The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c16.23

v4.c16.23

Akbar left Āgra by boat on 20 June, his army marching by land, and on 4 August reached Patna, where it was decided to capture Hājīpur on the north bank of the river, the dépôt whence the garrison of Patna drew its supplies, but Akbar first made a foolish proposal to Dāūd that the differences between them should be settled by single combat. Even Dāūd had the wit to understand that great armies are not maintained merely as spectators of tournaments, and rejected the proposal.