When Muhammad Ázád, with those 400 men, arrived at the deserted fort of the Siyáh-poshes, he followed the track of the enemy towards the mountain. On arriving at the scene of Burhán Aghlán's defeat and flight, he was assaulted by the infidels, who had defeated Burhán Aghlán, but he fought so gallantly that he routed them with great slaughter, and recovered all the horses and armour which these impious ones had captured from the soldiers of Burhán Aghlán, besides taking a large booty from them in the way of wealth and property. Marching homeward, he met on that very day Burhán Aghlán, each of whose soldiers recognized and had restored to him his own horse and arms. On that day they reached a pass (kotal), where Muhammad Ázád proposed to Burhán Aghlán that they should halt, but the cowardice and inefficiency of the latter would hear of no delay, so they went through the pass. Certainly, from the days of Changíz Khán to the present time, no man of the ulús has shown such a lack of energy and courage.
When I had despatched Muhammad Ázád from Kator, and satisfied myself with the subjugation of that country, I sent forward 'Alí Sístání and Jalálu-l Islám to discover a road and make clear halting places for me. In obedience to this order they went forward, clearing away the snow and ice in many places from the road. Having made a passage for me they returned. I immediately mounted and set forward, and the nobles and soldiery marched along with me on foot, and so I proceeded in triumph along the track which they had made till I reached Kháwak, where I had left the horses in the fort. I had been absent eighteen days on this expedition against the infidels, and the nobles and soldiery, who had hitherto fought on foot, now regained their horses. Leaving a body of men to garrison the fort which I had built, I directed my own course towards the heavy baggage, and arrived at Tílák Ghúnán and Díktúr, places in that country; the princes and amírs of the place came out to meet me with congratulations on my victory. Burhán Aghlán and Muhammad Ázád here joined my victorious camp. I however gave orders that they should refuse admittance to Burhán Aghlán, and on no account allow him to enter my presence, for it is the decree of Almighty God that if twenty true believers engage boldly and steadily in fight with ten times the number of infidels they shall prevail against them, and yet Burhán Aghlán, with 10,000 men under his command, was routed by and fled from a small number of infidels, exposing Musulmáns to disgrace and death. On the other hand, I loaded with honours and benefits Muhammad Ázád, who, with only 400 men, had fought a valiant action against the greatly superior numbers of the unbelievers. I exalted his rank above his fellows, and gave him a regiment; nor did I omit to shower my princely favours on his companions in victory.
* * * When I had arranged the conquest and settlement of the country (of the Aghánís) and the measures for the protection of the roads to my satisfaction, and had exterminated the rebellious predatory tribes of the Aghánís, I mounted my horse and spurred forward in the direction of Hindustán, and on Friday, the 8th of the month, I halted on the bank of the river Indus, in the very place where Sultán Jalálu-d dín, of Khwárizm, had swum the river to escape from Changíz Khán, and where the latter encamped when he refrained from following. There I pitched my camp, and gave orders to the nobles and soldiery that they should collect boats, planks, etc., and construct a bridge over the Indus. In obedience to my order they all set to work, and in two days had constructed a bridge over this mighty river.
At this time some ambassadors arrived from various quarters of the globe, and the drift of the letters and communications of the Sultáns and rulers and chief men of their respective countries and kingdoms was this: “We have placed the collar of obedience and submission, in all sincerity, on the neck of our life, and the saddle of servitude on our back; we are all anxiously expecting the auspicious arrival of the great king. When will it be that the prosperous shadow of his umbrella will, by its protection, impart felicity to this kingdom, and when will the honour of kissing the sublime footstool be attainable by us?” I wrote encouraging farmáns, in reply to the representations of the Sultáns, and entrusted them to the ambassadors, whom I dismissed, and such men as Saiyid Muhammad Madaní, who came on the part of the chief men of Mecca, the exalted, and Medina, the blest, I treated with great respect and attention, and loaded them with abundant favours before their departure; I also gave a horse and dress of honour to the envoy of Iskandar Sháh, the ruler of Kashmír, when I dismissed him, and despatched a farmán to his master to the effect that as soon as my victorious camp arrived at the city of Díbálpúr he should join me with his forces. When I had dismissed the ambassadors I crossed the Indus, on Tuesday, the 12th of Muharram, A.H. 801 (24th Sept., A.D. 1398), and pitched my camp on the opposite bank of the river, and made inquiry about the roads from some zamíndárs of the neighbourhood, who had voluntarily submitted and given in their adhesion. They represented that one of the roads lay through a fertile and well-watered district, but was circuitous and lengthy; and the other road, which was near Multán, was a route through the Chol-jarad* desert, in which neither water nor pasture were procurable for several days journey. It was by this route, through the Chol-jarad, that Sultán Jalálu-d dín of Khwárizm reached Multán, after crossing the Indus, in his flight from before Changíz Khán. This desert is hence called Chol-i Jalál. When I heard this account I determined to proceed by the desert route, and issued orders that the whole army should carry with them water and provision for several days. I then advanced some days march into the desert. It was now that the princes and Rájás of the mountainous country of Júd, by way of perfect sincerity, planting their feet in the road of obedience and submission, sought my camp with tribute and presents, when they were honoured by kissing the earth in my presence. Before this, prince Rustam, whom I had sent with Hamza Amir Taghí Búghá, and other amírs, and a numerous army towards Multán, having entered the desert by the same road, had approached the mountains of Júd, and these princes and Rájás, owing to their good fortune, had come before him and proffered a suitable submission, and supplied his army with provisions. Ever since then they had worn the yoke of servitude and obedience to my power on the neck of sincerity. I therefore confirmed their kings and dismissed them with favourable farmáns, and I then marched forward, and, getting clear of the desert, halted on the bank of the river Jamd (Jhilam); but it was represented to me that in the middle of this stream there was a very strongly fortified island, the ruler of which was called Shahábu-d dín, and that he had collected a very considerable force. When Prince Pír Muhammad Jahángír was marching upon Multán, this Shahábu-d dín, girding up the loins of obedience and submission, presented himself to the prince, and made an external display of the duties of servitude and dependance, and offered tribute and suitable gifts, besides remaining some time in the prince's presence. When, having received his dismissal, he returned to his home, he became arrogant, seeing the strength and insular position of his fortress and the multitude of his troops, so that he ventured on rebellion and open opposition, and, cutting a canal from the river Jamd, he brought the water of the river to that side of the city on which it was not before, so that on all four sides of his city and fort he had a moat full of water. He had also laid up a stock of provisions and munitions of war. Now when I heard this, I resolved on his entire subjugation.