The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c11.s3.7

c11.s3.7

Besides these handicaps, the peasant suffered because there were no clear ideas about a regular commissariat service to maintain supply-line for the army during a campaign. There is evidence that camp-markets were sometimes established for the convenience of soldiers.⁵⁷ There are also situations on record when the soldiers were encouraged to loot the peasants to obtain grain.⁵⁸ Sher Shah took appropriate measures to see that agriculturists were not harassed by an army on march, but Babur noted that on the news of the arrival of an army the peasants used to leave their land, flee for life and establish themselves elsewhere. Encouragement to soldiers to loot was inherent in *khums* tax, through which the state obtained as its share one-fifth of the booty collected by the troops, while four-fifth was left with the soldiers.