assassinations can easily succeed." Pizarro laughed, "Brother is a little too neurotic."
Hernando said in a very serious tone, "Although these Chilean soldiers have no weapons and no leader, their loyalty and affection for Almagro are still very deep. Especially this gang of idlers who have no He is jobless, impoverished, and holds deep hatred in his heart. He gathers together all day long, makes trouble, and stirs up trouble. Maybe one day his evil will be revealed and he will take risks. The Marquis cannot fail to take precautions against this. "
Pizarro asked, "How to prevent it?" Hernando said, "In addition to sending these dangerous elements to remote areas; then the Marquis must establish a guard for himself, and there must be guards following him at all times. "Pizarro smiled coldly and said, "Even though I am over sixty years old, when it comes to swordsmanship, I don't think anyone dares to compete with me." Hernando said, "After all, the Marquis should know the truth. It’s easy to dodge a gun, but hard to defend against a hidden sword.”
Then, Hernando added, "There are also many Chilean soldiers in Cusco, but I sent them all to remote suburbs and mountains, and did not allow them to enter the city of Cusco. They also hated me. It is deeply rooted in my bones. Every night when I am sleeping, I seem to hear the sound of their gnashing teeth. Therefore, I know that although they are poor, their beliefs have not changed. They are waiting for the opportunity. Once the opportunity comes, they will He will come back with murderous intent and will kill us all. Therefore, I advise the Marquis not to take it lightly and relax his vigilance."
These words may have attracted Pizarro's attention. He nodded while smoking a cigarette and said, "It's time to take some measures against them." So he asked the guards to call Picardo and asked Picardo, "How did you deal with those Chilean gangs? Why did you hear them making noise along the street just now?" Picardo couldn't help but said, "I sent a cavalry team yesterday to escort them to the wilderness area in the suburbs and asked them not to enter. Urban area. Did they come back again? "
Hernando said to Picardo in a very serious tone, "The biggest threat to us now is not the Inca King Manco, but these impoverished Chilean gangs. You must find a way to protect the Marquis's personal safety. If the Marquis's personal safety If there are three shortcomings, I will put you to the test." Picardo said, "Please rest assured, Captain Hernando. I will absolutely guarantee the safety of Mr. Marquis."
By this time, the food was on the table, and Alcantara's cousin and Adjutant Chavez also heard the news and rushed over to help Hernando.
