Storia do Mogor 65.36
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 65.36
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65.36.1
Jaswant Singh had assumed that Shah Shuja' would come out the victor ; he therefore made for Agrah, where he halted for some days. Then came the unexpected news that Shah Shuja' had lost, to the great relief of Shaistah Khan, at that time governor of Agrah city ; and the rajah started for his own country. For previously a rumour had been current that Aurangzeb had lost the battle and had been taken prisoner along with Mir Jumlah, and that Shah Shuja' had carried them off in chains. Thus, Shaistah Khan, aware of the treachery he had committed, already held his life as lost, and had resolved to swallow poison and kill himself. He had the goblet ready before him, and, commending himself to Muhammad, expected as a certainty that Jaswant Singh would come into the city to seize him. If Jaswant Singh had only entered the city, he could without a doubt, by the slightest pressure or threat, have caused the commandant of the fortress, called Mortuzacan (Murtaza Khan), a very old man who had under him the fighting men, to open the gates, and Shahjahan would have been delivered from prison ; for, seeing the agitation into which his men were thrown by the news brought in by the men of Aurangzeb's army who had fled at the beginning of the battle, the said commandant was already in a tremor. But as Fortune favoured Aurangzeb, she hindered Jaswant Singh from even this small effort.
65.36.2
For twenty-four hours the city of Agrah was transported at the news of Aurangzeb's defeat, and everyone hoped that the rajah would enter and deliver Shahjahan. But the rajah having exact knowledge of what had passed, it was inconvenient for him to make any such effort. While we admit that he was not wanting in a wish to release Shahjahan, he judged that in existing circumstances it was impossible, there being no one to take his side. By himself he could not oppose the army of the victorious Aurangzeb. For these reasons he arranged for a speedy retirement to his home country. Fearing that Jaswant Singh might undertake something in favour of Shahjahan, Aurangzeb turned and hastened in person to Agrah. He thought it sufficed to leave Mir Jumlah with a large force to pursue Shah Shuja'. He was nominated generalissimo of the army and perpetual viceroy of the whole province of Bengal, the appointment to pass on his death to his son. But from reasons of State he left behind in his (Mir Jumlah's) company his own first-born son, Sultan Muhammad, who was to make the campaign under the orders of Mir Jumlah, but without a command. At this arrangement Sultan Muhammad was much put out, but he kept this grievance within his breast, waiting until an occasion arose to wreak vengeance.
65.36.3
At this time Shah Shuja' had fortified himself in the city and fortress of Allahabad, without much reduction of his numbers [233]. He made use of the Hindu princes who live on the right and left banks of the river Ganges, and gathered together in a short time a huge force, through the reputation he had with everybody of being wealthy and liberal. In this way he became extremely strong at that important and famous fortress, which forms the first gate into Bengal. Recognising the valour and strength of Shah Shuja', Mir Jumlah did not venture to attack him by force of arms. It sufficed to send him valuable presents and many letters with misleading promises. In another direction he set to work to raise against Shah Shuja' certain Hindu princes living about Benares and Patnah. They had an old quarrel with the prince, and now rose against him; they hindered his supplies, while they gave Mir Jumlah free passage. The latter lost no time in sending his troops and closing the routes. On receiving this melancholy news Shah Shuja' beat a retreat, before they could totally block his road, to the ancient city called Banaras (Benares), lying on the river Ganges, on the left bank.
65.36.4
Mir Jumlah followed in pursuit, and left him no time to fortify himself there. Thus Shah Shuja' was forced to retreat again, passing by the great city of Patnah, not feeling sufficiently secure there owing to the great open plains of those regions. He took shelter in a little town called Muguer (Munger) that had been founded on the right bank of the river Ganges. It is called by the inhabitants the 'Key of the Kingdom of Bengal,' because it is at the foot of hills, and near it are extensive jungles, called by the dwellers there Burianguel (? Bar Jangal)—that is to say, 'Terrifying Woods,' because in them are many wild beasts, tigers, rhinoceroses, wild buffaloes, and other animals.
