Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
When dozens of carriages carrying large wooden boxes filled with gold and silver arrived at the port of Veracruz, Spanish government officials in charge of customs immediately arrested Hernando and seized all the large wooden boxes. Hernando was held in a cell by soldiers. He strongly demanded to see local government officials.
That afternoon, a local government official met him in the office and said to him, "I admire you and the Marquis of Pizarro for their bravery and adventure, but you killed the governor of Almagro appointed by the king. Therefore, I must arrest you by order of the king.”
Hernan smiled at the government official in front of him and said, "I came back to the country on the king's order to explain to the king face to face that Almagro's death was indeed a misunderstanding. It's just that the king was bewitched by those people. , I believed the rumors, so I have to explain it clearly to the king." With that, he put a golden statuette into the official's hand, and begged, "When we meet for the first time, we can be friends. From now on. , there are still many opportunities for us to interact."
The official took the golden statue in his hand and looked at it again and again. He couldn't help but said, "This thing is so beautiful. I didn't expect the Incas to have such exquisite craftsmanship."
Hernando immediately said, "This is nothing. If you like it, I will bring you more small gifts like this next time."
The official's eyes widened and he said in surprise, "So Peru is really full of gold?"
Hernando said, "Seeing is better than hearing. If you have the chance, I can take you to see it."
The official said, "That's great. I really want to go there and see it." Then he stretched out his hand, shook hands with Hernando, and said, "My name is Flamingo. I am Mendo." The executive officer sent here by Governor Sa."
Hernando took the opportunity and said, "Mr. Flamingo, can you let me go and let me return home quickly to explain the situation to the king?"
Flamingo showed hesitation and said, "I can't let you go. If you want to let you go, only the Governor has the power."
Hernando said, "How about you take me to see the governor?" In his mind, as long as there is gold in hand, there is no joint that cannot be broken.
Flamingo thought for a while and said, "Okay. We will take you to see Governor Mendoza tomorrow."
The next morning, Flamenco took Hernando to the Governor's Palace in Mexico City in a luxurious carriage. The carriage was speeding along the road in the Gulf of Mexico countryside. Because it was close to the seaside, the climate was humid and the scenery was charming. When the carriage drove into the mountains far away from the port, the night had fallen silent. A bright moon moved slowly on the top of the east mountain, and the stars twinkled in the sky. It's autumn now, and the wind blows from the warm sea surface. The air current is warm and moist, so I don't feel cold at all. Because the port is about two hundred kilometers away from the Governor's Palace in Mexico City, it will take at least two or three days by horse-drawn carriage. And it's not easy to ride like this in a carriage for two or three days. The carriage passed through a town, it was late at night, and it rained for a while. Although the rain was not heavy, the temperature dropped. They had no choice but to stop the carriage and go to an inn to spend the night.
Early the next morning, they continued on their way. Along the way, there was endless wilderness, wild flowers everywhere, and beautiful scenery. It reminded Hernando of his hometown and childhood. However, he had no intention of looking at the scenery, but his mind was heavy, thinking about what the governor would do to him.
It wasn't until the evening of the next day that they finally arrived in Mexico City. They didn't even go out to eat, they went to the Governor's Palace. The Governor's Palace is a very exquisite three-story small foreign-style building, where Governor Mendoza's family and some government agencies live. The Spanish flag hangs over the small building.
Flamingo took Hernando to the gate of the Governor's Palace, explained his purpose to a guard, and asked the guard to inform the Governor. After a while, the guard came over with a steward, and the steward took the two of them into the Governor's Mansion. They met Governor Mendoza in the drawing room on the second floor. The governor was a nobleman in his forties, very well-dressed and noble, and he was also very hospitable.
As soon as Hernando saw the Governor, he gave Governor Mendoza a gold plate as a gift. He said to the governor, "This is a gift I brought from the Inca Empire. Please accept it, your Excellency the governor."
Governor Mendoza took the gold plate and looked at it for a long time. He felt that the gold plate was carved with some ancient Inca-style patterns, which were very exquisite and interesting, so he said in a very appreciative tone, "Is this pure gold? "
Hernando replied, "Of course it is pure gold. It was given to me by Atahualpa, the emperor of the Inca Empire. Because it is very exquisite and valuable, I gave it to the governor specifically. I was there An expert in China estimated the price, and he said it was worth at least 200,000 gold pesos.”
When the governor heard this, he exclaimed, "Oh my God, is it worth 200,000 gold pesos? That's a sky-high price."
