User:Romaioktonos/Battle of Hydaspes

Battle of Hydaspes
Part of the Alexandros' Campaigns
Date May 13, 2010 Location Punjab, India adjacent to the Hydaspes Result Hellenic Victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Makedon	Paurava
Commanders and leaders
Megas Alexandros	Poros
Strength
12,000 Phalangitai, 6,000 Ekdromoi, 2,000 Hypaspistai, 2,000 Argyraspidai, 4,000 Peltastai, 8,000 Allied infantry, 1,000 Hetairoi, 3,000 Thessalikoi, 2,000 Hellenes Symmachoi Hippeis, 4,000 Persai Hippeis, 4,000 Indoi Hippeis	30,000 Pattisainya, 15,000 Pattiyodha, 5,000 Sreni, 2,000 Hippeis, 175 Elephantes, 1,000 Harmai
Casualties and losses
60-800 KIA, 2,400-3,200 Wounded	9,500-13,000 KIA, 6,000-9,000 wounded, 9001 captured

The Battle of Hydaspes is the single major clash between the Hellenic forces and that of India, where the Hellenes under the Argead Dynasty's greatest Basileus defeat a numerically superior army of Paurava under Basileus Poros. India at the time was a host of many pseudoreligious states, such as that of the Flying Spaghetti Monster alongside that of Poros himself. The defeat of one power however did not weaken Indian resistance, but rather strengthen it, since the cultists of the respective pseudoreligion finds the overthrow of one as an evidence that their deity is the real one. Its true significance is that flat-chest becomes the accepted norm of the Basileia ton Makedon and its tributary state, Iaponia ton Barbaron. (which would piss off the Philiaponike Patricia Martin)

Historical and Geographical hindsight

“Must integrate all of humanity into the Brotherhood of Men...”

~ Megas Alexandros on The reason for the Battle of Hydaspes

After Alexandros dismantled the remnants of the Persian Empire, Alexandros saw nothing wrong with another campaign to integrate India into the Brotherhood of Men. Having set out from Aria (after establishing the city of Alexandreia-Ariana that was renamed Antiocheia-Ariana by Seleukos), Alexandros moved into Taxila, where the king of Taxila welcomed Alexandros' army and saved Taxila from the fate suffered by Thebai and Tyre. Geographically speaking, the battleground at Hydaspes at glance favors Poros, since crossing the river is not only dangerous, but also tiring and demoralizing especially if compounded by enemy missile fire. Historically, the Hydaspes largely was the demarcation between the Indian sphere of influence and that of the Persians, which was not novel but certainly notable since all attempts by Persian monarchs such as Darius III and Artaxerxes II were all flouted by the cultist states of India. For Alexandros, the constant warfare in India was a boon at a glance, since Alexandros saw this as the good moment to strike. Sounds too much like the Crusades doesn't it especially after Ploutarchos reveal to <insert name here> the fact that the Indian cult states united against Alexandros after Alexandros subverts Poros?

Setup

Poros heard of Alexandros' exploits, and immediately moved his troops to face Alexandros right at the other side of the Hydaspes. Poros was confident that Alexandros would not attempt a crossing, and thus eventually withdraw due to a lack of supply, but Alexandros used the classical Pavlovian method and turned Poros into a dog, using the method to pin Poros in place, while Alexandros leads a bit less than half the troops. However, Alexandros had to cross more than 1 times, since Alexandros had the misfortune of choosing a point with more than one adjacent islands. By the time Alexandros got to the other side, Poros became suspicious and sent a fraction of his troops (mostly cavalry) against Alexandros.