CHAPTER 11
In the winter of 272 after the Prophet's Hijra a delegation from Sufyah arrived in Multan. The emissary went to Hilal and handed him the letter. Dumbfounded, Hilal called his wife and summoned his council urgently. It was a great surprise for everyone, Sufyah gave Hilal the title of raja de Multan.
This was a bit strange since Sufyah was never much of a fan of Hilal, in fact, some rumors say that he envied his fame as a warrior. Sufyah never made explicit the reasons for this action. Hafsa and Hasan the chancellor said it was a maneuver to bind Hilal as a servant of the habbarids. who could rebel after receiving so many gifts? Sufyah thus earned the loyalty of his most powerful vassal, just after being defeated in the war against the balochis and after the traumatic rebellion of Ahmad doolanid.
Be that as it may, Hilal was no longer a mere thakur, now he was a raja.
This event also brought new responsibilities. Such a vast territory would not be easy to govern, Hilal needed vassals and for that he had to designate certain people to govern certain territories.
First of all, it should be noted that Sufyah transferred the vassalage of Salah Bhambhanid directly to Hilal. Salah ruled over the thikanas of Uch and Hasilpur.
Next, Hilal gave the thikanas of Dipalpur and Shorkot to Samir, his friend and companion in adventures, they had been together since the piracy in Oman.
And finally, Hilal gave the thikana of Bhera to his chancellor Hasan, he was ambitious and had excelled in various diplomatic missions.
The vassals of Hilal.
The possessions were now many, Hilal ruled over many cities, but he did not forget his first residence in Karor, this city had great symbolic value. Hafsa had the idea to make significant investments in the city to remodel some streets and squares and translated into concrete actions and prosperity in the region.
Hafsa suggested investing in Karor to benefit trade and business.
Meanwhile, Ambar continued his education with his father Hilal, the young guy liked martial affairs and saw the powerful faris of his father's court as examples.
One day Salah, recently appointed mufti at court in Multan, informed Hilal of the possibility of claiming the lands of Kafirkot which were west of Karor, across the Indus river. It seemed that Salah wanted to gain the trust of his new lord, Hilal and Salah had previously faced each other in the battle of Kabirwala, something embarrassing for Salah as he had fought alongside the hindus.
The lands of Kafirkot were ruled by Kallar, the lord of Kabul, a prominent afghan king who worshiped the Indian gods. This man had managed to unify several afghan valleys, the problem for him is that certain lords recently converted to Islam were invading his territory from the north and northwest. It was the perfect opportunity to attack.
Kallar, lord of the Kabul valley and king of many afghans.
Before leaving, Hilal decreed additional taxes in order to obtain extra income since the treasury was running low.
The army crossed the Indus river and laid siege to the city of Kafirkot, it fell a few days later, then they took possession of the nearby villages. After a few weeks Kallar appeared with his army to recover Kafirkot, to avoid being locked in a siege, Hilal faced the afghans in the open field.
It was not an easy battle, the afghans fought fiercely. The key to victory was again in the use of cavalry. Hilal chased Kallar into the mountains, but the elusive man escape. This allowed the hilalid army to take other cities in the area and the war ended, Kallar did not fight back.
The victory against the Afghans was celebrated in Multán, Karor and the other cities and villages ruled by Hilal. The slave-turned-raja seemed invincible, his successes were known in all directions, and no one dared to confront Hilal, at least not until that fateful day.
One morning while everyone was still sleeping in the residence in Multan, a messenger burst into the great hall requesting Hilal vehemently. The raja was quickly introduced, such insistence should not be for something inconsequential. The messenger came from the city of Pancapur, the Gurjars had arrived with a huge army, they were claiming possession of several territories that belonged to Hilal. The raja prepared his army and dispatched another messenger to go to Debul to inform Sufyah about these events and request his help.
When Hilal and his army reached Pancapur they found that the city had not yet fallen, but the size of the enemy army was immense. The next battle was terrifying.
Initial disposition of the battle.
The Gurjar archers were very numerous, Hilal relied on his cavalry in order to make a charge that broke the enemy lines. Unfortunately, the charge was not as successful as expected, the hilalid infantry soon arrived to help, but the enemies were too many. The flanks soon overflowed. Hilal thought of dying there, fighting alongside his warriors, but the memory of his family prevented it.
The bitter defeat in Pancapur.
During the retreat Hasan was killed by an arrow and Samir, after fighting surrounded by enemies, fell dead in front of Hilal's eyes. In a single day Hilal lost two vassals and half his army. And the war was just beginning.