Alexander, as the greatest military leader and ruler of Macedonia, spent his life on horseback. He fought in numerous wars, expanding Macedonia and conquering Greece, Persia and Egypt. But in the end, the great emperor who was full of glory and killed countless people died on the way to conquer India, and Macedonia did not include India in the end.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >, try crossing the river</h1>
The original target of the Macedonian army was the area around the Indus River, the area commonly known today as punjab. But if india was to be conquered, the Macedonian army would have to cross the four tributaries of the Indus. As one of the greatest rivers in the world, the Indus River has four tributaries: Yellem, Kinab, Lavi and Biyas. The area formed by this trunk and four tributaries is considered by indians to be a very poetic "land of five rivers", but for Macedonians who want to conquer India, it is a major obstacle on the road to conquest.
To cross the Indus Valley, Alexander ordered his men to cut down trees along the road to build ships or bridges, so when Alexander's army crossed the Indus, a bridge on the Indus River was completed. Alexander crossed the Indus River and marched into the hinterland of India. At that time, there were many kingdoms in India, and the wars between countries were also very complicated. Many kingdoms had different views of Alexander's invasion, with the most fierce resistance to the Macedonians and the most important enemy of Alexander's life, Poros.
The kingdom of Poros is located just outside the Heydaspis River, and when spring comes, melting snow on the snowy mountains meets torrential rains that turn this calm, meandering stream into a roaring forward, surging ocean current. In order to double-secure the safety of his kingdom, Poros sent heavy troops to garrison the south bank, so that even if Alexander was lucky enough to defeat the dangers of nature, he would not be able to gain a foothold on the south bank.
In response to Poros's dilemma, Alexander established a base camp on the banks of the Heydashberg River, just opposite Poros' camp on the other side of the river. The Macedonians watched and watched each other with the Poros, while waiting for the river to descend in winter, but for various reasons Alexander could not wait. Delaying would cause the Poros on the other side of the river to find allies and inflict a very severe blow on their own army. So Alexander decided to take the initiative.
Over the next few weeks, Alexander and Poros played a game of cat and mouse, and he did everything he could to deceive the Poros. The Macedonian army was constantly moving, and detachments reconnoitred back and forth on the river as if ready to cross it. It is well known that Alexander usually carried his assault troops with him, and since this was the case, he decided to cover up his personal actions with double cover. Attalus was a soldier who looked a lot like Alexander, and he walked around the palace and military camps in the absence of the king.
For several days, the Macedonian cavalry was often present at various locations, as if they were the vanguard of major border crossings. However, when Poros sent troops to the threatened area, the Indians would find that their opponents were not here and disappeared without a trace. In addition, when the Macedonian soldiers marched, they would shout war slogans and curses at the enemy as loudly as possible, blowing their horns.
Indians are overwhelmed and mentally exhausted by this noise. Finally, after weeks of such maneuvers, King Poros began to let his guard down. His army was tired of dealing with Alexander's feint and believed that Alexander's actions were merely bluffs in order to conceal the fact that the Macedonians were ready to wait for winter to come and the river to recede.
In fact, Alexander did not intend to wait until winter, but decided to cross the Heydaspis Mountains at night. Crossing the Heydaspis River was a superb tactical masterpiece that provided an appropriate prelude to the ensuing battle.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > ii</h1>
Alexander outlined his plan at an emergency meeting, and he decided that he would lead part of his army to cross the river unexpectedly at night, while Klatrus remained in the camp to command the Indians to create the illusion that Alexander was still in the camp, quietly waiting for the opportunity. Alexander told Clatrus that he could not cross the river unless Poros had moved all of his army upstream.
Alexander, on the other hand, moved upstream, aiming directly opposite adamana island. Alexander hoped to use Adimana as a giant shield to ward off the eyes of Indian scouts. After Admana's attack, he and his troops quickly turned around, turned to the warships at the rear of the island, and used Admana Island to block the view of poros soldiers to buy time for his troops, so as to go down the river and land on the opposite shore around Cape Armana.
The fleet set off before dawn, with Alexander leading the way ahead, driving a 30-oared schooner and dragging a cavalry raft. As planned, Armana Blocked the Macedonian fleet's view, but as soon as Alexander's galleon approached its western end, the ship was spotted by Poros's scouts. The scouts galloped back to their palaces on horseback, bringing back the news that the Macedonians had finally set out.
The waterway between the true south coast and the islands is narrow, but also deep and has dangerous currents. A passable crossing was discovered, and the hapless Macedonian army had to wade across the river, which did not reach their shoulders. Even the horses suffered a lot, and the water flooded their necks. It must have taken hours to cross the shoal, and in that precious time, Poros could have regained the initiative and attacked Alexander at his most vulnerable. But Poros missed this perfect opportunity, and eventually Alexander and his entire army came ashore safely.
Poros did receive reports of the Macedonians crossing the river, but it seemed to them that Alexander's main force was still camped on the other side of the river. Confused, Poros decided to send his son upstream with his cavalry and chariot reconnaissance to see what was going on. The Indian reconnaissance force consisted of about 2,000 cavalry and 120 chariots. When Alexander determined that this was a separate force of Poros, Alexander led his companions on horseback to attack
The cavalry galloped on horseback, and the soldiers' purple tunics converged on the horizon into an undulating purple band. Alexander's archers fired rain-like arrows at chariots, mercilessly killing or injuring drivers and passengers. It was difficult for Indian coachmen to carry out adequate defenses. Not only did Alexander's army attack on all sides, but the chariots also lost their main operational advantage, mobility. The soft clay of the river, under the action of heavy rain, became the most natural trap for trapping chariots, and the stirring of horses' hooves and wheels made the situation worse. In this case, the Macedonians almost completely won this small battle.
Upon learning of this, King Poros decided to go to war with the Macedonians officially. He chose a vast sandy plain suitable for cavalry combat, while placing the most terrible weapon, the war elephant, on the front line. In Poros's army, the distance between elephants and elephants was 100 feet, and in each elephant there was a certain number of infantry to protect the elephant's flanks. The vast majority of Poros's infantry was behind the pachyderms, forming a second front of battle. Cavalry and chariots were used to protect the flanks of the army.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
The Battle of Haydaspis is about to begin. Later generations have considerable controversy over the exact date of the battle, with the ancient Greek writer Theodoros believing it to be around July. Arian thinks it's around April or May. But then he paradoxically said that the fighting took place "after the summer solstice," after June 21. Most scholars believe it should be May 326 BC.
bibliography
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
2. The Death of Alexander
3. The Unfinished Conquest