After the defeat of Kykoor Noyaun and his army, and the destruction of Khorezm, Joje Khan, the eldest and ablest son of Chungeez Khan, was despatched to the desert of Kupchak, and Chughtaie and Ooktaie Khans, his second and third sons, were sent with a large army to the banks of the Jihoon, where, after ravaging the country of Khorezm and massacreing the inhabitants, they returned to join their father; and on their route the cities which gave up the followers of Khorazm Shah were saved, but those which did not were utterly destroyed by them. In this way they conducted their march until they arrived at Bamian, where Chungeez Khan was encamped, and having made the customary homage to their father, they presented him the most valuable of their spoil.
Previous to their arrival, Chungeez Khan had given orders that Chughtaie Khan should not be apprized of the death of his son, Mamusgan, and on their meeting after some days, he first severely reproached Chughtaie with the dissensions that had occurred between him and his brethren at Khorezm, which had delayed the taking of that city. Chughtaie in great sear made an humble apology for his fault, and Chungeez Khan then changed his tone to one more kind and friendly, and clothed him with a dress of honour, and disclosed the death of his son, but directed him not to make any show of mourning or grief for him. This order Chughtaie strictly obeyed, and Chungeez Khan and his army, immediately after, proceeded by forced marches to Ghuzni, by the route of Kabul, to attack Sultan Julal-ud-deen.
On their arrival at Ghuzni they found Sultan Julal-ud-deen had left that city fifteen days before, and had retired towards Hindostan. Chungeez Khan, therefore, left Yulwaj Noyaun as governor in Ghuzni, and without any delay followed him, and continued his pursuit without intermission, until one morning at break of day, the army of Sultan Julal-ud-deen was descried near a ford on the banks of a river,* and the Moghools immediately formed for battle and spread round his camp, so that they formed an arc, and the river the chord, Sultan Julal-ud-deen being enclosed in the centre. The sultan was completely entrapped, on this occasion, having an immense army in his rear and an unfordable river in his front; he therefore prepared for battle, or, as the author says, he spurred the horse of courage into the field of slaughter, and covered the earth with the dead bodies of the infidel Moghools.
The troops of Chungeez Khan first charged the right wing of the sultan’s army, commanded by Sultan Khan Mullik, and entirely defeated it; he being slain with most of his troops they next attacked the left, which also fell into confusion; there remained, therefore, only the main body, which consisted of about seven thousand men under the sultan. These fought desperately from morning to mid-day, the sultan moving, as occasion required, from the right to the left, and repeatedly charging the main body of Chungeez Khan’s army, killing great numbers of the Moghools. The sultan’s actions on this day were the admiration of both armies, and even Rustum or Isfendiar would not have been ashamed to serve under so brave a captain: but, as the troops of Chungeez Khan were numerous beyond calculation, and increased by the arrival of fresh troops every hour, and as in proportion to his loss the space occupied by the sultan and the number of his troops was continually diminishing, he was at last in danger of being made prisoner by the Moghools, when Akhas Mullik, the son of Khan Sultan, seized the bridle of his horse and compelled him to retire from the field.
The unfortunate sultan, heart-broken, and with his eyes full of tears, took leave of his wives and children, and having mounted a fresh and strong horse, again charged the Moghools, and fought his way through them to the river, where he threw off his armour and all his ensigns of royalty, and plunged with his horse from a bank near twenty feet high into the stream, to the opposite bank of which his horse, by the favour of the Almighty, swam in safety. Not so his followers, as they were almost all drowned or killed by the arrows of the Moghools. Chungeez Khan is said to have been so struck with the sultan’s gallant bearing, that he ordered that no one should draw a bow against him while he was in the river.
It is said, that from the number of men slain in the river, this day, the water to the distance of an arrow’s flight became as red as blood.
When Sultan Julal-ud-deen attained the opposite bank of the river he moved slowly along it, until he came opposite his late encampment, where his feelings were agonized by seeing his tents plundered and his family seized by the Moghools.
It happened that Chungeez Khan was standing on the bank of the river, and the sultan, when he arrived opposite to him dismounted from his horse, and after having taken off the saddle and bridle, spread his cloak and bow and arrows in the sun to dry, and having placed his chutr or canopy on his spear, sat down alone under its shade.
Before the evening prayer the sultan was joined by seven men of his army, who had escaped by swimming across the river, and in the evening with these seven men he struck into the Chool, or desert of Churk.
Chungeez Khan was all this time observing the motions of the sultan, and on his departure he seized the collar of his garment with the hand of astonishment, and broke out into expressions of applause and admiration, and turning to his sons desired them to take an example from that brave man; the whole of the troops of the sultan were, however, put to the sword, and all his male children, however young, were also destroyed, and as the sultan had ordered a great part of his treasure to be thrown into the Sindh, or Indus, Chungeez Khan caused it to be searched for and brought out by divers.
Chungeez Khan halted at this river many days. This event occurred in the year 618 Hejri; or Yound Eel Toorki.