silver trappings, camels, and carpets. Afzal Khan gave Hakim Khan a robe of honour, and he was reinstated in his position as governor of Sheberghan under Afghan rule, officially reconciling. Following this, ten days later, Ghazanfar Khan, the ruler of Andkhui, came to Takhtapul as well and tendered his submission to Afzal Khan, who affirmed his governorship over Andkhui. With the submission of Hakim Khan and Ghazanfar Khan, and any threats of rebellion dashed from the Chahar Wilayat, Afzal Khan could now completely consolidate his forces in the Chahar Wilayat to focus solely on the conquest of Qataghan. As a result, Murad Beg asked for 20 days of ceasefire for him to think about the terms sent. Afzal Khan gave Murad Beg a month to respond to the ultimatum. As this was ongoing, over twenty thousand men and forty guns were assembled on the border with Qataghan. Murad Beg failed to produce a response from the deadline established by Afzal Khan, and as a result, Afzal Khan began his invasion, as forces led by Mohammad Azam Khan and Abd al-Rahman Khan crossed the border. The Afghans capitalized off of the Qataghanid Amirs poor treatment of the local minority Tajik populace in the regions, and instead of marching on the capital of Qataghan from Balkh, the shortest route, Afzal Khan concentrated his forces at Khulm and led an invasion through southern Qunduz, where a large Tajik majority resided. As Azam Khan crossed through the border, the Tajik militia refused to fight the Afghan armies, allowing Azam Khan to besiege Dahan-I-Ghuri, which was south-west of Baghlan. As the news of Azam Khan's siege of Dahan-I-Ghuri came to Murad Beg, he again sent a plea of assistance to Nasrullah Khan of Bukhara, who finally believed that the Afghans were truly not committed to an alliance, and only capitalized off Bukhara's intentions. Nasrullah Khan was also free to lead an intervention as his war with Kokand ended, though unsuccessfully. Nasrullah Khan decreed that Qunduz was in Bukharan territory and begin mobilizing, with a large army sent toward Aqcha, intending to force the Afghans to withdraw and open front against the Bukharan invasion that would come. However, it was too late for the Bukharans to attack. Al-Rahman's forces quickly surrounded Dahan-I-Ghuri and began mining the walls of the fortress. Murad Beg, hearing news of the dire situation at Dahan-I-Ghuri, marched south with forty thousand men,