Firishta's History (Gulshan-i Ibrāhīmī) 56.5
History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India (Briggs) 56.5
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56.5.1
In the year 913, Babur marched against the Khiljees, a race which infested his country; and having taken from them 100,000 sheep, and some thousands of other cattle, returned to his capital. The nobles of the house of Arghoon, being greatly oppressed by the Oozbuks, now wrote to Babur, that if he would send troops for the purpose, they would put him in possession of Kandahar. Babur instantly proceeded in that direction, and on reaching Kilat, Khan Mirza begged permission to be admitted into his presence, and receiving his pardon, accompanied him on the expedition. Having reached the borders of Kandahar, Babur wrote to Shah Beg Arghoon and to Mahomed Mokeem, that he was so far on his way according to their desire, and that, therefore, he expected to see them in his camp. Since the time of their inviting Babur, however, some alteration in their politics had taken place, and they repented of the application they had made: so that instead of receiving the King in a friendly manner, they prepared to oppose him.
56.5.2
Babur engaged his treacherous allies at the village of Khuttuk, near the city of Kandahar; and having defeated them with great slaughter, cut off their retreat from the city. Shah Beg fled to Yesawul, and Mahomed Mokeem towards Zumeen-Dawur. Babur laid siege to Kandahar, and took it, with all the wealth of the family of Ameer Zoolnoon, which he divided by weight amongst his officers and troops according to their rank; after which, leaving Nasir Mirza, his brother, in the government of Kandahar and Zumeen Dawur, Babur returned in triumph to Kabul. Mahomed Mokeem joined Sheebany Khan, and prevailed on him to march against Nasir Mirza; who, on receiving this intelligence, shut himself up in Kandahar, and sent expresses to his brother for assistance. Babur enjoined him to defend the place till the last; but, if he should be driven to extremity, to capitulate, and join him at Kabul. Babur stated, at the same time, that he was in no condition to dispute the field with Sheebany Khan, whose resources were so greatly superior to his own; besides, that a defeat might ruin him for ever, and overset the design he had formed of establishing himself in Hindoostan.
56.5.3
Some of his nobles advised him to endeavour to occupy Budukhshan in preference, while others approved of the attack on Hindoostan. Babur adopted the latter plan, and began his march towards India. He was detained for some time among the mountains, and finding his means deficient, he, for the present, gave up his intention, and returned to Kabul. Nasir Mirza, according to his instructions, finding he could hold out no longer with propriety in Kandahar, capitulated, and joined the King at Kabul. Sheebany Khan, after taking the town of Kandahar, ordered Abdoolla Sooltan, one of his chiefs, to persevere till he got possession of the fort also, and then directed him to make it over to the family of Ameer Zoolnoon, while he himself marched with his army towards Khorassan. Shortly after this, the fort of Kandahar also fell, and was restored to the Arghoons. On the 4th of Zeekad of this year, Babur had a son born to him in Kabul, whom he named Hoomayoon. In the following year, he took the field against the Meimundy Afghans; but, during his absence, the Moguls of Khoosrow Shah, who had been left to defend Kabul, revolting, raised the King's cousin Abdool Ruzak Mirza, the son of his uncle Alugh Beg Mirza, to the throne. Babur was now suddenly deserted by the greatest part of his army; who, hearing of the rebellion in Kabul, hastened to join their families: insomuch, that out of upwards of 10,000 horse, which he carried to the field, scarcely 500 men remained with him.
56.5.4
Notwithstanding these misfortunes, Babur boldly advanced towards Kabul, with the few trusty friends he had with him. Abdool Ruzak Mirza marched out to oppose him; but Babur, with his small band, attacking the enemy with impetuosity, defeated them, and with his own hand slew the following chiefs: Ally Shubkoor, Ally Seestany, Nuzr Bahadur Oozbuk, Yakoot Sheer Chung, and Oozbuk Bahadur. Abdool Ruzak Mirza was taken prisoner; but so great was Babur's clemency on this occasion, that he pardoned him, though soon after Abdool Ruzak again engaged in rebellion, and suffered death.
56.5.5
The country of Khoosrow Shah, ruler of Koondooz, having fallen into the hands of the Oozbuks, who took no proper means of keeping it in subjection, a number of independent chiefs arose in Budukhshan, of whom the principal was one Zoobeir. In this state of affairs Khan Mirza, the son of Khoosrow Shah, was influenced by his mother, Shah Begum, who traced her descent from the ancient kings of Budukhshan, to take measures to raise himself to the throne of that kingdom. Having previously obtained the consent of Babur, he left Kabul, and raising a small army, advanced towards the borders of Budukhshan. His mother, who came up in the rear, was intercepted by a body of Kashghar troops, made prisoner, and carried off to Aba Bukr Mirza of Kashgar. Khan Mirza, in the mean time, was seized by Zoobeir, who kept him also in confinement. Yoosoof Ally Gokultash, an old servant of Khan Mirza, however, having formed a conspiracy against Zoobeir, assassinated him, and elevated Khan Mirza to the throne. It is mentioned in the Wakaya Babury, that the Kings of Budukhshan, from whom Shah Begum was descended, traced their pedigree from Alexander the Great, son of Philip.
