It has been said, that Jánbúlát had written before this to the Moslem commander-in-chief offering to make peace, but that the latter did not believe him sincere. He even, whilst endeavouring to bring this about, stepped to the front of his army and forbade them to fight; but they, by oaths and curses, caused him to retire, and erected their banners. However these things might be, the battle commenced, and it was a bloody one. Zulfekár Páshá, beglerbeg of Merœsh, fought with uncommon bravery, and caused the heads of the enemy to roll along the ground. Jánbúlát attacked the left wing of the royalists, composed of the Romeilian army commanded by its intrepid válí, Hasan Páshá, but was met with heroism, on the part of these troops, exceeding all imagination. The conflict was awful and bloody, and lasted till night. Twenty-six thousand heads were conveyed into the presence of the powerful Osmánlí chief, and heaped up before his pavilion: twenty persons were incessantly employed in cutting off the heads of the vast number of prisoners which were brought in alive. The janissaries, headed by their chief, as well as the other troops, distinguished themselves in the most brilliant manner on this occasion.
Jánbúlát, after this severe defeat, fled to Kilis. But finding it unsafe for him to remain there, he marched on to Aleppo, plundered the rich men of the city, threw some of his troops into the citadel, and the following morning, as he was going out at the gate, to continue his flight—for such was the fear he was in, that he remained only one night at Aleppo—the women and children raised a tremendous hue and cry after him, loading him with anathemas, and covering him with dirt and mud. After he was once fairly out of their sight the inhabitants commenced a search after such of his followers as had hid themselves in the city, and succeeded in finding out and killing more than a thousand of these wretches before Murád Páshá arrived at Aleppo.
The day after the battle a council was held in the victorious and glorious pavilion, when the grandees of the army pressed in to congratulate their commander-in-chief.
It has been related that the son of Máín Fekhr-ud-dín had headed the sons of Gilibi and the Dirzi soldiery, and fought under Jánbulát in the above-mentioned battle. Fekhr-ud-dín fled to the fortress of Shukif, in the desert, where he shut himself up.
The exalted commander-in-chief, when on his march from the field of battle to Aleppo, touched at Kilis, where he seized on the whole of the property belonging to the last-mentioned rebel. On the 19th of Rajab he erected his pavilion in the Kokmaidan of Aleppo, whither all the great men of the city repaired in order to pay him their respects, and to congratulate him on his success against the rebels. Some few vile wretches, who had hitherto eluded detection, were now brought forth and executed. The few troops which Jánbulát had left in the citadel, after a day or two, offered to surrender. The officers were furnished with letters of protection, but the common soldiery, on coming out of the citadel, were all executed. The government of Aleppo was conferred on Dishleng Hasan Páshá, and the cazíship of the same on an old acquaintance of the cazí of the royal camp, Cheshmi Effendí. Hasan Páshá, válí of Romeili, having been advanced to the rank and dignity of a vezír, returned to Turkey, and Marjol Hasan Páshá succeeded him as válí of Romeili.
Murád Páshá winters at Aleppo.—Troops are sent to Baghdád.
The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, with the view of preserving the peace and tranquillity of the country, determined on keeping a certain number of his best troops somewhere near Aleppo, where he himself resolved on passing the winter. Accordingly, the spáhís were sent into the territories of Damascus, and the Salihdárs to Tripoli, in Syria. The janissaries remained with the commander-in-chief at Aleppo, and the troops of Romeili, of Anatolia, and of Caramania were allowed to return to their respective countries.
In Aleppo the serdár and his janissaries spent the six months of winter in every sort of pleasure and festivity. Rebels, from one hundred to two hundred, were every day brought to Aleppo and there executed without compassion or commiseration.
The grand vezír, Murád Páshá, in the midst of the various scenes of pleasure which Aleppo afforded, was one day astounded at learning that about the time he had entered into winter quarters, Mustafa, the brother of Ahmed Túyel Oghlí, who had met with his death at Baghdád, had succeeded the deceased in the command of the rebels in that quarter, and who amounted to several thousands. Murád Páshá was not long in considering how to act: he determined on their overthrow. Accordingly, he conferred the government of Baghdád on Mohammed Páshá, son of Jeghala Zádeh Sinán Páshá, giving him a body of paid troops; and he appointed Mír Ahmed, son of Abúrish, prince of Annet and Hadisa, and Kúrd Mír Sheríf Páshá, besides several other provincial lords, to accompany him to the conquest of Baghdád, now in the hands of the rebels.
The expedition just mentioned had no sooner arrived within a small distance of Baghdád than they were met by Mustafa, who had prepared to oppose the Moslem army. This happened on the 1st of Shevál; but Mustafa, who had not rightly estimated the courage and heroism of the Osmánlí troops, found, to his sad experience, that he and his rebels were no match for them; in a word, he was defeated and routed, and shut himself up in the city, thinking there to defend himself. This, however, was a delusion. The heroic Osmánlís were not long in approaching and laying siege to the city, and perceiving that resistance would be worse than useless, he proposed to deliver up the city on the condition of personal security. This was agreed to, and he was allowed to embark; but the boat into which he had entered had no sooner moved away from the bank or wharf than, from its unequal weight, occasioned by the vast numbers of segbáns who had crowded in along with him, it upset, and all, with the exception of Mustafa himself and a few others, were drowned in the river; even those few who did escape were nearly all killed by bullets which were sent across after them. Mohammed Páshá, after having thus vanquished the rebels and dispersed them, entered into Baghdád triumphant and victorious.