History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c11.296.3

c11.296.3

Barani clearly says that he abandoned the project of an expedition to Daulatabad, because he did not possess sufficient forces to cope with the rebels.¹⁶² The interests of the empire demanded that the rebels at Daulatabad should have been crushed before attempting anything else, and that would have considerably strengthened the hands of the Sultan. Daulatabad was the key to the Maratha country, and without it the Deccan. The ‘Centurions’ had gathered in large numbers and obtained considerable support in the disaffected country. They had capable leaders whose success was assured, because they thought more of the order to which they belonged and less of their own individual interests. Besides, the Sultan’s inability to take prompt measures to deal with them had enabled them to gather a large army in a country where improvised levies can be had without difficulty in times of disorder. Gujarat was not a stronghold of the *amirs sadah*. Taghī had fled into Sindh, and Barani writes that the Ranas and *muqaddams* of that country had offered submission to the Sultan. To complete the subjugation of Gujarat, he might have left some capable and trusty officers with a strong military force behind. Then, Taghī was not such a formidable enemy. He had been driven from place to place by the royal army, and from his retreat in Sindh it was difficult for him to create serious trouble either in Hindustan or in the Deccan.