Bayan-i waqiʿ 4.5

4.5

When all, small and great, were of opinion that Safdar Jang would be victorious, Zu-l fikar Jang asked the Emperor for leave of absence. On pretence of going to pay a visit to the tomb of the saint Shah Mardan, he went and joined the wazir's army, and engaged in robbing and plundering the old city. Accordingly Ahmad Shah Bahadur, acting upon the opinion of his mother and the nobles, bestowed the office of commandant of artillery upon Nawab Samsamu-d daula, son of the late Khan-dauran ; and the khil'at of the wazirship upon the Nawab Intizamu-d daula, son of Kamru-d din Khan the late wazir. Nawab Safdar Jang, on hearing this, was struck with consternation, and took a young eunuch, who had beautiful features and a good figure, and was about thirteen years of age, who had been lately purchased by Nawab Shuja'u-d daula, and calling him Akbar Shah, placed him on the throne, and constituted himself Wazir. Zu-l fikar Jang he made Mir Bakhshi, and the other nobles he appointed to the different offices, both great and small. from the 6th of the month Rajab, in the year 1166 A.H. fighting and contests commenced in earnest. But how can one call it fighting, when on the side of Safdar Jang there were 50,000 horsemen, and the Emperor had only a small body of men, and they too, by reason of the strength of their enemies and the weakness of their own party, were terror-stricken? But I must relate the victory of the weakest, among my records of extraordinary incidents;