Flamenco was also surprised and said, "This is the most valuable treasure in Spain."
Hernando said, "No, there were so many people who wanted to buy it from me, but I never let go."
Governor Mendoza couldn't put it down and looked at the gold plate over and over again. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He said to Hernando, "Sir, is there anything important you want to see me for?"
Hernan nodded, looking embarrassed, and said, "Presumably the Governor already knows about General Almagro?"
Governor Mendoza said, "Of course I know, it was hanged by your Pizarro brothers."
Hernando said, "That is not the case. The king was bewitched by those people and believed the rumors. Therefore, I rushed back to the country to explain to the king. However, I was beaten by Mr. Flamingo at the port of Veracruz. I was arrested, but he said that he did not have the power to release me and had to ask the Governor for permission. So, I had no choice but to follow Mr. Flamingo and come here to ask you."
After hearing this, Governor Mendoza thought for a while, then smiled and said to Hernando, "Don't worry, Mr. Hernando, as the governor I have no power to arrest you, so you can go back to your country and report to the king." Give the necessary explanation. I hope you can explain the reasons to the king and be forgiven and understood by the king."
Hernando was very moved after hearing what the Governor said, and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency the Governor, for your magnanimity. I, Hernando, and Marquis Pizarro will always remember His Excellency the Governor's kindness, and we will spend our lives carrying it out." repay."
Governor Mendoza was touched by Hernando's gratitude. He held Hernando's hand tightly and said, "I know that Hernando is a very kind and generous man, and I also know that your brothers have contributed so much to Spain." The royal family has made great contributions. I admire you." Then, he said to Flamingo, "You must release Mr. Hernando immediately and assist him in returning to the country as soon as possible."
Flamingo said, "Yes, Your Majesty the Governor."
Hernando was very excited to be released and entertained by Governor Mendozaza, which greatly increased his confidence in meeting the king. It occurred to him countless times that as long as he placed three large wooden boxes of precious gold products in front of the king, the king would immediately burst into laughter and even say, "Oh, this is simply more gold than the gold in my palace." .”
He returned to the country two years ago and brought a lot of gold to the king. Therefore, the king regarded him as the most distinguished guest, invited him to a banquet, invited him to meet with ministers, and highly praised him and his brothers, and granted him official positions and major rewards. . This time, he brought more gold to the king than last time.
By the time he arrived at the port, accompanied by Flamingo, the dozens of large wooden boxes had been placed in a large warehouse. For the safety of the goods, soldiers with live ammunition were posted in front of the warehouse to guard them. This made Hernando very happy. So, he invited Flamingo and several of his subordinates to have dinner at a very expensive restaurant, and then accompanied them to the casino to gamble. Because this is the best way for them to entertain their friends.
The Port of Veracruz was originally a very remote fishing village. However, after Mexico was conquered by the Spanish, this isthmus became particularly important. After the large amounts of gold and silver looted from the Indians were unloaded at the port of Tecoantepec Bay, they were transported along the mountain road of the isthmus to the port of Veracruz, where they waited for shipment to Spain. Therefore, it soon became extremely prosperous because of the colonial chartered trading port.
The town is covered with simple huts made of wood, mud and wheat straw, which make people feel low and ugly. Most of the residents are black and white mulattoes and local indigenous people. Of course, there are also many luxurious European-style houses on the streets. Almost all the people living here are wealthy and powerful Spaniards. A large number of European and North American merchants, as well as priests, officials and new travelers came one after another, making this small town prosperous rapidly. It is also a paradise for travelers and sailors to relax and have fun. Restaurants, hotels, shops, casinos and brothels abound, one after another. Tourists, businessmen or sailors who come here for business or transshipment will leave here in a hurry after enjoying themselves.
Hernando stayed in a luxurious hotel next to the port of Veracruz. While inquiring about when a merchant ship would return home, he took the soldiers to spend the whole day in casinos and brothels for fun.
Two weeks later, a merchant ship named "Princess Maria" arrived at the port of Veracruz. Hernando bought the ticket and loaded dozens of large wooden boxes containing gold and silver on the ship. Then, start the boat ride back home. It was already autumn, and he had been away from Peru for four months. The "Princess Maria" sailed day and night on the ocean. The boring and bumpy life was miserable, but at least they no longer had to worry about the cargo. So, they stay in the casino and kill time all day long. Anyway, they have too much gold and endless gold pesos to spend.
