It is related in different histories, that when Sultan Mahummud Khorazm Shah conquered Mawurunneher, the roads between Iran and Tooran were well guarded and safe; insomuch that it is stated as an example, if an old woman were to carry a dish full of gold all over the country, there were none hardy enough to molest her. As there were no cities in Moghoolistan where wearing apparel or cloths were made, the merchants of Khorazm Shah’s country carried these articles to Chungeez Khan’s camp, and obtained thereby great profit. On one occasion several merchants carried property to a large amount to Chungeez Khan’s camp; and he sent for the chief of them, and inquired the prices of the articles they had brought. It happened that they fixed a price greatly exceeding the value of the goods; and Chungeez Khan, angry at their dishonesty, inquired of them if they supposed he had never seen such articles before, and ordered his treasurer to bring cloths of the same kind, and show them to the merchants. He next directed a list of the articles to be taken, and afterwards that the goods should be plundered and the merchants imprisoned. Among the merchants was a man named Amud Khojundi; this man presented himself to Chungeez Khan, and, in order to soothe him, represented that they did not bring these goods for sale, but to make them a present to him. This pleased Chungeez Khan, who then paid them the value of the goods, as estimated by himself; (that is, for a silk garment he gave a balish of gold; and for two garments of cotton, called vuzund paichi, a balish of silver;— a balish is five hundred miscals;) and treated them with kindness and attention, providing them with tents and provisions, until they departed, when he made them presents, and desired Kurachar Noyan and his sons to send some honest Mussulmans with these merchants with articles of value, that they might trade and bring in return such goods as they required from Iran.* It is said five hundred Mussulman merchants, with musk and property of great value, accompanied these merchants to Iran. Three ambassadors also accompanied them with a letter from Chungeez Khan to the king of Khorezm, stating that merchants from Iran had arrived in his camp, that he had treated them well, and that he had also in return sent merchants to Iran for the sale and purchase of goods; that he considered the king of Khorezm as his son; that, as the Almighty had divided the world between them, they ought to endeavour to do good by promoting friendly intercourse and commerce between nations, and assist each other in all good works, that they might deserve the praise and gratitude of mankind. These three ambassadors (whose names were, 1st. Mahummud Khorazm; 2d. Omar; and, 3d. Yousuf), and the merchants, when they arrived at Otrar, visited Oinal Jowk, the governor there on the part of Khorazm Shah, who was entitled Ghair Khan from his relationship with Toorkan Khatoon, the mother of Khorazm Shah.
It happened that one of Chungeez Khan’s-merchants, a man from Hindostan, knew him in former times, but, on this occasion, unfortunately omitted his title, and inadvertently called him Oinal Jowk. This gave him such offence, that he imprisoned the merchants and confiscated their property.
Among the acts of oppression committed by Sultan Mahummud Khorazm Shah, was the murder of Shaikh Nujm-ud-deen Baghdadi, whom the sultan, one night when intoxicated, on pretence that he was too intimate with Sultana Khatoon, the mother of the sultan, ordered to be executed. He, however, the next day repented of his fault, and gave many presents of gold and jewels to the durveish of the khanka* of Shaikh Nujm-ud-deen, that they might intercede with God to obtain pardon for his crime. The religious men, however, replied, that gold and silver could not pay the price of the shaikh’s blood, and that the equivalent must be the head of that man who caused his death (meaning the sultan) and those of many thousands besides.
The kingdom of Mawurunneher to the river Fusakut, and Otrar, having devolved to Sultan Mahummud in the year 613, differences arose between him and the Khalif Ameer-el-Momenin Nasir Billah, from several causes, and among the rest, because the khalif had given precedence to the flag of the heretic, Hussun Mulhud, before that of the sultan, in a pilgrimage to Hejaz, and because the khalif had secretly endeavoured to excite the Ghoorians to attack Khorezm. Khorazm Shah, therefore, being much distressed at this, procured a futwa from the learned of his kingdom, that while any of the sons of Fatima were in existence it was not lawful for the khilafat to descend to the sons of Abbas; and, moreover, alleging as a crime that they, the sons of Abbas, had followed the customs and mode of life of the kings of Persia. Having selected these pretences, the sultan ordered the name of the khalif to be omitted in the khotbeh or prayers, and appointed a Syud, named Ala’l Moolk Turmuzi, khalif, and then marched with an army to dispossess the Abbassides of the khilasat. When he arrived at Damghan he received news that Atabeg Saud had left Sheeraz to attack the province of Irak. The sultan on this marched towards him, and, on their meeting, a battle was fought, and Atabeg was defeated and taken prisoner. The sultan intended to put him to death; but Atabeg was saved by Mullik Nozun, on condition that he should send a large proportion of the revenue of Fars to the sultan’s treasury, and deliver up the forts of Istakhar and Ashkunoon: the son of Atabeg, Aboobukar, was also placed in confinement in the castle of Ashkunoon, and this agreement was fulfilled.
When the sultan marched from Rai to Hamudan, Atabeg Oozbuk, who had advanced from Tabriz to invade Irak, fled. The sultan, however, refused to allow his troops to follow him, saying that the capture of two kings in one year was an unlucky omen, and that he must be allowed to escape: the Oozbuk, therefore, escaped to Azurbijan. The sultan then marched from Hamudan to Asturabad; but his troops suffered greatly from frost and snow on the mountains on that road, and most of his horses died. and he was in consequence obliged to return to Hamudan. His military character was much injured by this, and his expedition to the Darul khilafut also was unfortunate. At this time messengers arrived from Oinal Jowk, to state that a number of persons with great wealth had arrived from the camp of Chungeez Khan, and that they were proceeding to Iran, apparently with a design to examine and report on the state of that country.
