While leaving the territory, however, the Turkmens ravaged Khurasan and when Abu Sa'id Mirza arrived to take Herat the people were frightened.[1] So in order to ease their fears, he sent back the major portion of his army towards Bukhara.[1] His rival claimants to the Kingdom of Samarkand, namely, Ala al-Dawla Mirza, his son Ibrahim Mirza and Sultan Sanjar Mirza seeing his position weakened decided to form an alliance and take this opportunity to destroy him once and for all.[1] They planned to meet at Sarakhs and from there move forward to attack Herat.[citation needed]