The Army of the Indian Moghuls: Its Organization and Administration c27.2

c27.2

In the Moghul army there was little loyalty to the sovereign's person, and absolutely no patriotism or devotion to one's country. To a slight extent the zeal and fervour of Mahomedanism was on the side of the ruler. But in a country where the majority were still Hindūs, any excess of this feeling was as much a danger as an advantage. In a faint degree, there was some attachment to the reigning house, which still lived on the reputation of such great rulers and soldiers as Bābar and Akbar. But Aurangzeb had alienated both the Rājput warrior clans and the general Hindu population. The army was thus, in effect, a body of mercenaries, men who served only for what they could get, and ready at any moment, when things went badly, to desert or transfer themselves to a higher bidder. The army was full of Persian, Central Asian, and Afghān soldiers of fortune, whose swords were at the service of any one who chose to pay them.