Fall of the Mughal Empire v3.c34.s5.10

v3.c34.s5.10

So, Zābita Khan was again gently invited to come and pay his loyal respects and offer the customary congratulatory presents at the foot of the throne during the next Coronation in Delhi. All the other nobles and vassal princes of the realm did this duty, but Zābita Khan continued obstinate in his contumacy, refusing to part with any money. Then the Emperor decided to punish him; the pay of the royal army had fallen into arrears and the soliders were clamouring to be let loose on the Ruhela lands as the only means of relieving their distress. Not a day was to be lost; it was already January and in a few months' time the rising flood of the rivers would make them uncrossable for armies.