Inca Elegy (Novel) "The Fall of the Inca Empire" (Volume 2) by Zhang Baotong
Vaca de Castro soon received the news that Cervantes had been hanged by Almagro and that Almagro was leading his troops to Guamanga. This showed that his peace talks with Almagro had completely failed, and a fight between the two armies was inevitable. However, he has already calculated this outcome. Alvarado and Holguin's troops have a total of more than 700 people, while Almagro's troops only have more than 500 people. Moreover, they are waiting for work, occupying the right time, location and location. Advantages of having more people. He was sure that he could defeat Almague's forces in one fell swoop.
On the morning of September 15, 1542, in the depth of winter, floods continued to rage in the mountains for several days. Floods rushed from the mountains into the valleys along the slopes and valleys, and sometimes snowflakes fell. The judge sent by the king, who now called himself the governor, Barca de Castro, rode with Alvarado and Holguin, the supreme commanders of Pizarro's two armies, and their retinue. Start observing the terrain around the town of Guamanga.
However, the town of Guamanga is surrounded by mountainous and uneven terrain. Although it is conducive to defense, it is not conducive to offense, especially to large-scale cavalry attacks. The number of cavalry in their army exceeded 200, while the number of cavalry in Almagro was only about 200. If they want to win by surprise, cavalry is the most effective way to defeat their opponents. So Holguin said to Baca de Castro, "Mr. Governor, I feel that the terrain around Guamanga is not conducive to our cavalry advantage. We should find a relatively wide and flat terrain to compete with Alma." Gro's cavalry duel."
Alvarado also said, "Yes, we have more than 200 cavalry, and we must find a plain large enough for our cavalry to attack. As long as our cavalry overwhelms and defeats their cavalry, we can defeat them." The entire army was disorganized and overwhelmed."
The Governor listened, nodded, and asked, "But where is there a spacious and flat place here?"
An adjutant named Francisco de Carbajal next to him immediately said, "Seven or eight kilometers away from here, there is a place called Chupas Plains."
Mr. Governor said, "Let us go to the plains of Chupas now."
So, more than a dozen of them rode horses and galloped towards the Chupas plain through the mud and rain. After driving for about half an hour, they came to a large flat area. The plain is several kilometers deep, surrounded by high slopes and woods. A stream flows from the edge of the plain, which is very suitable for the two armies to deploy and attack. They went up to a high slope on the edge of the plain, looking down at the entire plain while making arrangements.
After everyone discussed and made arrangements for the formation of troops, they descended the high slope and returned to the military camp in the small town of Guamanga via the original route. After lunch, the two troops gathered from the military camps on both sides of the town and headed towards the Chupas Plains.
The rain and snowflakes were falling non-stop, and soon the soldiers' clothes were soaked through. When they were walking on high hills or ridges, the cold wind blowing from the mountains almost froze their bodies. The soldiers marched arduously on muddy mountain roads for nearly two hours before reaching the Chupas Plain, and set up tents in a sheltered place under the high slopes on the edge of the plain as a camping site.
I thought that the battle between the two armies would take place in this bad weather of rain and snow, but early the next morning, the wind stopped and the rain stopped. After the rain, the sky cleared, and the sun rose early from Dongshan. The Governor felt that this was a good sign. At this time, a spy came to report that Almagro's troops were heading towards the plains of Chupas, only a few hours away. Baca de Castro immediately began mobilizing troops for pre-war deployment.
He asked his troops to occupy and control a high slope of the valley plain, from where they could use matchlocks to shoot at the enemy troops in the plain, and used a part of the cavalry as a reserve for reinforcements. Then pull the entire army under the high slope to have a face-to-face impact with the opponent. He said to the officers around him, "I will now tell you about the military deployment situation that I have studied. Everyone must remember your responsibilities and division of labor. Adjutant Carvajal led the main infantry force equipped with matchlock guns and spears. The troops were deployed in the center; cavalry troops were deployed on both sides. Alvarado led the cavalry troops on the right wing. Holguin commanded the cavalry on the left wing. Although the artillery unit was not very strong, it was led by Second Lieutenant Stibatu. Arranged in the center with the infantry unit led by Adjutant Carvajal. I will lead the forty cavalry selected from General Alvarado's troops as the vanguard. Once the battle begins, I will lead this cavalry squad to take the lead. , rush into the enemy's position, and then the two cavalry units on the left and right wings also rush over at the same time. In this way, the enemy's cavalry units can be overwhelmed."
The governor sat astride a bay-red war horse and wore an embroidered brocade coat over his armor. This was the dress and emblem of the knighthood of St. James which he had been conferred upon him by the king before his departure from Spain. This costume and logo are particularly eye-catching among all the soldiers. Moreover, behind him was the troop of 40 cavalry. These 40 cavalry troops were warriors he selected one by one from Alvarado's cavalry troops. Alvarado was very dissatisfied with his behavior and felt that he had taken away all the elite soldiers in his army, but he could not stop him.
