Shahraplakan first appears in 624, when the Persian shah Khosrow II (r. 590–628) entrusted him with the command of the so-called "New Army", composed of the regiments of Khosroēgetai and Perozitai according to Theophanes the Confessor.
With this army, Shahraplakan was to counter the Byzantine emperor Heraclius (r. 610–641), who had invaded Persarmenia and was wintering in Caucasian Albania.
[1][2] Shahraplakan's army was successful in recovering many towns and driving the Byzantines back to the Siwnik area, and sought to capture key passes so as to prevent Heraclius from descending south into northwestern Persia (Adurbadagan).
Encouraged by reports from Byzantine deserters, the two Persian generals decided not to await the arrival of a third army under their rival Shahin, but to attack Heraclius.
[6] In 627, he was sent with a force of about 1,000 elite men to the relief of Tiflis, then being besieged by the Byzantines and their "Khazar" (in reality probably Gökturk) allies.