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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
211 )
P. Tungani amnestied after the Khanaric fight; having first got the blessing of the Shekhulislam Esban Mahmild Khan. Yakûb Beg had early made a special friend of this most important Church dignitary, who was one of the original party coming over from Khokand.
When Yakub Beg with the force going against Yarkand arrived at Yangi Hissar, be discovered reasons to doubt the fidelity of the Tungani contingent. He,
consequently, at once disarmed them of four cannon, 100 fed, 200 spears, and 400 swords, which they had brought with them to the Khauaric fight, and stored them all in the fort there, and then, taking them along with his army, camped at Kizili. Here the Kirghiz and Kapchak under Sadie Beg, in connivance with Buzurg Khan, plotted to assassinate Yak ûb Beg. Their design was discovered and immediately disclosed to the intended victim by Abdulla Pcinsad, his trusty adherent.
Yaknb Beg was at the time able to do no more than increase the vigilance of his
self-guard, and to summon the chiefs of the conspirators and bind them to good faith by oath on the Kuran. He then marched on by Kok Rabat to Yarkand, where he pitched his camp with the Tungani in rear, at a mile to the south of the Yangishahr, near Chinibagh.
On their way to camp these disarmed Tungani interviewed some of their
brethren from the Yangishahr, and immediately proposed to them a night surprise upon the camp; but to allay suspicion advised a pretence of submission without delay. The Tungani leaders, accordingly, shortly repaired to the camp, and presenting rich offerings, humbly a,pologized for their conduct, and swore devotion and fidelity to the Khoja, and promised to surrender the city and fort to Yaknb Beg on the morrow. Thus deceived by their professions, the Koshbegi robed and dismissed the deputation, and the camp, careless of security, omitted the precaution of outlying pickets.
At midnight the Tungani issued from their fort, surprised the enemy's camp,
and setting fire to some of the tents, slew many and dispersed the rest in utter confusion. Yaknb Beg and Abdulla with a few devoted adherents, after a hard hand to hand fight, in which they were all wounded, cut their way through the crowd of assailants and escaped to a place of shelter hard by ; whilst the Tungani, joined by their disarmed brethren, plundered the camp and at daylight returned with their booty to the Yangishahr.
Yakizb Beg now sent Abdulla with a few men to rally the scattered army,
and he returned in the course of the day with some 300 bootless and half-clad fugitives, of whom an equal number from different quarters had already gathered round their chief to the sound of bugles blown in all directions around. The Kirghiz and Kapchak, who had held by Buzurg Khan, now wished to separate, but Yakûb Beg appealing to the Khoja pointed out the folly of the step and the certain ruin it would bring upon him, and persuaded him to hold on for the capture of the city. They consequently, though with reluctance, rejoined and together returned to the original camp ground, and trenching the position awaited events. A few days later the Tungani, having gained over the city chief's to their side, marched in and raising the populace expelled Mir Baba and his few followers, and plundered the treasury. They then opened fire from the walls upon the Kashghar camp. On this the Kirghiz and Kapchak, in connivance with Buzurg Khan who from the commencement, through pique at his secondary position, had doue all his little abilities enabled him to thwart the operations of his General and rival, and whose conduct was the cause of the failure of this enterprise, again bodily deserted the camp with their leader Sadie Beg. Yakub
Beg, however, managed to reassure and win them back, and next day led them in person to the assault of the city. Abdulla leading the advance set fire to and forced the south gate, and driving the Tungani out of the city back to the shelter of their fort, reinstated Mir Baba in the orda with a small garrison, and rejoined Yakub Beg who, to prevent complications and a sack of the city, had withdrawn the force back
to the camp.
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