"By the time rains set in, Najeeb had his own bridge across the Ganga at Shukratal. And he could get provisions for his camp at the western side of the Ganga."

What This Meant:

Najeeb built bridge FOR HIMSELF
His forces on western bank of Ganga
Could get supplies from eastern side
Using his own bridge for his logistics

The Question:

"I wonder if Dattaji will try and take this bridge from him."

Building the Anti-Maratha Coalition

Rallying the Rohillas

Message to Bareilly:

"He wrote to the Rohillas at Bareilly that if they did not support him against the Marathas, they would be the next victims of Maratha attack."

The Logic:

Rohillas at Bareilly probably not as militant
"Not as extremist as he was"
Hadn't understood the Maratha threat

The Scaremongering:

"If you don't come on my side and we put up a united front, you will be destroyed by Marathas."

Why It Worked:

All Rohillas were Afghan immigrants
Shared ethnic/cultural identity
Fear of Maratha expansion
Better to fight together

Pulling in Shuja-ud-Daula

The Warning to Awadh

Najeeb's Message to Shuja:

"If the Marathas crossed the river, they would attack Awadh."

The Framing:

Dattaji is coming YOUR way
He wants to cross Ganga
Once he does, you're in danger
Better help me stop him now

The Religious Angle:

Shuja was Shia
Najeeb was Sunni
Normally some lack of trust

The Unity:

"But both are Muslims at the end of the day."

The Priority:

"Rather than trusting Hindu, which is totally outside of their brotherhood, there may be more trust between them."

The Coalition:

"Slowly but surely, Najeeb forged an anti-Maratha coalition."

The Tactics:

Calling Marathas outsiders
Calling them kaffir (infidels)
Employing religious rhetoric
"Every tactic he can"

Najeeb's Weakness:

"Najeeb Khan himself could not resist Maratha force because he didn't have adequate forces. So he had to rally some other people in his cause."

The Call to Abdali

North Indian Princes Reach Out

Who Wrote to Abdali:

"The North Indian princes sent letters to Abdali calling him to India."

Who Were They:

Madho Singh (Jaipur)
Vijay Singh (Jodhpur)
Other Rajasthani princes

Why:

Harassed by Marathas
Succession wars
Wanted Marathas gone
Wanted them "south of Narmada"

The Maratha Problem

Initial Welcome:

Initially princes invited Marathas
To get upper hand in local conflicts
For help temporarily

The Realization:

"But later on they started realizing that it is more trouble than it is worth."

Why Everyone Hated Marathas:

"Overwhelming force"
Creating their own power structure
Supposed to be oppressive
Filling power vacuum left by weak Mughals

The Misunderstanding:

Northern princes didn't understand Shivaji's vision
Hindu unity concept didn't resonate
Rajasthani Hindus, Jat Hindus didn't see common cause
Marathas looked like mercenaries
"Just wanted to get money"
Mercenary spirit ≠ Hindu nationalism

The Shivaji Standard They Failed

What Made Shivaji Different

Shivaji's Innovation:

Created mindset: Muslims are outsiders, foreigners
Need our own government, our own kingdom
Unite Hindus under one banner

Before Shivaji:

Maratha warriors (very good warriors)
Working for different Muslim kings
Killing each other
No unity

The Northern Failure:

North didn't adopt this mindset
Hostility between different forces persisted
Didn't understand value of Hindu kingdom concept
Especially Rajasthanis (all Hindu)
Suraj Mal Jat (also Hindu)
But no unified Hindu identity

The Perception:

"Marathas were trying to work as a, they just wanted to get money. They were mercenary. That mercenary spirit did not create this single Hindu identity."

The Result:

"They were also looked upon as mercenaries who didn't have anybody's interest in mind."

Just chaos without regard:

Sowing confusion
No clear purpose
No one's interests protected
Just extraction and violence

The Emperor Writes to Peshwa

Multiple Fronts

Imad-ul-Mulk's Terror:

Emperor felt "terrorized by Imad"
Imad was supposed to be Vazir
But acting like tyrant

The Irony:

Emperor writing to Peshwa
Emperor writing to Najeeb Khan
Playing both sides
"He's really" panicking

North India Becomes Friendless

The Isolation

Rajput Kings:

Madho Singh (Jaipur)
Vijay Singh (Jodhpur)
"Keen to see the end of Maratha attacks"
Wrote to Abdali asking him to defeat Marathas

The Summary:

"North India had become a friendless place for the Marathas. Everyone hated them, either openly or secretly."

Key Figures

Name	Role	Key Actions
Dattaji Shinde	Maratha Commander	Failed to capture Najeeb, still trusting him
Najeeb Khan Rohila	Enemy	Building coalition, lying, fortifying
Malhar Rao Holkar	Senior Commander	Bad advice to befriend Najeeb
Shuja-ud-Daula	Subedar of Awadh	Warned by Najeeb, joining coalition
Madho Singh	Raja of Jaipur	Writing to Abdali to come save them
Vijay Singh	Raja of Jodhpur	Also calling for Abdali
Gujars	Local guides	Critical knowledge of river fords
General Wellington	British (future)	Will exploit this weakness 40 years later

Geographic Context

Key Locations:

Shamli - Dattaji's camp, east of Yamuna, west of Ganga
Ganga River - Major barrier, must be crossed
Shukratal - Where Najeeb built his bridge
Nazibabad - Najeeb's capital (east of Ganga)
Pathargarh - Najeeb's strong fort (east of Ganga)
Rohilkhand - Najeeb's territory (east of Ganga)
Bareilly - Town where other Rohillas based
Awadh - Shuja-ud-Daula's kingdom
Bengal - Dattaji's ultimate target (far east)

Timeline

6 August 1759 - Dattaji writes to Peshwa explaining strategy
August-September 1759 - Meeting at Shamli fails
By Monsoon (July-August) - Najeeb builds his own bridge
Late 1759 - Coalition building accelerates
Late 1759 - Letters to Abdali multiply

Major Themes

1. The Structural Weakness

Marathas' inability to cross rivers = permanent strategic flaw that lasts 50 years.

2. The Botched Kidnapping

Worst of both worlds: Failed to capture Najeeb AND made him hostile.

3. The Agricultural Curse

Being farmer-soldiers means never developing monsoon warfare capability.

4. The Snake's Skill

Najeeb building coalition while promising cooperation. Master manipulator.

5. The Hindu Disunity

Northern Hindus don't adopt Shivaji's vision. Marathas seen as mercenaries, not liberators.

6. The Isolation

Everyone hates Marathas. Zero real allies in North India.

7. Local Knowledge Advantage

Gujars' knowledge of fords = the difference between movement and paralysis.

The Ominous Pattern

What's Building:

Failed meeting → hostile relationship
Najeeb building coalition
All northern princes calling Abdali
Dattaji still deluded about using Najeeb
River-crossing problem unsolved
Monsoon coming or just passed
No real allies
Overextended
Punjab undermanned

40 Years Later:

British will systematically exploit same weakness
Shows this isn't temporary problem
Permanent flaw in Maratha military system

Dattaji just made an enemy out of the one man who could have helped him cross the Ganga. Najeeb is building a coalition while lying to his face. Every northern prince is writing to Abdali begging him to come. The Marathas have no friends. They can't cross rivers. Monsoon makes it worse. And in 40 years, the British will read this same playbook and use it to destroy them. The noose is tightening, and Dattaji doesn't even know it.