Brothers at War

myself, how can I trust a prince eager to shed his own brother’s blood? If I wished I could squash him like a fly but I prefer to help you do so.’

He leaned forward. ‘I have little interest in expanding my lands eastwards. What I want is stability on my borders as there was in your father’s day. While Babur — may his soul rest in Paradise — ruled, he kept the tribes — the Pashais, Kafirs and others — in check. Persia’s merchants travelled safely without let or hindrance all the way from Meshed, Isfahan and Shiraz to Kashgar beyond the mountains of Ferghana. But since your half-brother seized Kabul there has been anarchy and my people are suffering. With my help you can restore order.’

As the shah was talking, Humayun recalled Darya’s account of how Kamran had used gold plundered from Persian merchants to raise and fund the army with which he had taken Kabul and wondered whether Tahmasp knew of this.

‘Winter comes early to my homelands, and gracious as is your hospitality I am eager to begin the campaign as soon as possible. I would like to move first against Kandahar and then on to Kabul before the first snows. When do you think your troops might be ready to accompany me?’

‘I began assembling a force weeks before you reached Kazvin. I can give you ten thousand men, including mounted archers, musketeers, and artillerymen as well as cavalry. They — and their commander Rustum Beg — can be ready with their cannon, other weapons and baggage train in two weeks’ time. Do the ladies of your family wish to remain here in Kazvin? My sister will take great care of them.’

Humayun shook his head.‘Danger and hardship are nothing to them.They will want to go with me. My wife is tormented by anxiety over the fate of our son. If she had her way we would leave today.’

‘Her feelings do her honour as a mother and as an empress. I’ve heard much of the courage of Moghul women. My father held your aunt Khanzada Begam in high esteem.’

‘She had reason to be very grateful to Shah Ismail. . ’

Tahmasp acknowledged the compliment with a graceful gesture of his bejewelled hand. ‘But before we speak further of going to war, there is something I must ask you. You are a true believer but it grieves me that you follow the Sunni path and not that of the Shias, like myself. Show me that you are indeed my brother, that the bonds between us are as strong as those of blood. Embrace the Shia sect so that you and I can worship side by side to ask God’s blessing for our enterprise.’Tahmasp’s dark eyes, fixed on Humayun’s face, were fervent and glowing.

Humayun struggled to contain his surprise and dismay. Tahmasp had chosen his moment well — offering Humayun everything he could wish for before making his demand. It was easier to deal with a man hungry for the material things of life — lands and gold, Humayun reflected. Such a man was usually prepared to compromise. A man hungry for another’s soul was not. He must be very careful how he handled Tahmasp.

‘You seek this only of me, not of my commanders and my men?’ he asked after a moment.

‘Only of you, but of course where an emperor leads, others often wish to follow.’

‘I must think over what you have said.’

‘Do not take too long, my brother. As you yourself said, you wish to campaign before the winter snows become an extra enemy. . ’ Shah Tahmasp rose from the silk cushions and summoning his guards, who had been waiting at a discreet distance while the two rulers talked, stepped down from the platform and walked away through the garden, pausing to examine the crimson blooms on a rose bush.

Humayun went straight to Hamida. As he entered her apartments, her hopeful, expectant expression made him feel his predicament even more keenly.

‘What did he say? Will he help us?’ she asked, as soon as they were alone.

‘The shah is no friend to Kamran and will give me an army to defeat him, but there is a price. . ’

‘What price? He has the Koh-i-Nur. What more do we have to give?’

‘He wants me to become a Shia Muslim. . ’

‘Is that all?’ Hamida came closer and took his face between her hands.

‘It’s a great deal. Shah Ismail tried to force my father Babur to become a Shia — it nearly cost him his life and it certainly cost him Samarkand. Our people hated him for it — they turned to Shaibani Khan, preferring to be ruled by a murderous Sunni Uzbek than a Timurid prince they suspected of converting to Shiism. . ’

Hamida released him and stared up at him incredulously. ‘But those were different times. We’re not in Samarkand now. Most important, we have lost our son. We must do everything in our power to save him. . it is our duty. . our sacred duty above anything else.You must accept this, just as I accepted your arguments not to pursue Kamran when he took Akbar.’

