Section 2

On the end of the affair of Sultan ʿAbd al-Latif, and ʿAbd al-Rashid Khan’s campaign in response to the death of his esteemed son

When the authority of the Khan was established in the land, Sultan ʿAbd al-Latif took up residence in Aqsu. He was a brave and intrepid prince, and he controlled Moghulistan in the proper manner, so that it was impossible for the Kazakhs and Kirghiz to tarry there. ʿAbd al-Latif Sultan attacked Haqq Nazar Khan the Kazakh, and took a lot of prisoners and loot. Haqq Nazar Khan assembled the Kazakh and the Kirghiz and set out after him in pursuit. When the Sultan was busy enjoying himself and not mindful of his enemy, Haqq Nazar Khan and six other törä came after him. Tokhtamish Yiruq, a man from the Baliqchi tribe, had gone back to the baggage train and sighted the enemy, but he did not report it to the Sultan, fleeing instead. The Kazakh and Kirghiz soldiers launched a surprise raid in the middle of the night and destroyed the Sultan’s forces, striking him a heavy blow and bringing him before the (11) Khan. Haqq Nazar Khan “honoured” him, and Sultan ʿAbd al-Latif passed from this transitory world to the gardens of paradise.

[47b] When news of the death of Sultan ʿAbd al-Latif reached the Khan, the Khan and his wife grieved heavily. They brought the body of the sultan back, and buried him in Altun at the foot of his great ancestor Sultan Sa’id Khan.

At that time His Grace Khoja Muhammad Sharif was engaged with the instruction of the ignorant. ʿAbd al-Rashid Khan took a petition to His Grace, explained the situation and called on him for assistance. His Grace took pity on the Khan’s condition and set out in the company of the Khan on a visit to the tombs of the saints of old. They went to the luminous shrine of the Sultan Satuq Bughra Khan. They requested help from the illustrious sultan, and he gave his blessing to the Khan to take military action. The Khan arranged his troops and set out against the Kazakhs and Kirghiz, while His Grace went to Yarkand to pay a visit to the saints there.

They pursued the enemy for three months and reached Haqq Nazar Khan in Emil. Haqq Nazar Khan and the other töräs, along with the men of the Kirghiz, were lodged in a firm location, and a lengthy siege ensued. Then one day the Khan led his soldiers on a sudden charge, and Haqq Nazar Khan’s entire force was routed. Haqq Nazar Khan and the other töräs were captured and put to death, and the amirs of the Kirghiz were also captured. The Khan stayed in Emil for three days following his victory, and Mansur Khan returned to the seat of his own sultanate. They took the seven banners and standards of the Juchid line to Yarkand. Our saying ‘The Seven Standards’ comes from the fact that from this point on the kings of the Kazakh have been without their seven banners. Yunus Khan once defeated Buruj Oghlan in Qaratoqay. From that time until this event there had been many battles between the Shayban, the Kazakh and the Moghul, and mostly the Shayban and the Kazakh had won – in fact the Moghuls had not scored a single victory over the Shayban and Kazakh. Yet [on this occasion] ʿAbd al-Rashid Khan dealt the forces of the Shayban, the Kazakh, and the Kirghiz such a blow that its repercussions are felt to this day.

ʿAbd al-Rashid Khan was distinguished among his peers for the blessings of his physique, the health of his limbs and the sweetness of his conversation. He was without equal in spear-throwing; after his illustrious father Sultan Sa’id Khan they had rarely seen anyone like him. In courage and generosity he was unique in his age, and he used to compose poetry well too. This is his verse:

Tyranny and injustice towards me is a grace and favour to my enemy,
Thus my troubled heart has had enough sorrow.
(12) Oh Rashidi, what am I to do, what show can I put on now?
This grief and sadness comes from the pain inflicted by the beloved.

This is also a verse of his in Turki:

The intrepid hero set out for the field, look at him prance around,
Playing-ball with your head, look at the arc of his polo-stick.
Why are you staring at the cruelty of that jocular one?
Look at the corner of his eye, and his kindness towards strangers.

And his generous hands played uplifting music so well that Venus was struck dumb in jealousy, and he used to perform miracles in all the arts and professions. Much of his time was spent travelling in the guise of a beggar.