After Khorrad-e Barzin's diplomatic ruse struck its mark at the court of King Saveh, Faghfur of China was dispatched to gauge the Iranian commander. Fearing discovery under the cloak of night, Khorrad fled the camp, leaving Faghfur to encounter Bahram Chobin at the vanguard of Iran's army. Thinking Bahram had fled from King Hormozd's wrath, Faghfur attempted to draw him into betrayal. Yet Bahram spurned the notion with ferocious monarchical pride, declaring that he marched solely by the Shah's decree to sweep the invaders from the realm. When Saveh Shah learned of Bahram's defiance and Khorrad's escape, his rage flared. He dispatched senior envoys bearing glittering promises—the hand of his daughter, vast treasures, and dominion over Western lands—if Bahram would lay down his arms. Bahram countered with scalding defiance, warning the Great Khan that invading Iran was akin to plunging into the ocean to do battle with sea-monsters.
With diplomacy shattered, warhorns thundered across the plain of Herat. King Saveh deployed an endless sea of warriors backed by a fortress-like wall of war elephants. But Bahram Chobin executed a masterclass in tactical placement: anchoring his rear against the city of Herat, he squeezed his smaller, elite force into a narrow defile, rendering Saveh's vast numerical superiority cumbersome and ineffective. To banish any thought of retreat from his ranks, Bahram ordered deep mud trenches dug across the escape routes, vowing to execute and burn any deserter. Though his scribes trembled at the mountain-like Turkish host, Bahram dismissed their dread. Dismounting from his steed, he threw himself upon the earth before Almighty Yazdan, weeping and crying out for divine justice against the arrogant aggressors. Rising from his prayer with renewed celestial fire, he gripped his bull-headed mace, prepared to unleash destruction upon the host of Saveh.