The Mahdi ended his letter with the remark: "I am the Expected Mahdi and I do not boast! I am the successor of God's Prophet and I have no need of any sultanate of Kordofan or anywhere else!". Even Wolseley had cause to regret sending Gordon as Gordon revealed himself to be a "loose cannon" whose press statements attacking the Liberal government were "obstructing rather than furthering his plans to take over the Sudan". Travelling through Korosko and Berber, he arrived at Khartoum on 18 February, where he offered his earlier foe, the slaver-king Rahama Zobeir, release from prison in exchange for leading troops against Ahmed.