SULTAN Hussain Mirza having led an army from
Khorasān against Hissār in the winter season, arrived at
Termez.*
Sultan Masaūd Mirza, on his part, also collected
an army, advanced towards Termez, and took post in front
of him, to prevent his crossing the Amu.*
Khosrou Shah,
having fortified himself in Kunduz, sent his younger brother,
Wali, to join Masaūd’s army.*
Sultan Hussain Mirza spent
the greater part of the winter on the banks of the river,
without being able to effect a passage. Finally, however,
being an experienced and intelligent general, and full of
expedients, he marched up the river towards Kunduz;
and, after having by this manœuvre put the opposite
army off their guard, he dispatched Abdallatīf Bakhshi,
who was an excellent officer, with five or six hundred
chosen men, down to the passage of Kilif. Before the
enemy were apprised of his motions, Abdallatīf Bakhshi
had made good his passage with his whole party at the
ferry of Kilif,*
and fortified a position on the opposite bank
of the river. When this intelligence reached Sultan Masaūd
Mirza, in spite of the warmest instances of Khosrou Shah’s
brother Wali, who strongly urged an immediate attack on
that part of the enemy’s army which had passed, the
Sultan Ma-
saūd Mirza
retires to
Hissār;
Sultan, either from want of courage, or misled by the advice
of Bāki Cheghāniāni,*
who hated Wali, would not march
against them, but, breaking up in terror and confusion,
took the road to Hissār. Sultan Hussain Mirza having
passed the river, detached Badīa-ez-zemān Mirza, Ibrahīm
Hussain Mirza, Muhammed Wali Beg, and Zūlnūn Arghūn,
without loss of time, against Khosrou Shah, and sent
Muhammed Berenduk Birlās*
against Khutlān; whilst he
himself advanced upon Hissār. On learning the news of
and flees
thence to
Samarkand.
his near approach, Sultan Masaūd Mirza no longer thought
himself safe even in Hissār; but flying up the river
Kamrūd,*
by way of Siretāk, went to join his younger
His chief
nobles
disperse
brother Baiesanghar Mirza, in Samarkand. Wali drew
off towards Khutlān; while Bāki Cheghāniāni, Mahmūd
Birlās, and Sultan Ahmed, the father of Kūch Beg, fortified
themselves in Hissār. Hamzeh Sultan and Mahdi Sultan,
who, several years before, had separated themselves from
Sheibāni Khan, and had been entertained in the service
of Sultan Mahmūd Mirza, with a body of Uzbeks; and
Muhammed Dughlet and Sultan Hussain Dughlet, who,
with a band of Moghuls, had settled in the country of
Hissār, all now, in this general dispersion, retired towards
Karatigīn.
Sultan Hussain Mirza being informed of these proceedings,
dispatched Abul Muhsin Mirza with a body of troops
to the valley of Kamrūd, in pursuit of Sultan Masaūd
Mirza. They overtook him at the pass, but were able to
effect nothing of importance. Mirza Beg Feringi distinguished
himself by his bravery. The Sultan also
dispatched Ibrahīm Terkhān and Yākūb Ayūb with
a considerable detachment, against Hamzeh Sultan and
the Moghuls, who had taken refuge in Karatigīn. The
detachment having overtaken them in that country, an
engagement ensued, and Sultan Hussain Mirza’s troops
were defeated. The greater part of the Begs were dismounted
and taken prisoners, but afterwards suffered to
Several of
them join
Bābur.
depart. Hamzeh Sultan, Mahdi Sultan, and Māmak
Sultan, the son of Hamzeh Sultan, Muhammed Dughlet,
who was afterwards better known by the name of Muhammed
Hissāri, Sultan Hussain Dughlet, and such of
the Uzbeks as depended on the Sultans, along with the
Moghuls who had settled in the country of Hissār, and
who had been in the service of Sultan Mahmūd Mirza,
after giving me due notice of their approach, came to
May or
June 1496.
