During the ambassador's final granted audience with Dost Mohammad, Dost Mohammad remarked: "I have not the slightest concern about the friendship or enmity of any foreign state, feeling assured of the British.... What is it to me if Russia, Persia, and Bukhara are my enemies on the account of my friendship with England?" At the end of 1859, Nasrullah Khan was informed of what Dost Mohammad Khan said and was enraged. This was further pushed due to Afzal Khan demanding that Bukhara cede all territory up to the town of Charjui. Nasrullah Khan cut all diplomatic ties with the Afghans and began mobilizing his troops for a showdown against the Afghans across the other side of the Amu Darya. Nasrullah Khan also attempted to repair relations with the Russian ambassador in Bukhara at the time, notifying the agent about how the Afghans alongside British aid seized territory that was rightfully Bukharan. Nasrullah Khan wished to use this as a way of utilizing Russian aid for an attack across the Amu Darya. Afzal Khan managed to prevent the war from starting war by detaining a Bukharan ambassador in Khulm as a hostage. In early January 1860, Murad Beg was given command of 10,000 men by the Amirs of Kulob and further support from the Amirs of Badakhshan and Qataghan, who crossed the Amu Darya and began harassing Mohammad Zaman Khan's garrison in Taloqan. This led to Muhammad Zaman Khan requesting aid from Azam Khan, who did not prompt a satisfying response to Zaman Khan according to Jonathan Lee. Zaman Khan left his post to try and convince Azam Khan by coming to Khanabad. As a result, Zaman Khan lost command was replaced by Al-Rahman Khan, who was instructed to lead a campaign against Badakhshan to subdue its rebellious Amir who supported Murad Beg, and to defeat Murad Beg himself. After months of campaigning, Al-Rahman Khan succeeded and subjugated Badakhshan again, Murad Beg was also forced to flee the Amu Darya. After the Bukharan Ambassador left Kabul, Dost Mohammad, believing war with Bukhara was now coming, ordered Sher Ali Khan to march north to Afghan Turkestan with 10,000 men. Dost Mohammad also planned to take the field again against Bukhara if war was to ignite. However, the Hindu Kush faced heavy winter snow and stalled the reinforcements of Sher Ali to march to Balkh, leaving Afzal Khan to face the oncoming Bukharan