Following his triumphs, King Anushirvan commanded the construction of a breathtaking new city modeled after the splendor of Antioch. Adorned with glittering palaces, fragrant rose gardens, broad avenues, and crystalline streams, the nobles named this earthly paradise Zib-e Khosrow—the Beauty of Khosrow. In a supreme act of royal clemency, the King ordered the heavy iron fetters removed from the feet of the Roman captives, granting them comfortable homes and broad lands within the new metropolis. He appointed a wise Christian elder to govern the city, charging him to act as a caring father to the displaced souls and rule with generosity.
Meanwhile, when word of these majestic deeds and the irresistible advance of the Persian host reached Caesar through Porphyrios, panic gripped the heart of the Roman monarch. Recognizing that Rome could not withstand Khosrow's invincible forces, Caesar summoned his sages and philosophers. They counseled him to abandon arrogance, warning that further conflict would leave Rome in ashes. Yielding to wisdom, Caesar assembled a grand embassy headed by the venerable philosopher Mehras, accompanied by sixty learned scholars, immense wealth in gold and jewels, and noble hostages.
Upon entering the presence of Khosrow, Mehras delivered an eloquent plea for peace, proclaiming that human life and wisdom far outweighed worldly riches, and that Rome submitted to the Shah's sovereign majesty. Impressed by the envoy's eloquence and humility, Khosrow accepted the embassy, established a heavy annual tribute upon Rome, and turned his imperial banners toward Syria and Jordan, leaving Shirvi-ye Bahram to manage the tribute while maintaining an empire built on both power and justice.