Chapter 7

Dear Master Aristotle,

I said it before at the battle of Granicus, and I have a feeling that this is not the last time that I will say it either, but Alexander is a genius when it comes to war tactics. He knows what to do by instinct; it is in his blood. At Granicus, we knew that we had a chance, even if it was our first encounter with the Persians who had advice from a professional Greek commander. The Persians had more cavalry, but we had more infantry. At least in total numbers of the force, we were close.

However, the battle of Issus was totally different. First of all, we were facing Darius himself. Secondly, the Persians had over three times more force than us. And thirdly and the most devastatingly, Darius did out run Alexander. Alexander knew that there were two possible routes where Darius could take his army through; the Amanic Gate in the north, and the Syrian Gate further south.

Since we had such a disadvantage in force, it was critical for us to choose the correct positioning. Therefore, Alexander ordered Parmenion to watch the Persians' movements hoping that his old general would obtain accurate information. I do not know if Darius deliberately spread a false rumor, or it was solely based on Parmenion's observation, but the information from Parmenion that Darius was coming through the Beilan Pass to the Syrian Gate turned out to be incorrect. Darius was actually in the north, behind of us.

To make matters worse, we also learned from the survivors who brought the news on Darius' actual position, that Darius had killed and mutilated all the sick and wounded that we left in Issus. How cruel of Darius to kill those who could not fight or even defend themselves. It is unnecessary and a cowardly action. But, is this what war does to us; make us lose all the senses and turn us into a ruthless evil?

You once told us that, "We make war that we may live in peace.", and you also said that, " We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions." If it is so, then do we become evil by performing evil actions? And is war responsible for that? Then how can we live in peace? How can Alexander ever live in peace?

I watched Alexander in alarm when the news arrived, and I had never seen his face distorted in such agony. Everything seemed to be working against him, even the weather. He stood there in silence unmoved in the torrential rain. I saw all kinds of distressed emotion cross his paled face; vexation of being out smarted by Darius, disappointment in Parmenion whom he trusted and depended on, and the rage and frustration for everything that was interfering with the path of his dream.

Yet, he simply turned us around, and headed back to the North toward Issus. While we marched, the closer we got to Issus, I saw Alexander's confidence and determination returning stronger. By the time we faced Darius at the bank of the Pinarus River, he was his old self again. The massive force of Darius army did not recoil him a bit.

To be more precise, it was not Alexander who was shaken, but was Darius' army who was scrambling. I think Darius was sure and hoped that Alexander would flee when he found that he was outmaneuvered. He did not expect the Macedonian king to have the nerve to turn around to face him. The disturbance in the Persian camp was obvious. They were not in battle formation, but the whole front was covered with carts, baggage, and pack animals, as if they were getting ready to retreat.

Alexander did not miss this distraction. While the generals of Darius' army were busy rushing to deploy, Alexander rode from unit to unit to make a speech before the battle. He did not just speak to the general audiences, but he recognized a soldier by name and his or his family's achievement. That is Alexander. He does not treat his army as a body of humans; instead he sees them as individuals.

After talking about how Xenophon and the Ten Thousands finally reached the Black Sea with much difficulty, he mentioned about the massacre of our comrades in Issus. By the time he finished the speech, the whole army was banging swords against shields more than ready to fight. 'Men regard it as their right to return evil for evil - and if they cannot, feel they have lost their liberty.' That was the exact principle that Alexander had applied. We felt that we had to do something to avenge them.

When we finally engaged with the Persians, the weather had cleared and the autumn sun was already slanted to the west. I do not remember the details of the battle, all I remember is that I fought for my life and watched Alexander with amusement. I could see him calculating, adjusting, and recalculating the situation. By the time the sun was almost set, he managed to go behind Darius' main force.

The Persian kinsmen were brave; they threw themselves in the path of us. We fought through them, and soon their bodies piled up in front of Darius. We were very close. Alexander saw the opportunity and threw a javelin at the Persian king; it was then I saw a sword wound on Alexander's thigh. He did not care for it though. I doubt if he had ever noticed it. His focus was solely fixed on Darius then. The spearhead missed the Persian king by a hair, but it was enough to startle Darius and make him flee. I was almost shocked. I had never imagined the great king would flee away like a coward, if it were Alexander, he would have fought until his last breath.

