"In April, at least Raghunath Rao should follow up. Up until Karnal (in Punjab), Raghunath Rao should take the army and follow up or chase Abdali at least up until Karnal."

Why:

Put some kind of pressure
Create some kind of scare
Show: "You've done bad things here"
Don't let him leave peacefully

The Strategy:

"He's suggesting that Raghunath Rao should be attacking Abdali's... the later part of here."

Why It Could Work:

Abdali has lots and lots of animals
Lots of cavalry going back
If Raghunath Rao gives him a chase in the back
Can create trouble for Abdali

The Vulnerability:

"Abdali is now not in a fighting mode. He is getting out."

Not prepared for battle
Just trying to leave
Vulnerable in retreat
Perfect target

The Guerrilla Tactic: QIG Strategy

Hit and Run

The Method:

"This is QIG's tactic: suddenly some 2, 3, 5 thousand people come and they try to rob this, because it's going to be a straight line that people are going. Try to attack them and suddenly disappear."

The Strategy:

Surprise attacks
Small forces (2,000-5,000)
Attack the straight column
Rob/loot them
Then suddenly disappear
Come back later, attack again

Why It Works:

"If we were to give him trouble while he is getting out, it will look good on us and it will give us some good publicity."

The Approach:

Backward attacks
Not fighting in open field
Skirmish warfare
Attack for 1-2 hours
Then vanish
Then come back later
Never let them regroup

The Formation:

Army traveling in one straight line/column
Easy to hassle
Hard for them to defend whole length
Can't fight back effectively

Why Raghunath Rao Refused

The Calculation

His Decision:

"Raghunath Rao did not accept this challenge."

The Reason:

"Probably he didn't have capable army with him to carry out this kind of backward attacks."

The Reality:

At this stage, Abdali had fearsome reputation
Nobody wanted to attack him lightly
Have to be properly prepared
Need good size of army
Otherwise very dangerous

Abdali's Reputation:

Experienced general
Not easy to go to war with
Had this reputation for a reason
Developed his war machine well
All his looting depended on army quality

The Risk:

Even in retreat, dangerous
Could turn and fight
Might destroy small force
Better to let him leave

Sadashiv Rao Bhau Enters (March 16, 1757)

The Letter to Bhau

Who He Is:

Sadashiv Rao Bhau (called "Bhau")
First cousin to Nanasaheb (the Peshwa)
Son of Chimaji Appa (Bajirao I's brother)

The Family:

Bajirao I (first Peshwa)
- Son 1: Nanasaheb (current Peshwa)
- Son 2: Raghunath Rao (currently in North)
Chimaji Appa (Bajirao I's brother)
- Son: Sadashiv Rao Bhau

March 16, 1757:

Sadashiv Rao Bhau received a letter
From someone (unclear who)
About the situation
He's being brought into the picture

Where Everyone Is

The Dispersed Forces

In Agra:

Naro Shankar
Antaji Mankeshwar
Samsher Bahadur

In Rampur:

Malhar Rao Holkar
Rajashri Dadasaheb

The Problem:

"They didn't have enough army. They couldn't gather in opposition."

Forces too dispersed
Not enough strength
Can't unite to oppose Abdali
Each location insufficient

Timeline

Date	Event
February 1757	Raja Keshav Rai writes to Peshwa
February 1757	Rohillas/Pathans escort Abdali to boundary
March 16, 1757	Sadashiv Rao Bhau receives letter
March 1757	Maratha forces dispersed (Agra, Rampur)
April 1757	Suggestion to chase Abdali to Karnal
April 1757	Raghunath Rao refuses
1757	Abdali departs with 12 crore rupees

Key Players

Name	Role	Status/Action
Abdali	Afghan invader	Leaving with massive loot
Raghunath Rao	Maratha commander	Refused to chase Abdali
Sadashiv Rao Bhau	Maratha (Nanasaheb's cousin)	Receiving letters, being informed
Raja Keshav Rai	Regional king	Reporting to Peshwa
Surajmal Jat	Jat king	Ready to fight but considers Marathas enemies
Amber & Jodhpur kings	Rajput rulers	Allegedly invited Abdali
Rohillas & Pathans	Afghan allies	Escorted Abdali to boundary
Malhar Rao Holkar	Maratha commander	In Rampur, insufficient forces
Antaji Mankeshwar	Maratha officer	In Agra

Key Themes

The Massive Exodus - Thousands of animals carrying loot
Forced Conversions - Hindu women converted and married to Afghans
The Missed Opportunity - Should have chased to Karnal
The Rajput Betrayal - Amber & Jodhpur invited Abdali
The Jat Isolation - Surajmal ready to fight but Marathas drove him away
Dispersed Forces - Marathas too scattered to act
Guerrilla Strategy Proposed - Hit and run tactics
Raghunath Rao's Refusal - Didn't have capable army
Abdali's Reputation - Too dangerous to attack lightly
Systematic Looting - Digging everywhere for hidden wealth
More Bad Times Coming - Delhi's plight not over

Critical Insights

The Maratha Self-Sabotage

The Jat Problem:

Surajmal ready to fight Abdali
Would have been natural ally
But Marathas created enmity
Now he considers them enemies
Won't help them