Andejān, in the month of Ramzān. On this occasion
I received them sitting on a tushak, according to the
custom of the sovereigns of the house of Taimūr. When
Hamzeh Sultan with Mahdi Sultan and Māmak Sultan
entered, I rose to do them honour, and descending from
the tushak, embraced them, and placed them on my right
hand on a baghish.*
A body of Moghuls, commanded by
Muhammed Hissāri, also came and entered into my service.
Sultan Hussain Mirza having invested the fort of Hissār, encamped and busied himself, without rest or intermission, night and day, in running mines, in assaulting the fort, in battering it with shot* and planting cannon. Mines were run in four or five places. The mine which advanced towards the city-gate having made great progress; the besieged countermined, discovered it, and from above introduced smoke upon those in the mine:* the besiegers, on observing this, instantly closed up the hole of the mine, This was no sooner effected than the smoke was forced back on the besieged, who were obliged to retreat in their turn, nearly suffocated. At length having brought pitchers of water, they poured them into the mine, and drove out the besiegers. On another occasion, a party of active warriors having sallied out from the fort, attacked a party of the besiegers who were stationed at the mine, and drove them off.
On the north side, again, where the Mirza in person was encamped, a battering piece was set a-going, which threw such a multitude of stones, that one of the towers was shaken, and fell about bed-time prayers. A party of warriors, with the greatest alacrity, asked permission to storm, which the Mirza refused to grant, alleging that the night was too dark. Before morning, however, the garrison had repaired the tower, so that then no attack was practicable. For two months, or two months and a half, nothing was attended to except pushing on the work, the running of mines, the raising of works* to overtop the wall, and discharging of stones.* There was no fine fighting.
Badīa-ez-Badīa-ez-zemān Mirza, with the detachment sent by Sultan Hussain Mirza against Khosrou Shah, having encamped three or four farsangs below Kunduz, Khosrou Shah immediately armed and marched out of that place with such of his troops as he had left with him,** and next morning came down upon Badiā-ez-zemān Mirza and his army; when that mighty body of Mirzas, and Begs, and Chiefs, who, with their men, if they were not double the number of Khosrou Shah’s party, were at least one and a half times the number, consulting only their own comfort and safety, did not dare to leave their trenches. Khosrou Shah’s force, good and bad, great and small, might perhaps amount to four or five thousand. And this Khosrou Shah, who, for the sake of this fleeting, unstable world, and for the vanity of being attended by a set of faithless servants, did so many bad actions, earned such a portion of infamy, and was guilty of so much tyranny and injustice; who seized so many extensive countries, and entertained so many adherents and soldiers, that, at last, his army amounted to twenty or thirty thousand men, while the countries and districts which he had occupied, exceeded in extent those of his sovereign and his Mirzas, in the whole course of his life, had only this one exploit to boast of, to entitle him or his adherents to lay claim to the praise of generalship or bravery; while those who did not venture out of their trenches from fear, became notorious for want of spirit, and their cowardice passed into a standing reproach.
but isBadīa-ez-zemān Mirza, having decamped, halted after some marches at Talikān* in the Ulugh Bāgh.* Khosrou Shah remained in the fort of Kunduz, and sent his brother Wali with a chosen body of well-appointed troops to Ishkamish,* Fūlūl, and the skirts of that hill-country, to hang upon the rear of the enemy, and to harass them in their march. On one occasion Muhibb Ali Korchi, accompanied by a body of well-armed warriors, having fallen in with a party of the enemy on the banks of the river of Khutlān, completely discomfited them. On another occasion he again attacked a party of their troops, and returned, after dismounting some of their men, and cutting off a few heads. In emulation of these exploits, Sīdīm Ali Darbān, and his younger brother Kuli Beg, with Behlūl Ayūb and a party of spirited young men, having overtaken the army of Khorasān at Amberkoh, near Khwājeh Changāl,* charged them on their march, but without success; and Sīdīm Ali and Kuli Baba, with a whole body of their followers, were dismounted and made prisoners.
Sultan Hus-