Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c27.s5.1

v2.c27.s5.1

Meanwhile, after the victory of 9th January, Ahmad Shah halted for a few days to complete his arrangements for the temporary government of the kingless and wazir-less capital of the empire, and to secure his communications and regular provision supply. Then, skirting the city of Delhi, instead of entering it, he encamped at Khizirabad, south of the capital, on 14th January, and sent off letters to Suraj Mal Jāt and the Rajahs of Rajputana calling upon them to pay him tribute and present themselves before him. "If only his promise of safety could be relied upon, everyone of the Rajahs would gladly wait upon him," writes Badrinath (the son of Keshav Rao), so greatly were the blood-sucking leeches of the South detested by the Hindu potentates of the North. But in equal fear of the Afghan king's faithlessness and his military power, and not knowing how soon he would leave India and abandon them to the vindictive fury of the Marathas, these princes decided to sit on the fence, prolong their negotiations with Abdālī for settling the amount of their tribute, and thus gain time till they could see how the decisive contest between him and the Marathas would end. It was, therefore, necessary for Ahmad Shah to visit the territories of the Hindu Rajahs if he hoped to get anything out of them. Najib Khan acted as his medium in his dealings with the Indian princes.