Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c27.s10.7

v2.c27.s10.7

The shock of this invasion emboldened the dispossessed local Rajput landlords to rise against the Maratha usurpers everywhere in the Doāb. The Bhāu, on receiving reports of it, wrote frantically to Govind Ballāl, “Urge all your thānahdārs to hold on to their posts patiently. In a few days I shall arrive and all will be well. It is better to die with honour in defence of your posts. The Ruhela besiegers have no artillery with them. . . It is surprising that your collector of a place like Etāwa has fled away!” Shukohābād was abandoned by its Maratha garrison, but that of Etāwa held out, and Najib, leaving it untaken, passed on to Oudh, where he achieved a momentous triumph by inducing Shuja to declare for the invaders. The news of this diplomatic reverse reached the Bhāu on 4th July, and he planned to send his troops across the Jamunā into the Doāb, whence they were to ford the Ganges and invade Shujā’s territory. But the plan failed through his lack of boats and the early flooding of the rivers.