Hearing that the Governor wanted to lead the vanguard, Carvajal, who served as military adjutant, immediately said, "The Governor cannot serve as the vanguard, nor can he be the first to rush into the enemy camp. This is because doing so can easily expose the target, attract enemy firepower, and become a An enemy shooting target."
Alvarado said, "Mr. Governor is the commander-in-chief of the army and cannot take risks like this."
Holguin also disagreed with Mr. Governor's risky behavior. He said, "Mr. Governor should just stay on the high slope and observe and direct the battle."
Seeing that everyone was trying to persuade him, Mr. Governor said, "How about I lead these 40 cavalry as a reserve for this battle. When the battle reaches a critical moment, I will lead this cavalry team to suddenly attack."
Everyone thought this was a good idea and agreed.
However, after the troops' positions were arranged, spies came to report that Almagro's troops suddenly stopped about fifty kilometers away from here. This made everyone feel very disappointed. Therefore, the governor had to let the troops camp on the high slopes of the plain.
It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that Almagro's troops slowly came to a stop on a not very steep slope at the end of the plain, and then began to set up camp on the top of the slope.
I saw the enemy troops setting up camp while on alert. It was suggested to the Governor, "We should attack them while they are not yet secure."
But Holguin disagreed and said, "Mr. Governor, you see the sun will set in two hours. Isn't it too late to start a war now?"
The governor looked towards the west mountain for a while, also hesitating, because he knew that it might get dark just after the battle started. However, Alvaldo encouraged the governor and said, "Now is the time to attack the enemy, because the soldiers are full of fighting spirit, morale, and eager to win. This is a God-given opportunity. I hope the governor will not hesitate." Decide."
After hearing this, the governor said, "May God bless us." Then he ordered the troops to assemble urgently and prepare for battle.
The troops soon assembled behind the high slopes of the plain. The governor led the officers out of the tent. He rode a bay horse, wore a leather coat inlaid with honeysuckle, and had the insignia and medals of the Legion of Santiago warriors pinned to his chest armor. He rode to the front of the army and loudly preached to the soldiers, "All officers and soldiers, on the high slopes on the other side of this plain are your enemies. They are rebels against this country and the King of Spain. They are now Use force against me, the king's representative. It is therefore my duty to quell the rebellion and punish these rebels. I now order Mr. Alvarado to read the verdict against these rebels."
Alvarado rode forward, took out a document from his pocket, and read loudly, "According to the laws of the King of Spain, what Almagro and his followers were engaged in in Peru was an act against the King of Spain. and acts of the state, in accordance with the laws of the King of Spain, they shall be condemned to death and deprived of all their property. And all the property deprived of them shall be distributed by the Governor to those who have merited merit in this battle.”
The officers and soldiers immediately shouted loudly, "Long live the king! Long live the governor!"
The governor ordered the troops to set off. As a result, the troops concealed themselves from behind the high slope and marched toward the enemy's position. The front of the army was the main infantry led by Adjutant Carvajal, the middle was the cavalry led by Alvarado and Holguin, and the rear was the cavalry reserve led by the Governor. They marched along the high slope and stopped at a mountain pass close to the enemy's camp.
At this time, they discovered that the enemy's leading troops were deploying their troops on the hillside. Nearly a hundred infantrymen armed with matchlocks had also formed a formation. The white flag symbolizing Almagro's troops is flying high on the high slope position.
Just as the governor's troops approached the front of the defenders' position, Almagro's musketeers began firing, and the storm of firepower immediately knocked down the attackers. This surprised the Governor, who quickly ordered the troops to stop and take cover. Francisco de Carvajal immediately told the Governor, "Charging in an open area where the enemy's artillery fire is present is not only dangerous, but also very difficult. It is better to detour to the side of the enemy's artillery fire and then charge."
The governor felt that what the adjutant said was reasonable, so he asked a captain named Rubasten to lead 50 musketeers and another captain named Buerte to lead 50 harpooneers to follow Adjutant Carvajal from the enemy. The army withdrew from its forward position, then detoured around a high slope from its hiding place, and led the team forward using a curved route spiraling down the slope of the hill. Because they were so cleverly concealed, they were not discovered by the Indian troops commanded by Paulo, the younger brother of the Inca King Manco, until they were on the enemy's flank. The Indian troops launched a sudden attack on them. Hundreds of soldiers armed with spears rushed toward them. Carvajal immediately ordered the musketeers to shoot, and soon knocked down the Indian soldiers, causing the Indian troops to immediately begin to disperse.
