Alexander said: "The deadliest enemy on the battlefield often has a face that is difficult to remember...

Alexander the Great (356 BC-323 BC) , the ancient king of Macedonia, a famous military strategist and politician in the ancient history of the world. He was resourceful. In the short 13 years he served as king of Macedonia, he used his talents to conquer the east and west, first establishing his dominance over the whole of Greece. He also destroyed the Persian Empire and established an empire stretching from Greece and Macedonia in the west to the Indus River Basin in the east, the first waterfall of the Nile in the south, and Babylon as its capital in the north. A huge empire. It created unprecedented brilliant achievements, promoted cultural exchanges and economic development between the East and the West, and had a significant impact on the development of human society.

In the summer of 336 BC, the father of Alexander. , the ancient Macedonian King Philip II was suddenly assassinated at his daughter's wedding. Alexander, who had just turned 20, inherited the throne of the Greek city-states and Thrace, Illyria and other places conquered by Philip II. Some tribes took the opportunity to rebel or declare independence. The young commander Alexander first led his army to the northern Balkans, conquered the Illyrian tribes that betrayed him, and pushed the Thracians back to the Danube River. The opposing Thebans spread rumors that Alexander had been killed in battle, and took the opportunity to set off an uproar against Macedonia. Alexander knew that Thebes was a famous city-state among the Greek city-states, and if the rebellion was not suppressed, the consequences would be disastrous. Deciding to kill as a warning, he made a decisive decision and quickly moved his troops southward, appearing unexpectedly at the gates of Thebes at lightning speed. The Thebans could not believe their eyes, and they were all panicked. The city of Thebes was captured. A pile of rubble was left, and all the inhabitants were sold into slavery, except for a few people who had been friendly to or sponsored Macedonia in the past by Philip II or Alexander.

Alexander achieved his intended purpose, and the Thebes was defeated. The destruction did serve as a warning to others. The Greek city-states surrendered one after another. Then Athens also expressed its surrender and begged for forgiveness. It didn't take long for the states to unite under the leadership of Alexander and recognize Alexander as the supreme commander. . As a result, Alexander could develop his ambitions without any worries and organize an expedition to the East.

The excuse for Alexander's expedition to Eastern Persia was that the Persians had ravaged the Holy Land of Greece and participated in the attack on Philip II. It is said that before leaving for the expedition, Alexander gave away all his real estate income, slaves and livestock to others. At that time, a general asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, what do you keep after dividing everything? What about yourself? ""hope! Alexander replied simply, "I keep my hope to myself!" It will bring me endless wealth! "In this way, Alexander, with the desire for infinite wealth, left his homeland and embarked on a long journey.

In the spring of 334 BC, Alexander crossed the Hellespont Strait (the Dardanelles) Strait) and began the 10-year Eastern Expedition. The army he used to launch the expedition to the Persian Empire consisted of 30,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 160 warships. The Persian Empire had hundreds of thousands of troops and 400 warships. Moreover, the Persian Empire was about 50 times larger than the Kingdom of Macedonia, not to mention that many ancient and wealthy countries in the Far East, such as Egypt, Babylon, and Phoenicia, had been conquered by Persia and incorporated into the Persian territory. Despite the disparity in power, Alexander was good at it. Look at the problem in essence. He knew that although the Persian Empire had a vast territory, a large army, and still had a great reputation, it was declining and internally divided. The emperor Darius was a mediocre and weak-willed emperor, and Macedonian. The kingdom was in great momentum and unstoppable. Alexander took advantage of the remaining power of crossing the Hellespont Strait and used his own high morale to break through the enemy's defense line in one go. He won the first battle, completely destroying the Persians' morale and determination to resist, and opened up a new direction. The road to expansion in Asia. Many city-states surrendered without a fight, and even regarded Alexander as the savior to liberate them from Persian rule.

In the summer of 333 BC, Alexander was in the city of Iss. The famous "Macedonian Phalanx" nearby defeated Darius III who was unwilling to fail in the first battle.