The sultan on hearing this, seduced by the hope of securing their wealth, and without making any inquiry into the circumstances of the case, gave orders that they should all (including the ambassadors of Chungeez Khan) be put to death; and this order was executed by Oinal Jowk, who took possession of their property. [Verses.] “For every drop of blood shed by this barbarous order, a river of blood flowed; and for every hair on the heads of the victims of this treacherous act, thousands of heads were piled up in revenge. For every grain of silver obtained by this unholy deed, heaps of gold were scattered and wasted.”
It happened that, previously, one of the merchants had escaped; and as soon as he heard of the murder of his companions, he returned to the camp of Chungeez Khan, and detailed to him the circumstances as they had occurred. Chungeez Khan, on hearing of the faithless reception, and cruel murder, of his vukeels and merchants, was nearly mad with grief and anger. He refused to eat or take rest, and went out alone to a hill near his camp, where he took off his cap, loosed his waist, and threw himself on the ground, humbling himself in grief before the Almighty (Tunkri). He remained in this state three days and three nights, when the inhabitants of Jubroot (a rank in heaven) lifted up the palms of their hands to say amen; and, it is said, he heard a voice from heaven, saying, he might be certain he would be allowed ample revenge, and that he should severely punish Mahummud Shah and his adherents for this barbarous act. Chungeez Khan, after this illumination, became more tranquil, and returned to his camp. He then gave orders to assemble his army, and despatched his towachees in all directions to collect his troops; he also deputed an eelchee* to Sultan Mahummud Khorazm Shah, to inform him that he might now reap that he had sowed, and that he (Mahummud Shah) should prepare to receive him, as he was about to pay him a visit. Chungeez Khan, however, with the caution of his character, before he marched to Iran, determined to quell all disturbances or rebellions in his own country. He accordingly despatched a body of troops, under Jubeh Noyan, to reduce Koshluk Khan, the son of Tabang Khan, chief of the Naimans, and Tokbughan, the son of Tokta Begi, king of the Mukreet tribe.
Koshluk Khan, during his reign over Khotun and Kashghur, had committed every species of violence and oppression; but his chief aim was to root out the Mussulman religion from those countries. Jubeh Noyan, in obedience to the orders of Chungeez, first marched with a large army to Kashghur; and Koshluk Khan, on hearing of his approach, fled to Budukshan. When Noyan arrived at Kashghur, he immediately issued a proclamation, granting the free exercise of religion to people of every persuasion; but he put to death all he found of the Naiman tribe the servants of Koshluk Khan, and ordered out troops in every direction to pursue him. Koshluk Khan sought refuge in the hill country of Budukshan; where he hid himself in the deep recesses of the mountains, from which he could not escape; and the Moghools having demanded him from the hunters of that country, he was there seized, with his followers, and delivered up to the Moghools, who put him to death. The people of Budukshan also plundered all his jewels and treasure. The country of Khotun to Kashghur, and the river Fusakut or Sihoon, thus fell into the possession of Chungeez Khan. To oppose Tokbughan, the son of Tokta Begi, king of the Mukreet, who had separated from Koshluk Khan when he obtained possession of Kashghur and Khotun, and had proceeded to the Kham Kuchuk, Joje Ooglan, the son of Chungeez, was sent with a large force.
When the ambassadors of Chungeez Khan reached Sultan Mahummud Khorazm Shah, and he was apprized of the approach of Chungeez Khan, he left his son, Rokn-ud-deen in Irak, and Imadul Moolk to assist him in the collection of the revenue, &c., and marched towards Mawurunneher. At Nishapoor the sultan halted a month, and next proceeded to Bokhara, where he staid from the 8th of Shaban to the 10th Shawal. This time (it being the spring season) he spent in drinking and debauchery. He next assembled all the troops he could collect of that and the neighbouring quarters, and proceeded to Samurkund, which he desired to make his capital.
At the time Sultan Osman rebelled against Goor Khan, and offered his submission to Sultan Mahummud Khorazm Shah, in whose name he read the khotbeh, and struck money; the sultan gave him his daughter, Khan Sooltan, to wife. After that period, however, Sultan Osman rebelled, and was put to death by Sultan Mahummud, who then made Samurkund his capital, and built a Jama musjid there. Sultan Mahummud, on his arrival at Samurkund, gave himself up to idleness and debauchery. At this time, news arrived of the movement of Tokbughan Mukreet, and he was induced by this intelligence to proceed to Jund. When he arrived at Jund, he was informed that Joje, with a great force, was in pursuit of Tokbughan; and he therefore returned to Samurkund, where he colleeted the remainder of his troops, and again advanced to Jund, and from that towards Joje. When he arrived in the country between the two rivers Koobli and Kombeh, he fell in with a great number of dead bodies, and streams of blood freshly shed; and after some search a wounded man was found, who told him that the troops of Joje Ooghlan and those of Tokbughan, the son of Tokta Begi the Mukreet, had fought a battle there, and that the latter had been defeated. The sultan immediately pursued the army of Joje, and the next day fell in with him, and they prepared for battle. The troops of Chungeez Khan, however, declined to fight, stating that they were employed on a particular service, and were not authorized to offer any violence to Khorazm Shah. However, when they saw the sultan determined to attack them, they were obliged to form up to oppose him.
The troops of the Moghools on this occasion were not very numerous, they however were choice men, and in the first charge they nearly made the sultan a prisoner; but Julal-ud-deen, the son of Sultan Mahummud, seeing that they had beat the main body of his troops, made a desperate charge, and maintained the fight, with his division, with great constancy and vigour until night. At night, the Moghools retired towards the camp of Chungeez Khan, and on their arrival there, they detailed the conduct of Khorazm Shah towards them, and Chungeez Khan, burning with rage, immediately ordered his army to assemble.