Later Mughals v1.c6.s18.30

v1.c6.s18.30

Shams Khan then took the field at the head of four thousand to five thousand horsemen, and thirty thousand matchlockmen and bowmen, partly old troops and partly newly-raised men sent in by the zamindars. The better classes of all kinds, also the poorer classes, and many artisans, chiefly weavers, joined his standard, resolved to defend their homes and sell their lives dearly. Contributions in money were also given. Altogether more than one hundred thousand men had collected, and a start was made from Sultanpur.¹ As soon as the Sikhs heard that Shams Khan was coming, they moved at the head of 70,000 horse and foot, with the cannon taken at Sarhind, much siege materiel in the shape of planks and sand-bags for preparing batteries, with cart-loads of powder and lead. Plundering as they moved, they drew near to the town of Rahun, about fifty miles east of Sultanpur, before which they encamped. They occupied the mounds formed by some brick-kilns, and with the bricks and debris built a sort of fort, placed entrenchments round their camp, and awaited an attack. They sent out foraging parties in all directions with menacing letters to the head revenue payers (chaudhuris), and revenue officers (qanungos) of the parganas, demanding their submission.