Читать книгу Nader Shah. Historical novel - Yunus Oghuz - Страница 12

“In December 1729, after freeing Shiraz from the Afghans I went there with Tahmasb Shah. The Afghans had devastated the city. The Shah Chiraq Mosque was in ruins, and so we decided to make a donation to rebuild the Mosque. The Shah gave two thousand tumen; I gave one thousand five hundred tumen. The other courti ers also took an active part in making a donation. In all, ten thousand tumen were col lected, and rebuilding began. I took permission from the Shah to appoint Muhammad Alikhan ibn Aslan khan as ruler of the provi nce of Fars. Within a short time he began to rebuild the city; ten thousand trees were planted in Shiraz.

I had tasted the real sweetness of victory in Isfahan. The fighters were afire with inspiration. They were professional, observed the rules and, most importantly, they were eager for war. In order to prevent the internal conflict, it was always necessary to look for the enemy abroad. The forces under your control can turn against you. That was why we needed to do all in our power to continue the war, to keep the army’s loyalty. In order to establish a basis for future war it was necessary to strengthen our diplomatic position and not let anyone to behave us as he wished. It is better diplomacy to achieve your desire with a show of power. I had to indulge in a little policy if I was to get down to work and convince Tahmasb Shah of my position on certain problems. I did as I thought best. I went to the Shah, to the home of the ruler of Shiraz, in the afternoon. Because the Shah drank heavily in the evenings and spent the nights with concubines, he was tired and used to sleep in the mornings. It seemed that the Shah was still sleepy after the euphoria of the victory of Isfahan. If the poor people knew about the drinking of the great grandchildren of the Safavid sheiks they would turn away from them. The Shah received me and greeted me sumptuously:

– Nader khan, how good that you came. There are some problems we need to discuss.

– I know it, that is why I came to speak to you, Your Maj- esty!

The Shah snapped his fingers:

– In that case, let’s begin our discussions; but let our talk not last long. I have a headache after yesterday’s wine.

– All right, Your Majesty! – I said and sat on acushionon the Shah’s left side. I pulled over the another cushton to leaned on my right arm.

– Nader, what must we do with the Afghans? – The Shah took an apple from the fruit bowl. He cut the apple in two with his dagger; putting one piece back in the bowl. -We can’t kill all of them. According to the information I have, the Afghans have already passed the Mughul borders. Let them cross the borders. It will be good toget the Afghansout of this country. They made our people suffer so much.

I understood that somebody had drummed the Afghan problem into his head, but I kept this thought to myself:

– My Shah, by no means must we allow the Afghans to reach the land of the Mughuls.

– Why? – Tahmasb Shah asked surprisingly:

– Your Majesty, you affirm that the Afghans are fighting in spite of being uncouth and rough.

– Yes, I affirm so.

– If they are fighting how we may let them enter the lands of Mughul? Won’t the Shah of Mughul, Muhammad, use the chance to fight them against us? Imagine, my Shah, the Sultan supports them, I feel it. Didn’t you see that how fighting with them was difficult? If the Afghans entered the Mughul lands and the empire of Mughul supported them, what will be our position, my Shah?

After my words the Shah seemed lost in thought, he didn’t even chew the apple he had bitten some minutes before: -Nader khan, what do you suggest?

I had already realized that Tahmasb Shah wasn’t foresighted and experienced in state affairs, especially in the foreign policy of the state. I wondered what his governess, and master taught him! The Shah always hurried, said immediately what he thought, adopted hasty decisions; then he was obliged to change his decisions. That was why it wasn’t difficult to make him believe:

– My Shah, in the probi em of the Afghans we may win twofold. Firstly, we must send a letter to Muhammad Shah and demand him to close the borders immediately and not to let refugees of the Afghans into the lands of Mughul. -What? We must demand? – The Shah asked in surprise – Yes, my Shah, we must demand, because if we demand beforehand then we might offer excuses, we might tell them that we demanded it of them, and they didn’t agree. Such a kind of demand, my Shah, opens a way for your glorious troops to enter the lands of Mughul. Our haughty demand will demonstrate that we are not afraid of them; it will show our bravery and courage.

– What will we gain? What will be our favor?

I understood that the Shah wasn’t able to think about his future steps. It was natural; at that time it was impossible to rule the state.

– My Shah, if we tamed the Afghans and combined them with our fighting army, it will be our second favor. – I said. If we defeated the Afghans, how can the Shah of the Mughuls make them fight against us?

