Upon reaching the colossal shadow of Ruin-Dezh after surviving the deadly perilous Seven Trials, Prince Esfandiyar surveyed the impregnable fortress and realized that a conventional siege would consume endless years and spill torrents of Iranian blood. Clearing his pavilion of all outsiders, he summoned his noble brother Peshotan to unveil his stratagem. Esfandiyar declared that true sovereignty and martial glory belong to a champion who fears neither the mountain leopard nor the deep-sea leviathan—one who knows when to strike with terrifying strength and when to weave subtlety and artifice. He resolved to cast off his prince's armor and assume the mantle of a wealthy merchant to breach the stronghold from within.
He entrusted the command of the Iranian army to Peshotan, commanding him to keep vigil night and day. Should the scouts behold a plume of smoke rising by day or a sun-bright blaze igniting by night, Peshotan was to recognize it as Esfandiyar's signal. At that moment, the army was to array itself beneath Esfandiyar's hoisted dragon-banner, sound the war-horns, and charge the gates with bull-headed maces. Esfandiyar then called forth the royal camel-drivers and prepared a grand caravan: a hundred red-coated camels laden with ten burdens of pure gold dinars, five of imperial Chinese silks, and five of radiant jewels, royal crowns, and a golden throne. Crucially, he fashioned eighty pairs of wooden chests secured with hidden latches, concealing within them one hundred and sixty elite Iranian warriors disguised as humble camel-drivers.
Disguised as the merchant Khorrad, Esfandiyar drove the caravan to the gates of Ruin-Dezh. As the melodious chimes of camel-bells echoed through the valleys, the Turanian chieftains marvelled at the arrival of such extraordinary wealth and hurried out to greet him. Admitted into the presence of King Arjasp, Esfandiyar presented himself as a merchant of mixed lineage—born of a Turanian father and an Iranian noble mother. He laid a basin of royal gems and rich silks at Arjasp's feet, praising the king with courtly eloquence. Charmed by the merchant's stature and lavish gifts, Arjasp granted him sanctuary and a spacious compound directly opposite the royal palace to establish his market. Esfandiyar set up his bustling shop, captivating the nobles of the citadel while quietly preparing the snare that would consume Arjasp and bring Ruin-Dezh to its knees.