At last, the discussion between the father and son came to such a pitch, that the father marched against the father, and the son against the son,* towards Balkh and Asterābād.
Sultan Hussain Mirza advancing up the country, and
Badīa-ez-zemān Mirza marching down, the two armies encountered
below Garzewan,*
in the meadows of Yekchirāgh.
May 3,
1497.
On Wednesday the first of Ramzān, Abul Hassan Mirza,
and some of Sultan Hussain Mirza’s Begs, having pushed
on with a detachment of troops as a plundering party,*
Badīa-ez-
zemān Mir-
za defeated.
routed Badīa-ez-zemān Mirza after what could hardly be
called an action. Many young cavaliers of his party were
taken prisoners. Sultan Hussain Mirza ordered the whole
of them to have their heads struck off. Nor in this instance
alone; on every occasion when any of his sons rebelled and
was defeated, he uniformly ordered every one of their
adherents who fell into his hands to be beheaded. And
why not? he had right on his side. These Mirzas were so
extravagantly addicted to vice and pleasure, that, regardless
of the approach of their father, a prince of great wisdom
and experience, who had come from such a distance,*
and
regardless of the holy and blessed month of Ramzān, of
which only a single night had been enjoyed; without any
reverence for their father, and laying aside the fear of God,
they only thought of drinking wine and revelling in wantonness.
But most certain it is that such conduct inevitably
leads to destruction; and that they who so demean themselves
will inevitably fall before the first attack.*
Badīa-ez-zemān
Mirza had held the government of Asterābād for
several years. During all that time, the young cavaliers,
both in that place and its environs, were all arrayed in gay
and gallant attire.*
He had many arms and accoutrements*
of silver and gold, much furniture of rich cloth, with innumerable
Tipchāk horses. All these he now gave to the wind.
In his flight by the rugged mountain route, he came on
a dangerous precipitous road, which they descended with
great difficulty. Many of his men perished at this
precipice.
After the defeat of his son, Sultan Hussain Mirza advanced to Balkh, which Badīa-ez-zemān Mirza had left in charge of Sheikh Ali Taghāi, who found nothing left for it but to surrender the fortress. Sultan Hussain Mirza having given Balkh to Ibrahīm Hussain Mirza, and left with him Muhammed Wali Beg and Shah Hussain Chihreh, himself returned back to Khorasān.
Badiā-ez-zemān Mirza, after his defeat, being in great
distress, and stripped of everything, accompanied by such
Takes re-
fuge with
Khosrou
Shah.
of his men old and young,*
horse and foot, as still adhered
to him, proceeded to Kunduz to Khosrou Shah, who gave
him a handsome reception, and did him all manner of service.
He was so liberal in equipping the Mirza and all that accompanied
him with horses, camels, tents, pavilions, and military
furnishings of every description, that such as saw them
confessed that there was no difference between their former
and present arms or accoutrements, excepting that they
were not mounted with gold and silver.
As some misunderstandings and differences had arisen between Sultan Masaūd Mirza and Khosrou Shah, occasioned by the ungovernable ambition of the latter,* he now sent his brothers Wali and Bāki, accompanied by Badiā-ez-zemān Mirza, to attack Sultan Masaūd Mirza in Hissār. They were not able to approach the fortress, but, in the environs and vicinity, there was some sharp sword-play on both sides. On one occasion at Kūsh-khāneh,* on the north of Hissār, Muhibb Ali Korchi, having pushed forward and advanced in front of the rest of the troops, distinguished himself by his bravery. At the moment when he was unhorsed and taken prisoner, his own party made a push and rescued him. A few days after, a hollow peace was concluded, and the army retired.
He repairs Badīa-ez-zemān Mirza soon afterwards set out, by the
mountain route, towards Kandahār and Zamīn-dāwer,*
to
Zulnūn Arghūn and his son Shah Shujaa Arghūn. Zulnūn,
in spite of his avarice and stinginess, gave the Mirza a good
reception.*
He presented him with forty thousand sheep as
a single peshkesh.*
It is a very singular circumstance that
His son
Muhammed
Mūmin de-
feated and
taken
prisoner.
Muzaffer Hussain Mirza defeated Muhammed Mūmin Mirza
at Asterābād on the very Wednesday on which Sultan
Hussain Mirza defeated Muhammed Badīa-ez-zemān Mirza;
and what adds to the oddity of the coincidence is, that
Chārshembeh (Wednesday) was the name of the person
who dismounted and made Muhammed Mūmin Mirza
prisoner.