– Well, I agree with you in this prob lem. Whom do you want to send to the Shah Muhammad to have a talk with him?

I thought over and over why he had asked that question. I thought that as he didn’t have any other person in mind, I said the name of the real messenger.

– We may send Ali Mardan khan of Sham, Your Majesty!

Ali Mardan khan of Sham was one of my devoted followers and warlord butI didn’t tell it to the Shah.

The Shah agreed with me in the problem of the Afghans;

– Nader khan, I think in the problem of the Afghans you were able to make me understand. Send a letter to Muhammad Shah by the messenger of Qizilbashs- Ali Mardan khan

of Sham; let’s wait what will happen then.

– All right, Your Majesty!

– What other prob l em remains, Nader khan? -The Shah asked me.

– My Shah, it is the time to free the north and west of our motherland Azerbaijan from the Ottomans, including Tabriz and Baghdad which for a hundred years were the capital cities of our forefathers.

The Shah twisted his mouth:

– Why not send them letters and demand them to free our invaded lands? We have the same roots with them; they are also the stocks of Oghuz. See, you are also from a branch of stocks of Oghuz, from the branch of Avshar. Even our languages don’t differ from each other; we speak in the same language. We are enemies because of the faith.

…I should think about the Shah’s words afterwards, and in future I should correct his words. But it would be in the future. Now the main problem was to free Azerbaijan.

– Your Majesty, we shall send the letter to istanbul without fail. If you don’t object, let’s send Rzaqulu khan of Sham there as a messenger and note in the letter that if the Ottomans don’t free the invaded lands, war would begin..

– No, I don’t object! – The Shah answered while eating a fruit. – Send the letter!

I considered the time suitable and said:

– My Shah, there is also one other problem.

– What problem?

– Recently the messenger whom Ashraf had sent to Is- tanbul as a messenger had come to me… I speak about Muhammad khan Baluch.

The Shah raised himself a little:

– To my mind it is interesting. What did he say?

– You are right, my Shah, it is in teresti ng. So, Mu – hammad khan Baluch who knew that Ashraf was defeated gave me the Sultan’s letter written to Ashraf.

I took the letter from the pocket of my jubba22 and gave it to him:

– It appears that the Sultan is ready to help the Afghans to fight against us. I think this letter is neither the first nor

the last one.

The Shah took the letter, looked at the sign, and then returned it to me:

– What do you suggest, Nader khan?

– My Shah, the matter is that Muhammad khan Baluch told me something interesting. In Topqapi, all know that the Qizilbashs will demand the invaded lands. The Ottomans won’t obect to it, even they will want to rei urn Baghdad too… But… But only in word…

– What does it mean, “only in word”? – The Shah was naively surprised:

– Yes, my Shah, they will demand such kind of indemnity. In order to pay so much indemnity we shall have to work for years.It is like a defeat.

Tahmasb Shah said thoughtfully:

– I suggest immediately begin to free our lands. We- the Qizilbashs have never been so mighty. At the same time, we must send Rzaqulu khan of Sham to istanbul in order to dis- tract them from the preparation of war. That is to say, war against the Ottomans!

– Yes, my Shah, war, which will end with victory.

– Will you occupy Tabriz?

For a moment, I forgot myself and said courageously:

– I shall occupy Tabriz without reserve. In Tabriz there is preparation for fighti ng. The people are ready to wel – come us.

The Shah didn’t sense any boasting in my courageous words. He thought for a while again and said:

– Nader khan, I believe you! – You are a man of your word! If you promise you will return the capital of our forefathers. I believe that you will occupy Tabriz. I don’t doubt it. What must we do with the Russians? Shall we always wage war against them?

– No, my Shah, not now, – I said. – We must be friends with them. They will help us.

– Let it be how you said, – The Shah said and stood up. I also stood up. The Shah was upset. It appeared that he repented for deciding to begin a big war. I should wage the war, he would be the victor. He who wished for victory must not be so cowardly. Maybe I had to consider his being cowardly and weak-willed.

On 8th of March 1730 I went from Shiraz to Nahvend with a troop of sixty thousand fighters. Before then I had already married Rize Beyim. In Meshed my son was engaged with Fatime Sultan Beyim, but still their wedding hadn’t taken place. I thought of holding their wedding at a more suitable time, because it would be the wedding of my first son. I decided to keep my brother Ibrahim khan and my son Rzaqulu in Meshed with a large troop, because I couldn’t make the Afghans completely under my control. We had to be careful.

22

A kind of coat.