Alexander did not pursue Darius, instead, he turned his force to the left flank where Parmenion was losing, and charged against the Greek mercenaries. As night fell, we continued slaughtering the fugitives; there was no stopping to it. As once the wheel of violence had turned, it was almost impossible to stop it, we only ceased when the darkness made it too difficult, and it was not physically possible anymore. I faced with my own demon on that day.

Darius left everything behind, his chariot, his mantle, shield, bow and bowcase, and his royal tent. I still see Alexander's thunderstruck expression when we entered the tent. It was beyond luxurious; the silk carpet, exquisite furniture, golden and silver artifacts, and the aroma that filled the tent was so heavenly that it made us forget that we were in the battlefield. When Alexander looked back at me, I saw uncertainty in his eyes. Now he realized for the first time that he was facing with the unknown enemy who had abundant wealth, and whose culture was so foreign. He almost looked lost.

I ordered the bath for Alexander in Darius' golden bathtub. Cleaning his wound was one thing, but I worried more about his state of mind. I did not wish him to shrink against the Persians' wealth, so I was glad to see Alexander truly enjoying his bath. No matter how rich the container is, it does not mean anything if there is nothing meaningful to fill it with. The true luxury and the power lie in the simplest form. Maybe that was why we could defeat the Persians, we fought for the reason, and they fought for the money; our action had a meaning, and theirs did not.

When we were getting ready for supper after Alexander finished his bath, we heard several women's wailing voices. The guards told us that they were Darius' family who thought that the King was dead. It surprised me that Darius brought his family to the battlefield, let alone leaving his own mother, wife and daughters behind when he fled. Then it hit me. He must have not taken this battle seriously. For him, it was like a game, he was so sure of winning that he brought spectators to entertain. It was another mistake of Darius; man should not take battle lightly.

I woke up early next morning smelling the death in the air. Surely this was not my first battle, and I thought I was ready to take anything, yet I gasped at the horrible sight that Hades might have looked like. I had never seen so many corpses, they piled up one over another covering every empty space of the field with their flesh and blood spilled out from the torn fabrics and armors. They did not look like humans anymore, they were merely lifeless objects. I shivered when I understood that this was the other side of glory, and it was just the beginning.

In the late morning, Alexander went to visit Darius' family with a few of his officers. As soon as we entered the tent, they froze. I could visibly see their fear. The eldest lady stepped out and threw herself at my feet. I did not know what was going on at first, but when she called me King Alexander as she looked up at me, it became all clear. She mistook me for Alexander. My face burned with embarrassment. No, I was not embarrassed for myself, it was actually an honor for me, but I was embarrassed for Alexander. Can you imagine how humiliating it could be when the enemy's mother mistakes the opponent's king for somebody of a lower rank?

Total silence fell upon the tent, and the air became intense. It became more intense when the old lady was made to know of her mistake. I could see her trembling small figure shrunk even smaller. At that moment, Alexander made a surprising move. He knelt before Darius' mother and gently pulled her up by taking her hand, and spoke unbelievable words. He told her not to worry, because I too was Alexander.

I was so stunned that I felt as if my heart stopped beating. Could he be joking? But, when I met with his eyes looking at me filled with pride and love, I had to close my eyes for a moment. A tear was threatening to escape; I was overwhelmed. But when I opened my eyes again, I was met with a couple of pairs of cold dark eyes. "Jealousy is both reasonable and belongs to reasonable men, while envy is base and belongs to the base, for the one makes himself get good things by jealousy, while the other does not allow his neighbor to have them through envy."

Until now, I had never understood the difference between jealousy and envy. I thought envy belonged only to the lower class as you said that it belongs to the base. But now I understand. You meant that it belongs to the very base of human mind, did you not? It is so deeply hidden and is well camouflaged that we do not recognize it when it peeks its head out. We think that it is harmless jealousy, and is not vicious envy. And it hides in every human's mind no matter what social status he is in. I know that I provoked envy within, but I am content. As Alexander would carry the burden of thousands and thousands of corpses in exchange for his glory, I would carry the burden of envy in exchange for the love of Alexander.

Your Humble Student,

Hephaistion

A/N: The italics are the quotes of Aristotle. And special thanks to Gif who brought my mind back to this series.