Yunus Oghuz - Nader Shah. Historical novel

I thought for a while.

– Aren’t you mistaken in choosing me? – I asked in order to make sure.

– I think that we are not mistaken. Firstly, within a short time you will be able to introduce proper order between the fighters. Secondly, your name, bravery and courage are spoken by all the people.

I didn’t want to arrive at a decision in a hurry:

– Nasir agha, I may accept your proposal. In that case your group must obey my orders without reserve and must fulfill my orders unconditionally.

He didn’t think long:

– It will be how you said, if God pleases!

I agreed with Nasir agha, but I felt that he wanted to say something more. After some hesitation, he said:

– In order to do away with Melik Mahmud we have one mea sure.

– Please, Nasir agha, what did you decide?

Nasir agha made me take an oath on Imam Rza not to speak to anybody about his words.

– You know that the Kurds also serve to Melik Mahmud in his palace. We are obliged to be near him. After a week a traditional horse-race will begin in Meshed. In this horse-race both Melik Mahmud and you also will take part as before. If in that race you pull the horse of Melik Mahmud by the bridle, it will be a sign to us and we shall attack and kill him…

It wasn’t a bad idea. I agreed with Nasir agha about it. But I didn’t trust him much. In such kind of days any betrayal could be expected from men. In an underhand way, I learned that during the execution of Melik Mahmud they wouldn’t miss the chance to hurt me and to do away with me. I didn’t refuse taking part in the horse-race. But I behaved as though I couldn’t pull the bridle. So, the horse-race finished, Melik Mahmud didn’t doubt. Then I knew that Melik Mahmud was aware of that plan and together his with two courtiers they had a plan of their own. I took those courtiers to hunting and asked them to tell me all what they knew.

One of the courtiers said to me that the idea had been decided by Melik Mahmud himself as he wanted to do away with me in that way.

– Why? – My relations with Melik Mahmud aren’t bad.

– Melik Mahmud isn’t afraid of Tahmasb Shah but you. By removing you he will get rid of his most dangerous enemy.

– Was Nasir agha aware of what you told me about?

– No, we showed ourselves to Nasir agha as though we were dissatisfied with Melik Mahmud and we would be able to make him believe us.

I killed the courtiers of Melik Mahmud and sent their heads to him…

…In 1725 near Khabushan the troops of Melik Mahmud and my troops came face to face. By fighting, I made him to retreat to Meshed. It was impossible to continue that fight till the end, because we needed cannons to encircle the city. I didn’t have cannons at that time. I made up my mind that instead of blockading Meshed it was better to take control of the stocks in the province of Daragoz who were enemies to me. I did what I thought. In that way the number of my fighters reached six thousand.

Tahmasb Shah sent his warlord Rzaqulu khan to Meshed to Melik Mahmud. There I was ready to combine with the troops of the Shah.The ill-wishers near Rzaqulu khan whispered in his ears that: “If the victory is gained, it will be the victory of Nader” – and in that way they laid obstacles in the way of combining the troops.

One day a group of horsemen under the headship of the Shah’s Vizier Hasanali bey came to meet me. Though I didn’t know Hasanali bey very well, his herald who had come before Hasanali bey had informed me about him. I welcomed him at the gates built near Khabushan and told him: “You are welcome!” As soon as he got off the horse he said in a lively voice:

– It is better to hear about a brave man than to see him.

I said modestly:

– I shall be a brave man when together with the Shah I shall bring into unity the lands left us from our forefathers like a heritage. Now I am busy only with small tasks.

– What are you saying? Your fame is spread from Azerbaijan to Baghdad.

– I wish you also to be famous, Hasanali bey!

– Thanks! If you were not famous the Shah wouldn’t send

me to you to appoint you the ruler. It appears that you won the confidence of the Shah.

– I wish our Shah long life! It is our duty to serve to the Shah! The Avshars always devotedly served the Qizilbashs.

When Hasanali bey returned to the Shah he explained my idea to him. According to my idea, both my troops and the Shah’s troops had to attack to Khorasan and to get the city back. Hasanali bey returned to me again and informed me that the Shah wanted to meet with me.

It became clear that during the period when I wasn’t there the troops of Melik Mahmud wanted to fight against the Shah’s troops. When I heard that news I left Marv and turned my face to Khabushan. When Melik Mahmud heard that I had left Marv he returned to Meshed. In Khabushan I was waiting for the Shah and Fatali khan.

I was thirty eight years old, but till that time I had never seen the Shah. I met Tahmasb Shah at the entry of Khabushan. He was about twenty two or twenty three years old. It seemed that he was tired. The Shah was accompanied by a number of Viziers and advocates. It was felt that he was like a toy in their hands. I understood it from often changing his mind. I waited for the Shah to get off the horse. Hasanali bey came nearer to him:

– Your Majesty, Nader is here.

Tahmasb Shah asked:

– Where is he?

I went forward and bowed him, wishing him long life. To my mind, the Shah was pleased. Then in the home of the ruler of the city, he had a talk with me in private.

– How can we get Meshed? – He asked me directly.

– By attacking, Your Majesty! – I answered without think ing.

– Has our army power to attack?

– To occupy Meshed the army has the power, but for to restore the dynasty it has not.

– Why?

– Because our army isn’t regulated and isn’t trained specially. In private, everybody wants to behave like a hero. It is necessary for the army to show courage together, to learn the tactics of fighting and fulfill the orders unconditionally.

Tahmasb Shah thought and then said:

– You are right, it is necessary to set an army fighting regularly. Well, if I appoint you a warlord to the army to occupy Meshed, will you be able to do it?

– I shall occupy, Your Majesty! If the army will be of one mind, I shall be able to achieve my purpose, my Shah!

– If it is thus, I appoint you the warlord of the army!

When the order of the Shah was declared the Viziers, advocates, especially Fatali khan, began to play tricks in order to sully my good name. I didn’t have time to pay attention to them.

…I began marching. Meshed had already been encircled. Just at that time I learned that Fatali khan had a talk with Melik Mahmud so as not to let me occupy Meshed. Fatali khan would be able to make Melik Mahmud believe this. He made him believe that if his troops attacked me the stocks of Qajar wouldn’t fight against any sides. Melik Mahmud believed Fatali khan and attacked us. After the bloody battles he was obliged to reireat. In that batile, the Qajars didn’t take part. Without them the troops of Melik Mahmud could n’t stand before us. I captured one of the warlords of Melik Mahmud, Mir Muhammad. When I met with Mir Muhammad he said to me that he wanted to tell me a secret, but in return he wanted only his life. I agreed with him. Mir Muhammad spoke to me that Melik Mahmud and Fatali khan wanted to do away with the Shah. I went to the tent of the Shah and told him what Mir Muhammad had told me.

The Shah called Fatali khan in my presence and asked him:

– Why didn’t the Qajars take part in that battle?

Fatali khan didn’t know anything yet.

– Your Majesty, the Qajars had been kept like a spare power. If we retreated they had to come to help. You agreed to keep them like a spare power.