head of a Bukharan army, at the head of some twenty thousand men he crossed the Amu Darya, splitting his army in two contingents. One army contingent numbered around 8,000 men and marched on Sheberghan, while the remaining army marched to Aqcha. Alongside this, the arrival of a Bukharan army kicked off a large rebellion throughout the region, especially in the Chahar Wilayat. Afzal Khan did not withdraw from Balkh, but was taken off guard by the size of the army. Mir Wali marched unopposed to Sheberghan, where Hakim Khan threw open the gates of the city to him. Following this, regiments from Maimana and surrounding provinces were gathering in Sheberghan. The defenses of Sheberghan were also significantly improved upon the capture by Mir Wali, with new wet ditches dug around the citadel and defenses were strengthened in preparation for the coming battle. The second contingent laid siege to Wali Muhammad in Aqcha, cutting off all supplies to the Afghan garrisons to the east, and forced Muhammad Zaman Khan to abandon the fortress of Minglik and withdrew to Balkh. Despite the situation, the Mir Ataliq of Qunduz remained loyal to the Afghans, and the Mir's son was sent in haste to Kabul to notify Dost Mohammad that if reinforcements were not sent to Balkh, it could be put to siege within ten or fifteen days, and that the whole of Turkestan would be lost. Within hearing this news, Dost Mohammad dispatched thousands of fresh troops to support Balkh, alongside four hundred camel loads of wheat, and fifty camel loads of ammunition and other supplies. Despite the Bukharan army's overwhelming numbers, the siege of Aqcha's results were relatively slow, bringing little success. This led to a growing quarrel between Mir Wali and the Bukharan commander at Sheberghan, later resulting in Nasrullah's general withdrawing most the Bukharan army back across the Amu Darya and leaving only a token garrison of 1,000 men to defend the Bukharan ambassador who accompanied the army. A few weeks later, the Bukharan Ambassador also fled, leaving Mir Wali and Hakim Khan. When Dost Mohammad heard the news of Bukharan withdrawal, he ordered his forces to pursue an offensive, and commanded Afzal Khan with strict instructions to capture Mir Wali. In November 1854, Afzal Khan marched against the remaining Bukharan army at Aqcha, facing little resistance, Afzal Khan relieved Sardar Wali Muhammad of the siege of Aqcha. From