65.36.5
At this place (Munger), the best that could be found in those regions, Shah Shuja' fortified himself. For greater security he made a great wall of earth, beginning at the foot of the hill and ending on the bank of the Ganges, a distance, more or less, of half a league. It was made at a distance of twelve leagues from the city of Munger, and its object was to bar the passage to Mir Jumlah. Recognising the great difficulty of making an attack on Shah Shuja', Mir Jumlah began a correspondence with some rajahs dwelling in the wilds referred to, men who also at one time or another had been injured by Shah Shuja'. Valuable presents were forwarded, and they permitted the passage of the army. Thus Mir Jumlah and Sultan Muhammad marched on with the best of their troops, directing their course towards Raiamahal (Rajmahal), the principal residence of Shah Shuja', with the sole object of cutting off his retreat.
65.36.6
Shah Shuja', alarmed at this intelligence, abandoned all his entrenchments, and moving with great rapidity, reached Rajmahal before the arrival of Mir Jumlah, and there he entrenched himself as well as he could. Mir Jumlah failed to get there first, not from want of energy or effort, but by reason of the great forests and many streams on his route. As soon as his men and baggage had come up, Mir Jumlah made an attack upon Shah Shuja', who continued a valiant defence for the space of six days. But finding that the heavy artillery of Mir Jumlah did great damage to the entrenchments, which had been made of earth, gabions (arca = boxes), and fascines, he decided to retreat, having no hope of being able to continue his resistance, not only from want of men, but from the near approach of the rainy season. Taking advantage of the darkness of night, he marched away on the road to the city of Daca (Dhakkah), leaving some artillery behind him which he was unable to remove. He was not pursued by Mir Jumlah, who feared an ambush and suspected the retirement to be a mere stratagem of war. He halted where he was, meaning to begin pursuit the next day; but Shah Shuja's lucky star favoured him, since during three days there was such heavy rain that Mir Jumlah could not move his army, nor attempt to catch up the fugitive.
65.36.7
Shah Shuja' had time [235] to get close to Dhakkah city, and there he entrenched himself on a broad river, and Mir Jumlah was obliged to go into quarters for the rainy season at Rajmahal, for, owing to the rain, the mire, and the full streams, there was no possibility of marching. He occupied the city, and was there four months, from June to September (? 1659). These are the months in which heavy rain falls throughout India, above all in the region of Bengal, and armies cannot march. Thus Shah Shuja' had time to entrench himself anew, making use of the Portuguese, who live in Bengal since they lost their strong places in different parts of India, taken from them by the Dutch, such as the Island of Ceilao (Ceylon) and the Island of Japhonapatao (Jafnapatnam), on the coast of Choramandal. He offered high pay to these men and promised to make them all wealthy, to give full liberty for their religious orders to raise up churches throughout his realm. It is certain that if fortune had favoured Shah Shuja' he would not have broken his promises, for he was naturally liberal and generous. There were at that period in the whole province of Bengal about eight thousand families of Portuguese, European and Asiatic, the latter popularly called Mestizos (mongrel, or half-castes). Meanwhile Shah Shuja' entrenched himself near Dhakkah.
65.36.8
Sultan Muhammad, his nephew, was angry at his father (Aurangzeb) having placed supreme command in the hands of Mir Jumlah, leaving him to work under his orders without any command. He wanted to have uncontrolled direction of the army, while Mir Jumlah should act under him. To this effect he wrote several times to his father that it did not befit the dignity of a prince, His Majesty's firstborn son, for a subject to command an army while he, though not deficient in military training or power of leading, remained without a command. There were no grounds for His Majesty believing more in Mir Jumlah than in his son. In nothing was he undeserving the post of generalissimo, either by his blood or his known valour. But Aurangzeb paid not the least attention to the request of his son. He was afraid that, should he get hold of an army, [236] he might rebel against him, as is usually the case in this empire of the Moguls, and an ancient habit of theirs.