Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 42.15
A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 42.15
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42.15.1
Meanwhile Azem-shah was so straightened in his quarters by the Bidjapoorians, that he had infallibly been undone, had not Sheab-eddin-qhan, with his brother, Mudjahed-qhan, hastened to his assistance, with all the provisions and sutlers they had assembled, by beating both the Marhattas and the troops of Sekender-shah's. The above historian says that all the Prince's cavalry was starving, so that the very men of his household suffered hardships unavoidable, and perished with famine; numbers of them had subsisted on bones of dead animals pounded together with tamarind leaves, a food, which, wretched as it was, had now failed totally. Vast numbers perished from such unwholesome food, as well as from mere famine; the courage of the men was damped; but what is singular, that of the women proved unshaken. Djani-begum, Dara-shecoh's daughter, and now consort to Azem-shah, who lived in camp, but was kept at some distance from it, having had her quarters attacked by a party of the enemy, she quitted her covered chair, and getting upon a war-elephant, she pushed forwards on the enemy; she had thrown away her veil, was shooting arrows incessantly, and encouraging both officers and men to do their duty, and to exert themselves manfully; and she was repulsing the enemy vigorously, when assistance came from the main army. As to the convoy brought to camp by the two brothers, Sheab-eddin and Mudjahed-qhan, it was attacked in its way by forces twice superior to theirs;
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and here the two brave brothers, concluding that the Imperial army would be undone unless it was immediately assisted with provisions, resolved to perish on the spot, or to carry their point. They both joined together in pronouncing over themselves the office of the dead; their principal officers did the same, and, mounting again like men that had taken leave of this world, they rushed upon those numerous troops, and did so much havoc amongst them, that they forced them to retire in disorder, leaving full liberty to the convoy to repair safely and without further loss to Azem-shah's famished camp. The Prince, on Sheab-eddin's making his bow, took him up, caught him tenderly in his arms, dressed that officer in the very dress which he himself then wore, and loaded him with honors and favors. The Emperor himself, hearing of this signal delivery of his son and army, exclaimed aloud, "May God Almighty preserve for ever Sheab-eddin, with his family and descendants, in the same manner as that brave officer has preserved the honor of the Djagatai-family and throne!" He at the same time augmented his grade by a thousand effective horse, changed his name, gave him the title of the Victorious Champion of the Law, Ever Successful, sent him a very obliging letter with many rich presents, and decorated in the same manner that officer's brother and his principal officers.
42.15.3
But as, meanwhile, the siege of Bidja-pûr seemed to draw to a length, the Emperor himself, on the twenty-ninth year of his reign, turned his victorious standards towards that capital. Being arrived in its neighbourhood, he detached Sûltan Muazzem to the assistance of his younger brother, Azem-shah, and got that Prince accompanied by the flower of his army, commanded by officers of great renown and approved abilities; such as Roh-ollah-qhan, and Sheab-eddin-qhan (now styled Ghazy-eddin-qhan), and some others; and every one of those heroical men set out with a firm intention to exhibit such feats of valour and ability as might do honour to the Emperor's choice. But Sûltan Muazzem, who preferred policy and prudence to open force and bloodshed, commenced, from his post at Shah-pûry gate, a negotiation with the garrison, offering them full safety for their honour, property, and lives, if they would quietly surrender the place. The younger brother, informed of an affair that would have redounded intirely to his elder's honour, wrote to the Emperor, "That he was treating with the enemy on his own account, and seemed to roll great projects in his head;" and in this malicious insinuation he was joined by some Commanders averse to the Soltan Muazzem. Roh-ollah-qhan himself, who was attached to Azem-shah, gave his evidence against the unfortunate Prince. The officers of the police in the army joined in those depositions;
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and Shah-coly, a favourite servant of Soltan Muazzem's, who used often to resort to Sekender-shah within the city of Bidja-p8r, was seized as he was coming back to camp, and arrested, and then sent to the Emperor. That Prince at first spoke to him mildly, and exhorted him to give a full information of whatever he knew, as the safety of the State was interested in it; the other denied that there was any criminality in his case. Orders being given to torment him, he was scourged, and in the middle of that torment, he promised to disclose every thing he knew; and he, accordingly, accused not only the Prince, but also numbers of other persons, who, he said, were equally privy to his designs. Some of these were Momin-qhan, the second astrologer, Mahmed-sadyc-qhan, Bendrabun, Divan to the Prince, and Seyd-abdollah of Barr. The Emperor, on this deposition, sent for Soltan Muazzem to Court, and complained much of the ungenerousness and folly of his conduct. The Prince was confounded and speechless; he then denied Shah-coly to be in his service; but the assertion answered no purpose. And Seyd-abdollah, after all the heroical feats of valor and conduct he had exhibited heretofore at Haider-abad, and of late at Bidja-p8r, was disgraced and confined, with many others. Soltan Muazzem was neither disgraced, nor had any of his offices or revenues taken from him; but he was neglected, and fell into contempt.
