New History of the Marathas v1.c14.25

v1.c14.25

After long discussions and conferences a secret agreement was arrived at for the joint conquest of the southern regions of the east coast. The main clauses of the pact were that the Qutb Shah should pay 3,0000 hons daily to defray the expenses of the Maratha army; that 5,000 Bhāgānagar troops should join the Marathas under Mirza Muhammad Amin; the conquered territory should be equally divided between the two parties; that they should jointly resist Mughal advance against either; and for the proper execution of the stipulations, an accredited representative of Shivaji should be permanently posted at Bhāgānagar. In addition Shivaji agreed to pay 6 lakhs of hons by way of a yearly tribute to the Qutb Shah. It need not be mentioned that during the negotiations lasting for several days, mutual hospitality and entertainment went on smoothly all the time at the Kutbshahi capital. A grand expedition was immediately despatched for the southern operations, in which Shivaji nominated his two commandants Bāji Sarzerāo Jedhe and Yesāji Kank.