In the spring of 331 BC, Alexander led 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry to Mesopotamia. Marched into Gaugamela near Nineveh and launched the last large-scale decisive battle with Persia. Darius III was carefully prepared, with 40,000 cavalry, 1 million infantry, 200 sword-wheeled chariots and The 15 war elephants from India had an absolute advantage compared with Alexander's army. However, Alexander and Darius III used their wits and once again miraculously defeated the Persian emperor. While Alexander, who had an army of 50,000, ordered his soldiers to rest and recuperate for the upcoming battle, Darius III, who had an army of millions, kept his soldiers awake all night for fear of night attacks. After standing in fear all night, everyone was listless and had no fighting spirit. The next day, that is, in the early morning of October 1, 331 BC, Alexander led an energetic and high-morale army into the battlefield, skillfully using his mobile and flexible "Macedonian". Phalanx" and finally defeated the powerful opponent.

Alexander took advantage of the victory and marched eastward, occupying Babylon, the largest city in the East and the cultural center of the ancient East, and gave himself the title of "King of Babylon and the Four Sides of the World". After that, Alexander led his troops from Babylon and occupied the three capitals of the Persian Empire, Suze, Persepolis and Ekabatana. Darius III fled to the north, where he was killed by one of his governors and his body was abandoned on the roadside. In the end, Alexander discovered his body during the chase and sent it back to Persia, where he was buried in the tomb of the Persian emperor. At this point, the ancient Persian Empire and the Achaemenid Dynasty fell. The Macedonian army conquered all the territory of Persia, and an Alexander Empire was established spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In 327 BC, Alexander led his army to continue eastward from the area south of the Caspian Sea, passing through Parthia (Parthia), Aria, and Transguana, and then crossed the Hindu Kush Mountains to the north. Bactria (Bactria) and Sogdia. In 325 BC, he invaded India and occupied the Indus River Basin. He also attempted to conquer the Ganges River Basin, but after many years of long-distance and hard fighting, his soldiers were exhausted. Due to the tenacious resistance of the Indian people, coupled with the infection of malaria and the dangers of venomous snakes, the soldiers refused to move forward and asked to go home. Alexander had to give up his plan to advance eastward and withdrew his troops from India in July 325 BC.

In 324 BC, his army returned to Persia and Susa, and his fleet docked at the mouth of the Tigris River. Then it returned to Babylon, and the eastern invasion came to an end.

In 323 BC, Alexander died of a high fever in Babylon.

Alexander’s Eastern Expedition lasted for 10 years, covering more than 10,000 miles, and destroyed the Persian Empire. In the vast area stretching from the Balkan Peninsula and the Nile River in the west to the Indus River in the east, Alexander's empire was built with unprecedented scope. During the eastward invasion, many new cities were built along the way, several of which were named after him. The most famous one is Alexandria on the northern coast of Egypt, which today has developed into the largest seaport in Egypt. Alexander established his capital in Babylon and deployed plans to invade Arabia. But in 323 BC, he died of fever, and the huge Alexander Empire established by military conquest also collapsed.

Alexander’s expedition objectively promoted cultural exchanges between the East and the West. In a grand and luxurious "marriage ceremony" in Susa, Alexander personally took the lead in marrying Statila, the daughter of the Persian King Darius. Many Macedonian generals married the daughters of Persian dignitaries. On the same day, 1 Thousands of pairs. At the wedding ceremony, Alexander solemnly announced that Macedonians who married Asian women could enjoy tax-free rights. He also personally gave many gifts to the bride and groom as a token of encouragement. He ordered 30,000 Persian boys to learn Greek and Macedonian warfare. After Alexander, Greek culture continued to spread in Asia. Historians call this phenomenon Hellenistic culture, and the period from Alexandria to Egypt's conquest by Rome (323 BC to 3 BC) is called the Hellenistic era.