42.15.5
Roh-ollah-qhan, who had heretofore interceded for Seyd-abdollah, was ordered to keep that officer in his custody. Meanwhile the siege had been protracted to the beginning of the year thirty of the Emperor's reign, which answers to the year one thousand and ninety-seven of the Hedjrah; and the inhabitants and garrison of that great capital, being deprived so long of all necessaries, an infinity of men and animals perished with famine; forage and provisions were sold for their weight in gold. In this extremity Sherzeh-qhan, a principal Commander in Sekender-shah's service, asked for a parley, and was admitted to a composition for his master. That General brought the keys of the city to the Emperor, who ordered Sekender-shah into confinement. It was in this manner that a fortress that had stood like that wall of Ascander-makedon's, at last submitted, and the chronogram of the date was comprised within the above words. The Emperor, on receiving notice of this important surrender, gave orders by a note in his own hand to the analyst, Sheh-hedayet-kish, to insert it in his annals in these words: "This fortress came to my possession by the repeated efforts of that worthy son of mine, the sincere, the faithful Ghazi-eddin-qhan, the Ever Successful in War!" And it is observable that this conquest was announced in those very words in the Imperial letter written to Emir-qhan, the famous Governor of Cabul, with whom the Emperor was pleased to keep a correspondence.
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The Monarch, after the conquest of Bidja-pur, resolved to finish the campaign by taking the city of Haider-abad, in the territory of which he had already, long ago, and so early as the beginning of the expedition against Bidja-pur, sent a number of troops with orders to ravage and ruin the open country; but his suspicious temper had made him change these troops several times, together with their Commanders, as we shall soon have occasion to mention. This was the state of things at that period in that neighbourhood. But Bidja-pur being now conquered, and his mind made easy on that head, he bent all the strength of his genius and all the power of the Empire on the conquest of Haider-abad, to the territory of which he now gave the surname or title of Dar-el-djihad, or theatre of the sacred war. It is this theatre of a sacred war which the religious Emperor, that champion of religion and law, was going to besiege with an army of half Mussulmans, and half Infidels and Pagans. But before we enter on our narrative, it is proper that we should mention in few words what were the circumstances of that city and country, a little before the Emperor's arrival. That Prince, on sending Azem-shah towards Bidja-p8r, had dispatched the valorous Qhan-djehan towards Haider-abad, with orders to make himself master of some towns and fortresses that might straighten that capital, and render subsistence difficult. That General was accompanied by several officers of character ;
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such as his own nephews, Sefder-qhan, Iredj-qhan, and Fidai-qhan ; amongst which were likewise some Gentoo Commanders, the principal of whom was Mohcum-sing. On hearing all these preparations, S8ltan-ab8l-hassen, King of Haider-abad, ordered his Generalissimo, Hibrahim-qhan, to march against the enemy with some of his most approved Commanders. Qhan-djehan, meanwhile, being arrived at Mulker, was joined by Perviz-qhan and Djan-nessar-qhan, two Generals who were already on the spot, where they had come several times to an engagement with the enemy. Hardly was the junction effected, when he found Hibrahim-qhan, the Haider-abadian General, at the head of thirty thousand horse before him. A warm engagement ensued, which was followed by daily skirmishes, and always with a deal of blood-shed. But as the Haider-abadian General received several reinforcements from his rear, his army came to be of fifty thousand strong. With these he surrounded Qhan-djehan's troops, penned them up in a camp, and repeated so often his attacks, that the Imperial army was nearly undone, had not its General ordered a fosse and an intrenchment to be drawn round it. But still he was blockaded ; and for a month together nothing was to be seen but daily skirmishes, with now and then a bloody engagement.
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At the end of that month the enemies seemed to have made a pause, when, on the third day, at a time when the Imperial army was off its guard, and its General was playing at dice, they appeared at once, as if with intention to make a general attack. Qhan-djehan had just time to mount, and to send his two sons, with his nephew, Iredj-qhan, against the enemy. To these he added the Hindoo Djat-sing, with a general order to march by the right ; to the left, he sent all the Afghan and Radjp8t Commanders, with the troops of their own nation. He had hardly time to make these dispositions and to mount, when, the Haider-abadians, having crossed the ditch and got over the intrenchment, forced the barricade of chained cannon that lined it, and fell upon the Imperial army, killing and wounding every thing in their way. Sheh-minhadj, one of their bravest Generals, attacked Sipahdar-qhan and Himmet-qhan, two sons of the Imperial General's, who were both supported by Djagat-hara, by Sherzeh-qhan-lody, and by Rostem-qhan; at the same time the Generalissimo enemy, supported by Beri-hat-qhan, rushed upon Qhan-djehan, and filled that whole wing with slaughter and confusion; whilst another body was attacking the Radjputs and throwing them into the utmost disorder. In this confusion Sheh-nizam, another Haider-abadian General, found means to rush upon the rear, and to overthrow every thing in his way.