The Tragedy:

Could have united against Abdali
Jats fierce warriors
Local knowledge of terrain
Perfect allies
Marathas drove them away

The Pattern:

Also drove away Rajputs (Amber, Jodhpur)
They invited Abdali in revenge
Marathas creating their own enemies
Diplomatic failures

The Missed Tactical Opportunity

Why Chase to Karnal Made Sense:

Abdali vulnerable - long column, not fighting mode
Loaded with loot - slow movement
Thousands of animals - hard to defend
Getting out - not expecting attack
QIG tactics - proven effective
Good publicity - show resistance

Why It Would Have Worked:

Skirmish warfare (not open battle)
2-5k fighters hit and run
Attack 1-2 hours, vanish
Come back, attack again
Never let them rest
Can't regroup in column formation

Why Raghunath Rao Refused:

Didn't have capable army
Abdali's fearsome reputation
Even in retreat = dangerous
Risk of being destroyed
Better safe than sorry

The Cost:

Let him leave peacefully
No resistance shown
No consequences for invasion
Encouraged future raids
Missed chance for small victory

The Forced Conversion & Marriage System

The Scale:

Many Hindu women converted
Married into Afghan army
Royal princesses taken
Creating permanent bonds

The Purpose:

Political alliances
Legitimacy for future claims
Hostages essentially
Cultural conquest
Not just looting wealth, taking people

The Impact:

Families destroyed
Cultural trauma
Human trafficking
Forced conversions
Religious violence

The Animal Caravan

The Scale:

Thousands of elephants
Bulls, horses, camels
All carrying loot
Shows magnitude of theft

The Logistics:

Needed that many animals
Shows organization
Shows systematic planning
Not random looting
Calculated extraction

The Systematic Search

The Method:

"Digging everywhere in the house."

Every house searched
Floors dug up
Looking for hidden wealth
Nothing left
Total extraction

Shows:

Not rushed - took time to search
Thorough - found everything
Organized - systematic approach
Intelligence - knew where to look
Left nothing behind

The Regional Kings' Fear

The Question:

"Who is our protector? (Party Rakha?)"

The Reality:

Every small king worried
No strong protector available
Mughal Emperor = powerless
Marathas = too far/scattered
Abdali = could return anytime
Everyone vulnerable

The Implication:

Power vacuum
Insecurity everywhere
Need for strong power
Someone must fill vacuum
Or chaos continues

The Rajput Invitation Theory

The Claim:

Amber and Jodhpur kings invited Abdali
Revenge on Marathas
For creating enmity during succession disputes

The Irony:

Marathas tried to help (mediate disputes)
Instead created enemies
Now Rajputs invited invader
To hurt Marathas
Diplomacy failure leading to disaster

The Cost:

Entire North India suffers
Because of personal grudges
Regional politics → national catastrophe
Short-term revenge → long-term disaster

Sadashiv Rao Bhau's Introduction

Who He Is:

Bajirao I's nephew
Nanasaheb's first cousin
Called "Bhau" (short name)

Why It Matters:

He's being brought into picture
Receiving letters about situation
Being informed
Suggests: future role coming
Will be important later

The Family Power:

Bajirao I's line
Chimaji Appa's son
Core Maratha leadership
Next generation
Being prepared

Foreshadowing

What This Sets Up:

Abdali got away cleanly - no resistance in retreat
Natural allies alienated - Jats and Rajputs hostile
Diplomatic failures have consequences
Forces too dispersed - can't act effectively
Sadashiv Rao Bhau being informed - future role coming
Guerrilla tactics discussed - will be important later
Reputation matters - fear of Abdali prevents action
More suffering coming - Delhi's bad luck continues
12 crore stolen - but will run out eventually
He'll be back - it's inevitable

The Questions:

Will Marathas fix diplomatic mistakes?
Will they unite with Jats against common enemy?
Can they reconcile with Rajputs?
Will forces be better organized next time?
When Abdali returns, will they be ready?
What role will Sadashiv Rao Bhau play?

February-April 1757: Abdali's massive caravan heads home - thousands of elephants, bulls, horses, camels, all loaded with 12 crore rupees worth of loot. The Rohillas and Pathans escort him to the boundary like honored guests. Hindu women have been converted and married into the Afghan army. Royal princesses taken to Afghanistan. He dug up every house in Delhi looking for hidden wealth. Found it all. Someone suggests: "Chase him to Karnal! Hit him while he's vulnerable! Use guerrilla tactics!" The strategy makes sense - Abdali's in a long column, not fighting mode, loaded with loot, can't defend well. But Raghunath Rao says no. Doesn't have capable army. Abdali's reputation too fearsome. Too dangerous even in retreat. Let him go. Meanwhile, Surajmal Jat is ready to fight Abdali - but considers Marathas his enemies now. The Marathas drove him away with bad diplomacy. Same with the Rajput kings of Amber and Jodhpur - they're the ones who invited Abdali in the first place, for revenge on Marathas. Self-sabotage everywhere. And Sadashiv Rao Bhau is receiving letters now, being brought into the picture. More bad things are coming for Delhi. The suffering isn't over. And everyone knows: Abdali will be back.