At this juncture, Raghojī Bhoslah despatched to Bengal a Mah­ratta army under the command of his son Rājah Jānojī, his adopted son, Mohan Singh, and the miscreant Mīr Ḥabīb, in order to demand the Chauth.* A large number of Muṣtafā Khān’s Afghan adherents also joined them, and the market of fight and slaughter once again became warm in the conflict between Mahābat Jang and the Marhattas. The Ṣūbah of Orissa fell into the hands of Janojī, whilst weakness set in in the Province of Bengal. Mīr Ḥabīb opened negotiations for the settlement of the Chauth of Bengal. Nawā­zish Ahmad Khān, Aḥsan Qulī Khān,* Jagat Set, and the Raī-Rāiān* exerted themselves strenuously on the side of peace. But Mahābat Jang, considering the acceptance of Chauth to be humiliating, refused to conclude peace, and with his army prepared to fight and drive out the Mahrattas. Mahābat Jang suspected treachery from Sham Sher Khān, Sardār Khān, Murād Sher Khān, Ḥaiāt Khān, and other Afghan Generals of Dārbhāngā, who, during the late insurrection, had sided with Muṣtafā Khān. And, as a matter of fact, these Afghan Generals had opened at this time treasonable correspondence with Mīr Ḥabīb and his Mahrattas. These Afghan Generals, following the example of Muṣtafā Khān, now broke out into open revolt on the pretext of demand of pay. Mahābat Jang, having lost all confidence in them, paid them up, and disbanded them. These reaching Darbhāngā, after a short time, leagued amongst themselves in pursuance of designs of treachery, and made offers of service to Zainu-d-dīn Aḥmad Khān. As Zainu-d-dīn Khān was a friend of soldiers, he con­ciliated them, accepted their offers of service with the approval of Nawāb Mahābat Jang, and invited them to a Darbar. Sham Sher Khān and Murād Sher Khān with a corps of Afghans arrived at Ḥājīpūr, and encamped on the banks of the river. According to the order of Zainu-d-dīn Aḥmad Khān, they left behind all their sol­diers, and crossing the river came to Azīmābād (Patna) attended only by three hundred cavalry, consisting of kinsmen and comrades who were all of one heart for the purpose of waiting on Zainu-d-dīn Aḥmad Khān. On obtaining an audience, they observed all the points of etiquette, and sat in the Chihil satūn Palace, ranged on the right and left of Zainu-d-dīn. Zainu-d-din Aḥmad Khān reclining against pillows on a Masnad, made polite enquiries regard­ing each. Murād Sher Khān, nephew of Sham Sher Khān, finding Zainu-d-dīn off his guard, pulled out a dagger from his waist, hit the latter so hard with it on the stomach, that his intestines came out. By that single blow, Zainu-d-dīn was killed.* The traitors, lifting up their swords, cut down Zainu-d-dīn’s companions, looted all his treasures and effects, captured the Begam* with her daughter and also Ḥājī Aḥmad. They suspended the Ḥājī* to a tripod with his head downwards, and by torturing him made him give up large treasures, and slew him. They carried off the ladies of the Harem together with numerous treasures as booty. And similarly, they swept the houses of other nobles of the City with the broom of rapine. These Rohīlah Afghans sacked the City and its suburbs, looted treasures, dishonoured women and children, and desolated a whole world.* A great consternation seized those regions. “Pro­tect me, O Lord, from the wickedness of infidels and from the wrath of Thine.” Sham Sher Khān collecting one hundred thou­sand cavalry and infantry was not contented with the subjuga­tion of Azīmābād, and he further cherished visions of conquering Bengal. Mahābat Jang, who was at this time encamped at Amā­nīganj* on some important business connected with the Mahratta freebooters, suddenly received the terrible intelligence of the slaughter of Zainu-d-dīn Aḥmad Khān and Ḥājī Aḥmad, and of the hostile advance of the Afghans. In consequence, an indescrib­able agony seized him, and his family and kindred. From exces­sive depression and agony, he wanted to isolate himself from all intercourse with the world, and to abandon the City with its Bāzār to the Mahratta freebooters. His generals employing various consolations and assurances recited passages inculcating fortitude, and tied the girdle of courage in pursuit of revenge in the waist of their hearts. But when for accomplishing this avenging mission, they applied for the payment of the soldiers, Mahābat Jang pleaded he had no money. Then Nawāzish Muḥammad Khān Shahāmat Jang, standing surety for the expenses of the soldiery, paid to the soldiers eighty laks of rupees in cash from his own treasury, and made them agree to undertake the avenging expedition. Mahā­bat Jang, being somewhat now relieved from anxiety, left Nawā­zish Muḥammad Khān Shahāmat Jang at Murshidābād, and him­self marched to Azīmābād with a large army.* Mīr Ḥabīb, at the instigation of Sham Sher Khān, with hordes of Mahratta free­booters, pursued Mahābat Jang from the rear, tracking jungles and setting fire, right and left, to the villages, with their grana­ries. Mīr Ḥabīb looted Mahābat Jang’s baggages and tents, and did not allow Mahābat Jang’s army a breathing interval either for sleep or for food, nor suffered a single day to pass without skir­mishes with swords and spears, till they passed beyond Bārh. At Baikantpūr* an engagement took place with the army of Sham Sher Khān. Rājah Sundar Singh, Zamīndār of Tikarī, with a powerful corps, joined Alī Vardī. And when on both sides, the fire of slaughter flared up, the army of Mahratta freebooters, who, like the shadow, always followed Mahābat Jang’s army, attacked its rear. Afghan troops from front and Mahratta freebooters from the rear attacked and hemmed in the army of Mahābat Jang. The heroes of Mahābat Jang’s army, perceiving the approaching inrush of calamity towards them from both sides, prepared to die hard, and fought desperately. In that victory lies with God, by a stroke of good luck, Sham Sher Khān, Sardār Khān, Murād Sher Khān, and other Afghan Generals were hit by bullets of guns, in retribution for their disloyalty, and were killed, whilst other Afghan troops cowardly fled. The sol­diers of Mahābat Jang, by brave onslaughts, routed the enemy’s army, charging them with swords, spears, arrows, muskets and rockets, killed those wretches, and raised hecatombs of the slain. The Mahratta army, on seeing Alī Vardī’s glorious vic­tory, retreated, and dispersed like the constellation of the bear. Mahābat Jang after prostrating himself in thanksgiving to God, triumphantly entered Azīmābād, and rescuing the family and children of Zainu-d-dīn Aḥmad Khān and Ḥājī Aḥmad from the rack of those outragers of honour, captured the wives and daughters of those treacherous wretches.