42.15.9
The Imperial army, commanded by valorous Commanders, stood its ground everywhere, but everywhere with a great loss. Himmet-qhan, Sefder-qhan, and the Bondela-djesvent were wounded in several places. Himmet-qhan's Amhari, in particular, had its boards so stuck with arrows, that it looked like a table studded with an infinity of pins set upright. That Commander, although wounded and in an Amhari, aimed at from everywhere, kept firmly upon his ground, but he sent to his father for assistance; and the father, who stood his own ground with great difficulty, answered the request by recommending him to God Almighty's protection. At this moment Beri-hat-qhan, a Commander of renown amongst the enemy, having assembled a number of select horsemen of various denominations, fell upon Qhan-djehan, and pushing forwards, he shot an arrow at that General. The latter having caught the arrow with his hand, put it to his bow, and shot it with so much justness at his enemy, that it disabled his hand. Nevertheless, victory was inclining to the side of the Haider-abadians; and matters were so desperate, that it became doubtful whether a single man of the Imperial army would be saved. Matters being so critically circumstanced, assistance came from an unexpected quarter. There were at a distance some elephants in rut, which had been made fast to some trees with ropes and chains, to keep them under some controul.
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The drivers, thinking that the blind fury of those animals might be turned to some account, let them loose, after having put upon their tusks an iron chain of about three hundred pounds weight. No sooner were these animals let loose, than one of them having singled out that terrible Beri-hat-qhan himself, advanced straight to him. The Afghan, who was a stout vigorous man, trusted to his own strength so far as to rush upon the elephant, with his spear couched; but the animal, which had in its way to him killed, wounded, and dismembered a number of horses and men, keeping its eyes fixed on Beri-hat-qhan, gave him such a blow as killed him on the spot. The animal, after this achievement, continued to advance, dealing deadly blows around, and trampling under foot whosoever stood in its way. This strange combat between armed men and elephants in rut having afforded Qhan-djehan's troops time to take breath, they advanced upon the dismayed Haider-abadians, who now fell into confusion and retreated on all sides, unable to stand the fury of the elephants. The opportunity was ably seized. They were charged on all sides, and obliged to fly in great disorder; and victory remained to the Imperialists at last. The General, in his letters to the Emperor, ascribed this victory to a particular interposition of Providence, and demanded succours and a strong reinforcement.
42.15.11
The Emperor sent to his assistance his eldest son, Soltan Muazzem, with a strong body of veterans, and a number of Commanders inured to wars and dangers. These were Yticad-qhan, son to Assed-qhan the Djumlet-el-mulk, Merhamet-qhan, son to Namdar-qhan, and some others. The junction being made, Qhan-djehan proposed to attack the enemy, and at day-break he quitted his intrenchment. But he had hardly advanced three cosses, when he was met by the Haider-abadians, who, advancing fiercely to the charge, singled out that part where the General was himself, with the Imperial Prince Muez-eddin, and on the first outset, killed some elephants and some hundreds of men both cavalry and infantry; advancing beyond the Imperial artillery, they spread terror and confusion throughout the whole army. Seyd-abdollah, of Barr, who had been released from his confinement, sensible of the consequences of such a disorder, advanced at the head of a body of troops with Radja Man-sing; and both exerted themselves so bravely, that they brought the enemy to a stand. The engagement ended and recommenced for three days together, costing the lives of an infinity of brave men on both sides. Victory at last declared for the Imperialists. The enemy was discouraged; and his troops fled and took shelter within their camp. Thither they were pursued by Seyd-abdollah and some of the most ardent Imperialists, who declared that now was the day to put an end to the war. The General objected;
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but it was nine o'clock at night, when he returned to his camp; from thence he wrote the next morning an account of the whole affair to the Emperor, in hopes to have merited, as well as the Prince, the Imperial applause, which, in fact, he so richly deserved; when to his surprise there came a letter to camp, which instead of the merited encomiums, contained the most severe reproaches both against the General and the Prince, for having put an end to the pursuit and returned to camp. This letter confounded them, and filled their hearts with grief. They became dispirited and negligent; and although the Haider-abadians, instead of coming henceforward to a regular engagement, contented themselves with some skirmishes by day, and some firing by night, nevertheless, both the Prince and the General, exasperated at the Emperor's ingratitude, refused for four months together to fight them any more, contenting themselves with repelling their attacks. This neglect affected the Emperor so deeply, that he sent to camp a letter in his own hand, full of the bitterest complaints. To the General, in particular, he addressed this verse of his own: