In 1907 Andranik settled in Sofia, where he met the leaders of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organizationincluding revolutionary Boris Sarafovand the two pledged to work jointly for the oppressed peoples of Armenia and Macedonia. During the First Balkan War (1912–13), Andranik led a company of 230 Armenian volunteers part of the Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps of Aleksandar Protogerov within the Bulgarian armyagainst the Ottoman Empire. He shared the command with Garegin Nzhdeh. On the opposite side, approximately 8,000 Armenians fought for the Ottoman Empire. Andranik was given the rank of a first lieutenant by the Bulgarian government. He distinguished himself in several battles, including in the Battle of Merhamli, when he helped the Bulgarians to capture Turkish commander Yaver Pasha. Andranik was honored with the Order of Bravery by General Protogerov in 1913. However, Andranik disbanded his men in May 1913, and foreseeing the war between Bulgaria and Serbia he "retired to a village near Varna, and lived as a farmer until August 1914".