Alexander was so eager to fight that, having met the enemy at the Granik River, he immediately ordered his cavalry to swim across to the other (steep!) Bank of the river and attack the enemy (according to experienced commanders, this was a crazy plan). The battle that began in the water, with the Iranians who did not expect such pressure, was won! Inspired by the first success, the commander, plundering and ruining everything in his path, rushed through the cities of Asia Minor like a whirlwind, subjugating them and establishing democratic rule (but not granting them independence, however).
In Gordion, Alexander showed everyone how he solves complex problems. In this city there was a famous cart, to the drawbar of which, according to legend, the Phrygian king Gordius tied a yoke with a tangled knot (Gordian knot). The prediction said that whoever unties this knot will gain dominion over the world. Having fiddled with the intricacies of the ropes, Alexander, seeing the futility of his attempts, in a rage cut the knot with his sword.
The Iranian king Darius III Kodoman was looking for a meeting with the invader. Iran has long been famous for its cavalry, which was strong on flat ground. The Iranian king, no less than Alexander, was confident in his abilities and was in such a hurry to meet the uninvited guest that, not listening to any advice, he entered the rugged terrain of Cilicia, deciding to go to Alexander's rear. Now the Iranians could not use their famous cavalry and even numerical superiority (according to ancient historians, the army of Darius III outnumbered the Macedonian three times).
November 12, 333 BC The battle took place on the river Pindar near the city of Iss. The Macedonian troops slowly approached the enemy and immediately went on the attack. The Iranians began to retreat under the onslaught of the Greeks and Macedonians. Alexander, who fought in the forefront, noticed Darius on a gilded chariot in the center of the army and rushed towards him, not noticing the wound and destroying everything in his path. Fast, furious, impulsive, he sought to end the matter with one blow - the single combat of kings should decide which of them to rule in Asia. But Darius, standing among the fighting and dying bodyguards and nobles, seeing the Macedonian king so close intoxicated with battle, was the first of his army to rush to escape. After that, even the left flank of the Iranians, which had successfully pressed the Macedonians, fled. Panic began, which ended in a crushing defeat for the Iranian army. The whole family of the Iranian king was captured by Alexander.
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