Word reached King Khosrow Anushirvan that while his realm enjoyed glory, the Baluch marauders were devastating the frontiers with endless raiding and slaughter, and Gilan had fallen into deep turmoil. Sorrow clouded the king's heart. He addressed the assembled Persian nobles, decrying how an empire whose blades made the kings of India and the Alans tremble like silk could tolerate inside its borders sheep defying lions.
An elder counselor reminded the monarch that even Ardashir Babakan, despite his wisdom and military prowess, had failed to subdue the elusive Baluch warriors and had been forced to leave their rugged lands alone. Hearing this history only incensed Khosrow further. Resolving to accomplish what his ancestor could not, he marched his grand army directly to the mountain fastnesses of Baluchistan.
His forces encircled the craggy heights so tightly that even the wind could not slip through. Khosrow ordered his heralds to issue a ruthless decree: no one, young or old, warrior or woman, was to be spared. The Iranian troops swept through the valleys, putting every rebel to the sword until the entire Baluch threat was completely eradicated. So absolute was the peace restored that herds grazed unattended across the mountains, and travelers left their belongings in the open without fear of theft.
Without delay, Khosrow turned his host toward Gilan and Deylam, whose people had also rebelled against royal authority. From the shores of the sea to the high peaks, the royal banners blotted out the sun. The assault was devastating; mountains of corpses piled up and blood drenched the countryside. Realizing total doom was at hand, the surviving nobles and warriors of Gilan bound their own hands, placed their children in front, and walked into the King's camp with torn robes and dust upon their heads. They wept aloud, begging for royal clemency and offering even to sever their own heads if it would assuage Khosrow's wrath.
Moved by their agonizing cries and utter submission, Khosrow stayed his blade and granted them forgiveness. To ensure future obedience, he demanded two hundred high-born hostages from Gilan and Deylam, stationed a trusted paladin governor over the region, and led his victorious army back to the imperial heartland.