Later Mughals v1.c8.s12.1

v1.c8.s12.1

When Jahandar Shah heard of the defeat of Abdul-ghaffar, the defection of Abdullah Khan, and the march westwards of Farrukh-siyar, he sent urgent orders to his son Azz-ud-din to move onwards from Agra, in the neighbourhood of which he had lingered. The Prince was not well pleased at his supercession in the supreme command, and furthermore was far from friendly to his father's favourite, Lal Kunwar. These causes may have led him to conduct the enterprize in the half-hearted way which was so soon to result in disaster. Nor could much reliance be placed on the leaders of his troops, some of whom were found, so early as the 1st Rajab (3rd August 1712) to be in traitrous communication with the enemy. From intercepted letters it was found that seven artillery officers had offered to go over to Farrukh-siyar followed by many other officers and twenty thousand men. The ringleaders were seized and thrown into prison; but disaffection pervaded the entire army, their pay being much in arrear. This force, numbering some 50,000 horsemen,* accompanied by powerful artillery, now set out on the march towards Allahabad. On the day that they reached the Etawa boundary, the faujdar of that place, the Ali Asghar Khan already referred to, appeared, and to gain time entered into negotiations. The imperial leaders demanded from him the revenue of the current year, which owing to the contested succession, had not been collected. They also called for the accounts of previous years. These demands, which in Azz-ud-din's own interests were very inopportune, were evaded by the faujdar with excuses founded on the revenue rules and by pleas about his accounts. This dispute continued from stage to stage until on the 2nd Shawwal 1124 H. (1st November 1712) they arrived near Kora.†