Section Five: The Last Wave of Attacks [April 1849]
The massive bombardment of the fort which began on the ninth day after Naw-Rúz was continued by the army for several days. But the combined forces of the Prince and other captains were surprised that in spite of this heavy cannonade, the voice of prayer that arose from the fort continued.
The besieging army builds towers
The army now focused attention on building towers from which they could fire from a high level directly into the fort. The first tall tower was built for the canons under the supervision of the experienced military captain Ja’far-Qulí Khán
Quddús summoned Mírzá Muhammad-Báqir and instructed him to take a few of the companions and teach Ja’far-Qulí Khán a lesson:
Let him know, that God’s lion-hearted warriors, when pressed and driven by hunger, are able to manifest deeds of such heroism as no ordinary mortals can show.60_ACT9
Mírzá Muhammad-Báqir immediately ordered eighteen of his companions to jump onto their steeds and follow him. The gates of the fort were flung open, and the companions rode out with the cry of “Yá Sáhibu’z-Zamán!”, now heard fiercer and more thrilling than ever. Overcoming the barricades, they got to the towers, climbed them and toppled the guns to the ground. Ja‘far-Qulí Khán, with thirty of his men, perished. Triumphant and unhurt, Mírzá Muhammad-Báqir and the companions returned to the fort. 61_ACT9
The bombardment of the fort intensifies
The besieging forces intensified their construction of towers and bombardment into the fort. One historian records:
Thus the latter [the besieging army] constructed four towers on the four sides of the fort, and raised them so high that they were able to command the interior of the fortress with their guns, and to make the garrison targets for their bullets. Then the faithful, seeing this, began to dig subterranean
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