56.5.6
In the year 916, Shah Ismael Sufvy, king of Persia, wrote to Sheebany Khan to withdraw his troops from some parts of his dominions, on which the Oozbuks had made encroachments. Sheebany Khan replied, that it was only for those who were descended from kings to entertain thoughts of empire; that it was true Shah Ismael had raised himself to the throne, when there was no such prince as himself in his neighbourhood to oppose him; but that now he should recommend his retiring to his former obscurity; and that, for that purpose, he sent him a staff and a beggar's dish, the badges of his inheritance. "For," added he, "those only like myself are worthy of possessing the bride of sovereignty, who dare kiss her through opposing swords." Shah Ismael replied, that if empire was an inheritance, it would never have left the race of the Peshdadians. That by the same rule, Chengez Khan would never have attained empire, nor Sheebany Khan himself succeeded to the throne he had overturned. That, for his own part, he had always considered the right of kings as founded on power, and that the longest sword was the best title. That with the latter he was at all times ready to contend with such as Sheebany Khan; and that, though he himself had no disposition to a display of ostentation, yet, in return for Sheebany Khan's present, he had sent him a spinning-wheel for his amusement. "As for the rest," added he, "I shall be my own messenger."
56.5.7
Having dispatched this communication, Shah Ismael marched eastward, and expelled the Oozbuks from Khorassan. He did not halt till he reached Murv, where Sheebany Khan sustained a siege, and being severely reproached by Shah Ismael for remaining within the walls, he marched out and gave him battle, but was defeated. In his flight he had the misfortune to be overtaken, and surrounded in a walled park, with about 500 relatives and Oozbuk chiefs, from whence there was no escape: he was attacked by the Kuzilbashies of Shah Ismael, and in this situation he and all his followers were put to the sword. Khan Mirza dispatched accounts of this important event from Budukhshan to Babur, and went himself to Koondooz, to influence him to recover his former dominions. Accordingly, in the year 917 Babur marched towards Khoozar, and crossed the Oxus, in company with Khan Mirza. An army of Oozbuks lay encamped near Budukhshan, which Babur not being able to attack, was obliged to retreat to Koondooz. Shah Ismael at this time sent Khanzada Begum (Babur's sister) to him. This Princess had been made prisoner at the capture of Samarkand by Sheebany Khan, who afterwards married her. She was now restored, with all her property, and sent from Murv to Koondooz. On her arrival, she gave so flattering an account of the generous conduct of Shah Ismael, that Babur hoped to induce him to lend his assistance in reinstating him in his hereditary kingdom.
56.5.8
He accordingly deputed Khan Mirza as ambassador, with proper presents to Shah Ismael's court. and himself, marched towards Khoozar. Finding the Oozbuks strongly posted at that place, he declined attacking them till reinforced. His troops arriving, Babur advanced to the Oozbuk camp, and offered them battle. An action ensued, wherein Babur obtained a complete victory, for which he was mainly indebted to Khan Mirza, who had rejoined him. In a few days after, Babur was joined by Ahmud Sooltan Soofy, Ally Koolly Khan Oostajloo, and Sharokh Afshar, with a fine body of cavalry, on the part of the King of Persia, so that his army now amounted to 60,000 horse. With this force having taken Koondooz, Khoozar, and Boklan, Babur marched towards Bokhara, and after several successful actions with Abdoolla Sooltan and Jany Beg Sooltan, he subdued that kingdom. On the 15th of Rujub of the same year, he marched from Bokhara to Samarkand, which city surrendered to him the third time, and acknowledged him as its sovereign. Babur, having fixed his residence at Samarkand, appointed Nasir Mirza, his brother, to the government of Kabul, and gave permission to the troops of Persia to return. Babur had not been seated on his new throne, however, above nine months, when the Oozbuks, who had fled to Toorkistan, returned under Teimoor Sooltan, who succeeded to the government of Sheebany Khan.
56.5.9
On receiving these advices, Babur marched to defend Bokhara, in the vicinity of which place he engaged the Oozbuks; but was defeated, and obliged to shut himself up within the walls of the city, which, in the end, he abandoned, and retreated to Samarkand. Herein he was again besieged, and compelled to fall back on Khoozar and Shadman. About this time Nujm-ool-Sany, of Isfahan, a Persian general, advanced with the intention of occupying Bulkh; and Babur, fully bent on recovering his paternal dominions, made common cause with him. Nujm-ool-Sany, having taken the fort of Furas from the Oozbuks, put the garrison, consisting of 15,000 men, to the sword, and laid siege to Kujdiwan, in conjunction with Babur. Shortly after, a body of Oozbuks advanced against them from Bokhara. Fortune being still adverse to Babur, Nujm-ool-Sany and the greater portion of his army were cut off, and Babur was compelled to fly to Khoozar with a few attendants. Nor were his misfortunes confined to defeat by the enemy; for having reproached his troops with their misconduct, they conspired against his life, and a party rushing into his tent at midnight attempted to assassinate him. Babur, aroused by the opposition of his guard, made his escape, and reached the citadel of Khoozar before morning, without one attendant: the conspirators then plundered his camp, and dispersed. In this situation, seeing little hope of success in the north, Babur proceeded direct to Kabul, with a small retinue.
56.5.10
On his arrival, he reinstated Nasir Mirza in the government of Ghizny. In the year 924, he marched towards Swad and Bejowr, then possessed by the Afghans of the tribe of Yoosoofzye. He defeated those mountaineers, and carrying some thousands of them away with him, he intrusted the management of that country to Khwaja Kulan.