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National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Report of a Mission to Yarkund in 1873 : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
( 206 )
to the Kiicha Khojas some messages from his master the Khan Khoja, they gave P. way, and Yakilb Beg and his party alighted in the city at quarters provided by the Governor near his own residence. Notwithstanding the good offices of Nyaz Beg, the negotiations of the Koshbegi with the KiIcha Khojas did not progress, and both they and the city chiefs studiously held aloof from him.
The Khutan party was to have gone on after a rest of three days, but in the
interval news came of the arrival at Tagharchi of the K lcha army, 2,000 men. On this Burhanuddin Khoja of Kûcha, who had become ruler of the city after the destruction of the Khitay garrison, and who had been most determined in his opposition to the proposed negotiations with the Koshbegi for the acknowledgment of Buzurg Khan as sovereign, rode up to the house occupied by Yakûb Beg, and summoning
him, by name, shouted in a blunt, peremptory voice, I give you quarter now. Depart safe and sound. Refuse, and I seize and cast you into prison." An angry altercation followed, and quickly merged into conflict between the attendants on both sides. The Khoja Burhanuddin was captured in the struggle, and sent prisoner to the house of Abdurrahman Hazrat, the king elected by the Tungani at the commencement of the outbreak. His followers then quickly dispersed, and with the other Khojas went to join the force at Tagharchi, which now at once advanced against Yarkand.
On their approach next morning; Yakûb Beg came out of the city by the Cabahat Gate on the west, and sent Abdulla with 50 men to reconnoitre the enemy; whilst he took up a position to the south, between Yangishahr and the city. Abdulla having advanced too far to the north-west round the city walls was drawn into action with the advance of the Kûcha army. His little band fought with great bravery, and inflicted considerable loss upon their assailants till about two o'clock in the afternoon, when the Tungani in the Yangishahr, false to their promises, issued from the fort and with 50 ted guns joined the enemy. Abdulla was now forced to beat a retreat, and fighting all the way back beat, at sunset rejoined Yakûb Beg with 20 of his men wounded.
Yakûb Beg now held a consultation with his officers, and as his whole force numbered only 200 men, it was decided to abandon their property left in the city and retreat immediately to Kashghar. Before leaving he detached Nar Muhammad Parwcinchi, Mir Baba Hudfychi, Hamdam Pansad, and other Khokand officials of Sudilr Khan's party to his own side, and on arrival at Yangi Hissar he sent them on to Buzurg at Kashghar for surveillance. Meanwhile Suddr in return plundered their abandoned property and fled the city to Khutan.
At Yangi Hissar Yakilb Beg sat down to resume the siege of the Yangishahr there, which was still held by the Khitay, who found some means of getting supplies from their well-wishers in the town. During three weeks of fusilading from the walls his soldiers mined the ditch, and Yakûb Beg then sent Abdulla to Kashghar to bring Buzurg with reinforcements for the assault. The reinforcements were collected in ten days, and then Buzurg Khan set out for Yangi Hissar, and on arrival there took up his residence in the old town. At this juncture news came of the arrival at Sarigh Kill, Yellow Defile" (the Sirikol of the maps), of a Badakhshi army ; and it was at the same time discovered that Hamrah Khan, the brother of Sarah Khan Mirbacha of Kûlab, who had come over as a partizan of Sadie Beg and had joined Buzurg Khan when the Kirghiz aspirant fled to Khokand, had secretly sent a messenger to Jahandar Shah of Badakhshan to send him 1,000 men and he would seize Kashghar and Yangi Hissar for him, as the troops here were very few, and the new corners very unpopular.
Jahandar Shah in consequence of this message appointed one Sadie Aksakdl as commandant, and Sahib Nazar Beg and Cilthigh Shah Mir as his Lieutenants, and with 1,000 men sent them to join Hamrah Khan; and they now arrived at Sarigh Kû1.
Yakûb Beg did not consider it politic at that moment to take notice of the perfidy of Hamrah Khan as he commanded a strong contingent in the besieging
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