Amidst the tense stillness of the front lines, the fierce Turanian champion Homan approached his elder brother, Piran, the supreme commander of Afrasiab's forces. For seven long days, the warriors had remained arrayed in heavy armor, their belts worn thin by iron, their hearts burning with hatred, and their eyes fixed upon the Iranian encampment. Impatient with inaction, Homan challenged his brother: 'O mighty champion of King Afrasiab, why do you brood with a downcast face? If your heart is set on war, unleash the strike! If you intend to retreat, linger here no longer! It is a disgrace for our host to falter; young and old alike will mock our hesitation. Is this not the very host that fled before us, leaving the field soaked in their blood? Rostam is not among them, nor do they outnumber our brave riders. If you have no thirst to shed blood, give me command of a chosen band, and watch how I wreak vengeance upon Iran!'
Piran, wise and seasoned in the ways of war, listened calmly to his brother's fiery outburst and urged restraint. He reminded Homan that Goudarz, the commander chosen by King Kay Khosrow, was a hero of immense stature, unrivaled in council, lineage, and warrior pride. Moreover, Goudarz's heart was consumed by an unquenchable fire for his many sons slaughtered by Turanian blades; so long as breath remained in him, he would writhe like a venomous serpent seeking revenge. Furthermore, Goudarz had shrewdly stationed his army between two fortified mountains, blocking all avenues of assault. Piran explained that they must bide their time until the Iranians ventured down from the heights or grew weary, at which point the Turanians could surround them like a wall and overwhelm them with a rain of arrows.
Piran also cautioned that if Homan rode out for a duel, Goudarz would only dispatch a lesser, restless champion against him. Defeating a warrior of low renown would bring Homan no glory, whereas a single misstep resulting in Homan's fall would shatter the morale of the entire Turanian army. Yet Homan, driven by pride and a relentless longing for glory, dismissed Piran's wisdom as mere weakness. Vowing to take matters into his own hands, Homan declared that at the first light of dawn, he would saddle his swift grey steed and ride alone into the field to challenge the Iranian host.