‘But this explains why Shah Tahmasp was so welcoming. . this is what he really wants. . to convert the Moghuls to Shiism. I saw it in his face as he spoke to me. . ’

‘Are you sure he doesn’t just want you to convert as some kind of token recognition of his authority?’

‘I don’t think even his mind is subtle enough for that. And don’t you see? That would be even more repugnant. You don’t understand how it would affect my troops.’

‘No, you are the one who doesn’t understand. Swallow your pride, if not for my sake then for our son’s!’

‘My pride is one of the few things left to me and you ask me to sacrifice it?’

‘You have no choice. Our situation is too perilous to be over-scrupulous. Go through the outward ceremonies. Think what you will in your heart.True pride is internal, not external. Remember how much outward pride it must have cost your father to surrender Khanzada to Shaibani Khan, but he kept his inner spirit strong.’

Humayun said nothing and Hamida continued more softly, ‘In any case, don’t Shias and Sunnis worship the same God? Their divisions are of human not divine manufacture. They stem from quarrels in the Prophet’s family, just like those that have split your own. . ’

Humayun bowed his head. She was right, he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to regain his throne and recover his son. His decision was made. Whatever his commanders and their men might think, at least temporarily he must don the crimson silk taj of the Shia monarch and kneel at Shah Tahmasp’s side in the mosque to call down God’s blessing on his campaign. Sunni or Shia, his cause was just and God — the one God — would still be on his side. .

They were making good progress, Humayun thought with satisfaction — much swifter than on the journey to Kazvin that had been at the stately pace dictated by the shah. Ahead of Humayun rode the Persian archers and musketeers and directly behind him were Hamida and Gulbadan and their women in their wagons, surrounded by his bodyguard. Next came the rest of his soldiers, then the baggage train including the cannon loaded on bullock carts and finally the Persian cavalry, the tips of their spears — broader-bladed than Moghul ones but no less sharp — catching the early morning sun.

Zahid Beg was to Humayun’s left but at his right shoulder was Rustum Beg, the Persian commander. He was a thin-faced, delicate-boned elderly man, a cousin of the shah’s, fond of quoting from the Persian poets to Humayun’s war council but content to leave the day-to-day command of his force to his deputy, Bairam Khan. The latter was still quite young — no more than about thirty-four or five — but his thick-set build and the scar at the right corner of his mouth made him look older. His eyes were an unusual colour for a Persian — deep, almost indigo blue — and his long dark hair protruded in a plait from beneath a pointed steel helmet hung with chain mail to protect the neck and the sides of the face and surmounted by a peacock feather.

In the first days after leaving Kazvin, Bairam Khan had spoken little, beyond responding to Humayun’s questions. However, as the weeks passed he had become more expansive. Everything he said was well considered and he listened to Humayun’s commanders with courtesy and tact. That was good. Had Rustum Beg pushed himself forward more and had Bairam Khan been over-haughty, it might have caused dissension between Humayun’s men and the far more numerous Persians. As it was, they co-existed well. Humayun was also relieved that his men seemed to have accepted his conversion to Shiism as the pragmatic decision it was. They had watched the public ceremony at which the shah himself had placed the scarlet taj on his head without protest, understanding, as he did, that it was necessary to secure the future of them all.

Humayun looked up to see a small group of horsemen galloping towards him, dust dancing in the air around them. It was Ahmed Khan with two of his scouts and two Persian cavalrymen Rustum Beg had sent as guides.

‘Majesty, the Helmand river lies only fifteen miles away.’

‘Excellent.’ Humayun smiled. In two days — perhaps even tomorrow — he would again cross the cold waters of the Helmand and this time he would cross it with a great army at his back.