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XV the prisoners, who had to be ransomed at a very heavy price. Another most formidable opponent of the foreigners was Khushal Khan Khattak, the soldier poet, who inspired the Afghans with his pen no less than his sword. Once the rising took a very serious turn and the Afghans were well nigh implementing their national programme. It affected the whole of eastern Afghanistan, from Attock to Kandahar. Moreover its leaders were not ordinary men. They had served in the Mughal army in Hindustan and the Deccan, and knew the organisation, efficiency and even the tactics of the Imperial Forces. The Mughals met disaster after disaster. At last Aurangzeb himself was forced to take the command of his army into his own hands. He came as far as Hasanabdal (June 1674) and for a year and a half he personally directed the operations. His gold in the long run proved more effective than his arms. Under its magic touch many of the leaders and clans were won over. Khushal Khan in his poems gives vent to his indignation against these traitors, who had been seduced by the prospect of advancement