When tidings reached Bahram Chubin that the royal glory of the Sasanians had been renewed under Khosrow Parviz, scheming counsel took hold of his mind. Calling upon a trusted military advisor named Danapanah, Bahram summoned his proud scribe to draft secret, grave missives addressed to the chief nobles and commanders of Iran who were accompanying the King of Kings—including Gostahm, Gordoy, Bandoy, Shapur, and the mounted champion Andiyan.
In the opening lines, after praising the Creator of the World, Bahram unleashed a fierce condemnation of the Sasanian lineage. He wrote that from Ardashir Babakan's bloody ascendancy down to Peroz's treacherous betrayals—such as the execution of his faithful savior Sukhra—and Qobad's harsh oppression of the magnates, the Sasanian house had brought nothing to Iran but bloodshed and tyranny. He warned the grandees that seeking loyalty from Sasanians was akin to seeking rubies from a red willow tree, for men who destroyed their own kin could never be trusted by others.
He offered them high honor and bright standing if they aligned with his rising star, boasting that he feared neither Rome nor the Caesar. Sealing the scrolls, he dispatched an envoy disguised as a wealthy merchant, accompanied by a caravan of thirty camel-loads of precious gifts to mask the covert mission.
Yet when this messenger entered Khosrow's imperial encampment and beheld the majestic array of the army and the supreme authority of the King of Kings, his heart failed him. He realized that matching Bahram against Khosrow was utter madness. Fearing for his own life and recognizing Khosrow's triumph as inevitable, he chose betrayal. Presenting himself directly to Khosrow Parviz, he surrendered all of Bahram's secret letters and exposed the conspiracy.
Khosrow read the missives and, delighted by the envoy's submission, seated him upon a golden throne and showered him with gold, gems, and rubies. The King of Kings then commanded his royal secretary to draft a cunning and deceptive response written as if from the Iranian grandees themselves—Gostahm, Bandoy, and their peers. The letter falsely assured Bahram that while their bodies were with Khosrow, their hearts belonged to Bahram like a fresh spring; it urged him to march forward, promising that at the sight of his banner they would turn their blades against Khosrow and cause the King to flee like a fox. Khosrow sealed these deceptive scrolls and sent the enriched envoy back to Bahram, ensnaring his rival in a deadly trap of false confidence.