Military Place Zhou Dynasty China? What Social

¶ … military place Zhou dynasty China? What social impact ? Reference Book: A History World Societies,

Alexander

Essentially, Alexander the Great incurred the displeasure of his Macedon army during the battle of Gaugamela. This battle took place in the part of Iraq that is today known as Irbil. The reason that Alexander's soldiers were displeased with their leader is because after traversing through various parts of Asia and conquering it, Alexander's contingent eventually came upon Darius' forces in the midst of the night. Alexander's army was able to tell that it was the army of the mighty Persian king, whom Alexander had a profound respect for, due to the campfires that they were able to see faintly glowing in the distance within the darkness.

A minor dispute arose between Alexander and his troops because the former were inclined to attack the Persian king in the depths of the night, hoping that doing so would allow them to utilize the element of surprise and catch what they believed to be the sleeping Persian armies off-guard. In part, this decision on the part of Alexander's army was prompted by the huge disparity in the number of troops that existed between the two sides. Alexander's army was woefully outnumbered by the Persian army, which was comprised by soldiers and men of several different nationalities, including numerous Asiatic nations - Bactrians, Indians, Medians, Sogdians, even Albanians from the Caucasus, the ancestors of the modern Albanians who many centuries later migrated to Europe and are now northern neighbors to the modern Greeks and western neighbors to the modern Macedonians (No author 2003).

Alexander, however, disdained this attempt on the part of his soldiers to take the enemy unaware -- particularly since he had a level of respect for Darius and the Persian Empire that the king represented. The Macedonian ruler preferred to wait until daylight to attack his enemy in what would be a decidedly fair battle. This decision was responsible for the feeling of displeasure that accompanied it within the Macedonian ranks of Alexander's army. However, Alexander was able to ultimately control his troops and make them adhere to his decision by shaming them. Principally, the great leader was able to shame his armies by telling them that he had no intentions of stealing such a victory that would prove to be highly consequential. And, ultimately, his actions would reflect this propensity of his for shaming his forces. Alexander actually overslept the following morning on which the battle commenced. By doing so, he ensured that there would be no sneak attack or method of stealing a victory. His actions, and his speech the night before, were responsible for shaming his troops into seeing the error of their ways.