When the messenger returned to Bahram Chubin and delivered the letters, the ambitious warrior banished wisdom from his mind and surrendered to blind passion. Seeing his perilous path, the venerable elders of his army gathered before him, pleading with him to halt his march. They warned that rushing into combat against the rightful monarch would wither his newfound fortune and bring down upon them the unforgiving blade of Khosrow. Yet their warnings fell upon deaf ears; Bahram spurned all counsel and commanded his warhorns to sound the advance, riding hard until his army reached Azerbaijan. There, the two opposing hosts drew into tight formation, so dense that even the paths of ants and gnats were blocked. Eager to assess the enemy, Bahram sent forth his noble chieftains, Sineh and Izad Goshasp, to inspect the Roman lines. Returning in awe, the scouts warned that Khosrow's imperial Roman army was vast beyond measure and surpassed all expectations. On the opposing side, the formidable Roman cavalry stepped before King Khosrow, girding their loins for battle and begging for permission to strike the rebel forces—a request the Sasanian monarch readily granted.