Nawab Mahābat Jang, shewing considerateness,* paid travel­ling expenses to the Afghan ladies, and allowed them to depart honourably to Dārbhāngā, and followed the adage “Turn Evil by Good.” Appointing Sirāju-d-daulah, son of Zainu-d-dīn Aḥmad Khān, to be Ṣūbadār of Azīmābād, in succession to his father, and leaving Rājah Janakī Rām as Sirāju-d-daulah’s Deputy there, and finishing the administrative arrangements of that Ṣūbah, Mahābat Jang returned to Bengal, in order to drive out the Mahratta freebooters.

About this time, the office of Faujdār of the tract of Purnīah was vacant, owing to the flight to the Imperial Capital of the Khān Bahādur,* son of Nawāb Saif Khān. Alī Vardī Khān con­ferred the above Faujdārship on Saīd Aḥmad Khān Ṣaulat Jang, in whose heart ambition for the Nizāmat of Bengal lurked, and in whose head visions of ruling over Bengal existed. At the time when Mahābat Jang was engaged in fighting with Sham Sher Khān, Sirāju-d-daulah shewed his temper to Nawāb Izazu-d-daulah Atāu-l-lah Khān Sābit Jang, a son-in-law of Ḥājī Aḥmad, who held the office of Faujdār of Akbarnagar (Rajmahal). Know­ing Atāu-l-lah Khān* to be brave and popular with the army, and ambitious and sound-headed, Sirāju-d-daulah set to work his ruin, and plying Alī Vardī Khān with his suspicions gained over the latter, and induced him to send a message to Atāu-l-lah to quit the country, or else to prepare for death. The aforesaid Khān, after fighting some time in self-defence, set out at length for the Imperial Capital, remained in the company of Nawab Vazīru-l-mulk Ṣafdar Jang,* and then joining Rājah Nul Rāi* in the Rohilla Afghan war was killed at Farrukhābād.

As in consequence of the insurrection at Azīmābād, the Mah­ratta freebooters had taken possession of the Ṣūbah of Orissa, Mahābat Jang, not halting in Bengal, set out for that Ṣūbah. Expelling the Mahratta freebooters from that Ṣūbah, Mahābat Jang put to death Syēd Nūr, Sarāndāz Khān, and other officers, who were adherents of the Mahratta freebooters, and who were entrenched in the fort of Barahbātī, by drawing them out of their entrenched position by use of diplomatic assurances.* And capturing the horses and armaments of their comrades, and expelling them all from Katak, Mahābat Jang returned to Bengal.

As Mīr Ḥabīb was the root of all the mischiefs and troubles, Mahābat Jang hatched a plan for his destruction. He sent to his name a letter, purporting falsely to be a reply to his message, to the following effect: “The letter sent by you has been received; what you have written in respect of your plan to extirpate the Mah­ratta freebooters, has met with my approval. It is a very good idea: you from that side, and I from this side, will be on the alert and wait. By every means possible, try and induce them to come this side, and then what is now in the minds of us both will come to pass.” Mahābat Jang sent this message through a courier, instructing the latter to proceed by such a route, that he might be intercepted by the Mahrattas and the letter might fall into their hands. This ruse proved a complete success, and the Mahrattas suspecting Mīr Ḥabīb slew him.*

To sum up, for twelve long years the fires of war and slaughter kindled between the Mahrattas and Mahābat Jang, and the Mah­rattas did not retire without levying the Chauth. And owing to Ḥājī Aḥmad and Zainu-d-dīn Aḥmad Khān having fallen, the power of Mahābat Jang was weakened, whilst old age and infirmity told on his physical vigour. Of necessity, in view of expe­diency, and in compliance with the entreaties of Nawāzish Muḥam­mad Khān Shahāmat Jang, Mahābat Jang at last concluded a peace with the Mahratta freebooters, agreeing to pay the latter Chauth for the three Ṣūbahs, and through the medium of Maṣliḥn-d-dīn Muḥammad Khān, nephew of Mīr Ḥabīb, and Ṣadru-l-Ḥaq Khān, fixed the basis for the terms of peace and the settlement of the Chauth. In lieu of the payment of the Chauth, he assigned the revenue of Ṣūbah of Orissa to the Mahrattas, and appointed Ṣadru-l-Ḥaq to be its Administrator and Governor.* After settling this important affair with the Mahrattas, Mahābat Jang regained peace of mind, and took to travelling and hunting. After ruling for sixteen years, he died of dropsy on Saturday, 9th Rajab, 1169 A.H., corresponding to the second year of the accession of Emperor Alamgīr II, and was buried in the Khush Bāgh.* Sirāju-d-daulah, who was his heir, then mounted the masnad of Nizāmat.