Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c6.s5.2

v1.c6.s5.2

The fame of his liberality and personal care for his troops spread abroad and large numbers of recruits flocked to his standard for enlistment. According to one writer, "his Mughal troops numbered 20,000, but among these were many Hindustanis, who dressed themselves as 'Mughals,' spoke the Persian tongue, and drew the [higher] pay. This was especially the case with men from the district of Jadibal in Kashmir, who were all Shias," like Safdar Jang himself. In short, he came to be looked upon as the sword arm of the Shia party in India. His character will be described in the course of the history of the next reign when he dominated the stage for five years. [Imād-us-Sādat, 31, Ashub, ii. 419-420.]