Muntakhab al-tawarikh 78.7
Muntakhabu-t-tawārīkh (Ranking, Lowe, Haig) 78.7
- Language
- English
78.7.1
“Gold in the hand of a worldly man, O brother, is still in the ore. Gold, my son, is meant to be enjoyed; For hording, gold is no better than stone”. In this year the rebellion of the Khan Zaman, and Ibrahim Khan and Iskandar Khan Uzbek took place. And this is how it arose. After the rebellion of ‘Abd-ullah Khan Uzbek, suspicion of the whole Uzbek tribe found access to the Emperor’s mind, and he sent Ashraf Khan the Mir-Munshi from Narwar to seek Iskandar Khan on propitiatory terms. This man held a jagir in Audh, and by means of seductive artifices he managed to carry off to his jagir, which was Sarharpur, Ashraf Khan, on the pretence of accompanying Ibrahim Khan Uzbek, who was senior to the others. Thence they went to Jounpur to the Khan Zaman with the intention of asking his advice. These came to the determination to rebel, which they proceeded to do unanimously, and most unjustifiably detained Ashraf Khan. Sikandar Khan and Ibrahim Khan raising the head of rebellion in Lak’hnou, and Khan Zaman, and Bahadur Khan at Karah and Manikpur. The Amirs of those districts, such as Shaham Khan Jalair, Shah Budagh Khan and others were defeated in battle before the Khan Zaman. In that battle Muhammed Amin Divani was made prisoner, and the Amirs then shut themselves up in the fortress of Nim Kahar, and Majnun Khan Qaqshal in Manikpur.
78.7.2
Then Asaf Khan leaving a body of men to hold the district of Garha Katangah, went himself with considerable treasure, and a fresh army, to the relief of Majnun Khan. He unlocked his treasury and satisfied the greed of his army, and also supplied Majnun Khan plentifully from the public treasury (which was the means of his being able to recruit his army), and then encamped opposite to the Khan Zaman. Thence they sent reports to the Court. And Sam Khan wrote this verse in his dispatch:— “O royal cavalier, army-decking in the day of battle, The victory hath escaped us, place thy foot in the stirrup.” When, on his return from his journey to Malwah, the Emperor received this news, he sent off Mun‘im Khan the Khan-Khanan to cross the Ganges at the ford of Kanouj, and himself in the month Shavval of the year nine hundred and seventy-two (972) set his royal foot in the stirrup. And to Qiya Khan Gung (who had been one of the rebels), at the intercession of the Khan-Khanan, the Emperor on his arrival, granted an audience, and graciously condoned his offences. Thence by forced marches his Imperial Highness came to Lak’hnou. Sikandar Khan did not give battle, but joining the Khan Zaman and Bahadur Khan, these all ceased to confront A'saf Khan and Majnun Khan, and, retreating towards Jounpur with all their people and families, crossed the river Narhan, and went down country. Then Yusuf Muhammad Khan, son of Atkah Khan, was appointed to go against them.
78.7.3
The Emperor also pursued in person, and encamped outside Jounpur. At that halting-place A'saf Khan with 5000 veteran horse, in company with Majnun Khan, came and paid his respects, and brought his gifts, and was graciously received. On Friday the 12th of the month Zi Hijjah of the aforesaid year the Emperor alighted at the fort of Jounpur. And A'saf Khan being made generalissimo of the army crossed the ford of Narhan and went down country to oppose the Khan Zaman. In those days the Emperor appointed Hajji Muhammad Khan Sistani to go on an embassy to Sulaiman Kararani, Governor of Bengal (who had a strong friendship for the Khan Zaman), in order to prevent his giving any aid or assistance to the Khan Zaman. When he arrived at the fortress of Rhotas, some Afghans seized him, and sent him to the Khan Zaman, with whom they had a kind of union. And the Khan Zaman, on account of the time-honoured friendship which had existed between Hajji Muhammad Khan and himself, treating him with punctilious honour and respect, settled to send his own mother with him to the Court, to intercede for himself, and entreat forgiveness for his faults.
78.7.4
In these days, the Emperor sent Hasan Khan Khazanchi, and Maha-patra Bad-farosh (who had been of the favoured courtiers of Shir Shah, and Salim Shah, and was without a rival in the science of music and Hindu poetry) on an embassy to the Raja of Orissa (who was distinguished above the other Rajas for his army and military pomp), to dissuade him from reaching the hand of aid and assistance to the Khan Zaman, and to prevent his giving him refuge in his dominions, and that, by preventing Sulaiman also from helping him he might utterly frustrate the plans of the Khan Zaman. The Raja agreed willingly enough to act on the part of the Emperor, and declared his loyalty by sending elephants and valuable gifts and presents. Then the two ambassadors returned to the Court at Agrah. About the same time Muzaffar Khan, and others of the courtiers, through the violence of their nature and their avarice, assailed the ear of Asaf Khan with open and covert suggestions, hoping to get from him presents, valuables and further advantages, [but afterwards] they followed the beaten track of detraction, and suggested to some people to find out the truth about the booty of Choura-gadh, and broached the matter to Asaf Khan himself.
