Page 173 - Lohgarh
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Third Mughal Expedition Against the Sikhs   w 173


                          deputy chief of Allahabad, too agreed to join hands with Farukhsiyar.
                          He was angry with Jahandar Shah because the latter had expressed
                          doubts about his loyalty. When Jahandar Shah came to know about
                          this, he tried to win him back, and, increased Sayyad Abdullah Khan’s
                          mansab from four to six thousands. But, by that time, he had already
                          joined Farukhsiyar’s camp. Jahandar Shah tried to please other officials
                          too; he promoted Mohammed Amin Khan (later, died on 27.1.1721) as
                          Second Bakhshi and Afrasiyab Khan (later, died on 21.8.1718) as Third
                          Bakhshi. 3
                                                                                           th
                              On the other hand, at Delhi, when Jahandar Shah, on the 20  of
                          October 1712, had received information that his nephew Farukhsiyar
                          had declared himself as the new Emperor, he (Jahandar) had despatched
                          a big army, under the command of his son Azz-ud-Din, to quell his
                          rebellion. 4
                              Now, Sayyad brothers, Hussain Ali Khan and Abdullah Khan, openly
                          declared their support for Farukhsiyar and they led an army to capture
                                                                                th
                          Delhi. They reached Shamugarh (near Agra) on the 17  of November
                          1712. When this news reached Delhi, some generals of the army of
                          Jahandar Shah decided to shift their loyalties; they quietly left Delhi
                          and went to Shamugarh to join Farukhsiyar’s camp. Now, Jahandar Shah
                          did not have enough forces to challenge an attack by the forces of
                          Farukhsiyar; he recruited twenty-two thousand new soldiers and began
                          marching towards Agra.
                              By this time, Farukhsiyar had forty to fifty thousand soldiers and
                          heavy artillery. On the 31 st  of December, when the rain stopped,
                          Farukhsiyar ordered his army to make a fierce attack. Jahandar Shah’s
                          general Kokaltash was killed within a very short time and Rustam-i-Hind
                          was seriously wounded. By the evening, Jahandar Shah too had fled
                          from the battlefield. Now, only Zulfiqar Khan was leading the battle. He
                          too could not continue for long and fled to Delhi. Now, there was none
                          to stop Farukhsiyar’s army from reaching Delhi.
                              In Delhi, Jahandar Shah and his give gap took shelter in the bungalow
                          (it was a fort-like mansion) of Asad Khan. Soon Zulfiqar Khan too reached
                          there and he too took refuge with Asad Khan. When Farukhsiyar reached
                          Delhi Asad Khan approached Farukhsiyar and told him about Jahandar
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