Twilight of the Sultanate c13.s3.25

c13.s3.25

This sweep of arms was followed by a blow at the Lodī capital itself. Husain advanced upon Delhi in March, A. D. 1479 (Zilhijja, 883 H)⁸⁶ and encamped on the ford of Kichcha. Bahlūl was at this time absent in Sarhind, but returned quickly on hearing of Hussain's campaign. But the odds were against him. The Jaunpur army was superior both in numbers and in strength. It consisted of 1,40,000 horse and 1,400 elephants while the Lodī monarch had only 18,000 troops under him.⁸⁷ Bahlūl sent a hurried summons to Husain Khan, the son of Khan-i-Khanān, at Meerut,⁸⁸ and even wrote to the king of Malwa for help, but he could hardly postpone the engagement till any aid or even a reply arrived. There was no hope of victory. Bahlūl could not even fight an open battle with such a small army, and so he resorted to an artifice. He made Qutb Khan Lodī write a very servile letter to Sultan Husain saying: "I am a grateful servant of Bībī Rājī. When I was a prisoner at Jaunpur she had treated me with utmost kindness. Now the best course to pursue is to make peace, and return. Let the countries on the other side of the Ganga be ruled by you, and those on this side by Sultan Bahlūl."⁸⁹ The terms were simply ridiculous, for the Sharqī king was to get territory as near as 18 *kos* from Delhi, but Husain Shāh, who was blind with joy, failed to see through them. He made the peace, and marched away.