78.7.5
When Asaf Khan was conducting hostilities against the Khan Zaman and was encamped at the fort of Narhan, he had been much wounded and annoyed by these matters, so that one midnight, seizing the opportunity, he together with his brother Vazir Khan, and such troops as he had, fled towards the district of Garha Katangah, and arrived at Garha. On the receipt of news of this circumstance the Emperor appointed Mun‘im Khan, Khan-Khanan, in his place as generalissimo of that army, and appointed Shuja'at Khan to go in pursuit of Asaf Khan. Shuja'at Khan embarked from Manikpur, and endeavoured to cross the Ganges, but Asaf Khan (who had retreated for some distance), as soon as he heard this returned, and came to the river-bank to hinder his passage. There he fought a severe battle, and prevented the flotilla of Shuja‘at Khan from crossing, so that the latter, when night came on, was obliged to return to the side from which he started. Then Asaf Khan on the other bank of the river, with his whole army went off to his own jagir. At this juncture Shuja'at Khan, finding the field open, proceeded by another road to Karah, and went some distance in pursuit of an enemy, the skirt of whose garments he could not reach even in thought ; and, when he found that there was a great distance between them, he returned to Jounpur and came of the Court.
78.7.6
Also in these days Hasan Khan came as ambassador, bringing fitting presents, on behalf of his brother Fath Khan Afghan Tibati, governor of the fortress of Rohtas, where in the year (P. 78) 972 he had been beseiged by Sulaiman Kararani, but, on hearing news of the approach of the Emperor, Sulaiman had raised the seige. His prayer was that he might be confirmed in his government, while he should deliver up the fortress. On this account Qulij Khan was appointed to accompany him from Jounpur. Then Fath Khan, having repented of sending his brother, and having provisioned the fortress well, wrote a letter to his brother as follows : “ Convey thyself to us as quickly as possible, for our mind is at rest with regard to the stores.” So Hasan Khan, cloaking his treachery under the garb of hypocrisy, managed to detain Qulij Khan for some time, and outwardly made show of submission. But eventually Qulij Khan became aware of his duplicity, and had to depart without attaining his object : — “ Dastan i Sam was champion of the world, Yet at play he was not always the winner,”
78.7.7
This Rohtas is a fortress in the neighbourhood of Bihar, in length it is 14 cosses, in breadth 3 cosses , in height 5 cosses. Outside the fortress there is cultivated land, and such abundance of water that if one drive a nail into the ground or set a trivet at any spot water comes up. Ever since Shir Shah seized the fortress it had been in the hands of the Afghans, till the turn came to Fath Khan, who would not bow the head to Sulaiman. And afterwards it came into the possession of the Emperor, as shall be related if God, (He is exalted !) will. And when Jounpur became the halting-place of the imperial standards and the Emperor was very busy in the arrangement of important affairs, before he sent off Mun‘im Khan as leader of the army against the Khan Zaman, this latter, being encamped at the ford of Narhan, honoured Bahadur Khan with the command, and sent him off together with Sikandar Khan towards Sarwar, with instructions to penetrate to the centre of the district, and create a disturbance, and with a considerable force to obtain any advantage they could in any direction they pleased.
78.7.8
On this account several of the great Amirs with a great army (such as Shah Budagh Khan, and his son ‘Abd-ul-Matlab Khan, and Qiya Khan, and Sa‘id Khan, and Muhammad Ma‘sum Khan Farankhudi, and others whom it would take too long to mention) were appointed, together with Mir Mu‘izzul Mulk Mashhadi (on the stature of whose capacity the dress of commander-in-chief sat badly and unbecomingly) to undertake to oppose and drive back Iskandar and Bahadur. These armies had not yet met, while Mun‘im Khan the Khan-Khanan (who had an excessively friendly regard for the Khan Zaman) for four or five months, after the manner of an old man, kept sending soldiers with messages by letter and by word of mouth to make negotiation for peace. When Khwajah Jahan and Darbar Khan arrived at the ford of Narhan from Jounpur, in order to examine into the matter of peace or war, and to settle whether haste or delay were preferable, on the one side the Khan Zaman with three or four people, and on the other the Khan-Khanan and Khwajah Jahan, also with three or four persons, got into the same boat, and when they had had an interview, settled peace on the following terms: That the Khan Zaman should send his mother, with his uncle Ibrahim Khan Uzbek, and the famous elephants he possessed, to the Court. And that after that all his transgressions had been condoned, Sikandar and Bahadur should go themselves to the Court. Then Darbar Khan brought this news to the royal ear;
78.7.9
and the next day the Khan Khanan and Khwajah Jahan brought the mother of the Khan Zaman, and Ibrahim Khan, together with the elephants, to the Court, and assumed the position of intercessors for the forgiveness of the faults of the Khan Zaman. When, suddenly, news came from Sardar of the flight of the general Mir Mu‘izz-ul-Mulk. The Emperor was much enraged, and that peace was turned to rancour.