Three months had passed since the great Macedonian victory over the Persians near Gaugamela and Alexander now marches his troops straight to the heartland of Achaemenid Empire. He takes his best men and tries to force his way through the mountain range, the last barrier between him and Persia proper. The Macedonians didn't expect much resistance at this point of the war, yet one of Darius' loyal satraps was in charge of stopping Alexander's advance, while the King of Kings gathered a new army to face the invaders. An unexpected encounter, between the frozen peaks of the formidable Zagros Mountains is just about to happen. It's late October of the eventful year of 331 BC. The bad news about Darius' crushing defeat on the fields near Gaugamela quickly spreads over his vast empire. With his royal authority severely damaged, Persian satraps were deciding whether to remain loyal to the Achaemenids, or rather bend the knee to Alexander, as the undefeated Macedonian army was about to reach the wealthy cities of Babylon and Susa. The rumours of how the Macedonian conqueror dealt with the existing Persian ruling class almost certainly reached the satraps of Mesopotamia, so they decided to switch sides and surrender their domains, in order to retain local power and positions. By capturing these cities, Alexander acquired enormous treasuries, which he shared with his army, rewarding the fierceness and loyalty of his soldiers. Yet a considerable amount of money was sent back to Greece, to aid Antipater, hegemon of the Hellenic League in the absence of Alexander, in his struggle to quell the rebelling Spartans. Both cities acknowledged the new Macedonian rule and avoided being plundered. Their administration remained relatively unaltered, even Mazaeus, who commanded the Persian right flank near Gaugamela retained his position as governor of Babylon. Alexander assigned a Greek garrisons to ensure loyalty of the new subordinates and soon departed east, to the heartland of the Achaemenid Empire. The invincible Macedonian army was capable of hammering Persian forces thrice, greatly diminishing its military potential, yet Alexander was aware, that some of the eastern satraps could still remain loyal to Darius, who, according to rumours, was assembling another army to oppose the invaders. Keeping this in mind, with the monumental Zagros Mountains ahead, which guarded the entrance to Persia proper, he decided to divide his army into two pieces, thus spreading the risk. The bigger, slower piece together with the baggage train and camp followers was sent south, around the mountains, under the command of Parmenion. Alexander took charge of the nimble, less numerous force and led it straight to Persia through the narrow and precarious passes of the Zagros range. Soon his troops entered the lands inhabited by the Uxians, a mountain tribe which failed to be subdued by the Persian rule and requested tribute to be paid by every Persian unit passing through their lands. Yet Alexander was keen more on setting new rules instead of following the old ones. He managed to trick the Uxians, surrounded their village, slaughtered some of their men and forced the rest to pay a yearly tribute. News regarding the fate of the disobedient tribe spread, after which, no one dared to bother the Macedonians any further. Days passed as Alexander smoothly moved his force further into the east. The road became so uneventful, that the Macedonian king neglected to send scouts ahead anymore. Upon reaching the 2 kilometres wide plain, the Greek army didn't stop for rest and entered the Persian Gates straight away. The path begun to narrow, Macedonian soldiers noticed people on the hills. Presuming these men were just refugees, they continued the march. The road turned to the south-east, and since it was still morning, the sun obstructed the view forward. When the last units entered the pass, the Macedonian vanguard reached the point where the path took a sharp turn and soon encountered a solid wall made of earth and rocks. Alexander probably realised how a big mistake he had just made, but it was too late to retreat unharmed. Thousands of Persian soldiers began to charge down the hills, raining projectiles on baffled Macedonian troops. Ariobarzanes, satrap of Persia, remained loyal to Darius and prepared a sudden attack, hoping to disrupt Alexander's plans and gain some time to prepare the resistance of the Persian heartland. Ambushed Macedonians hastily organised the defence, but many men had fallen and it quickly became clear, that either they try to hack their way back to the plain, or remain in the valley and die. Alexander ordered a general retreat to save his entire army and cut losses, a bitter choice, as many of the Greeks were still fighting in a separated groups in the valley. They were soon vanquished by the predominant Persian forces, while the main body of the Macedonian army broke through to the plain. It was the first time Alexander was outsmarted by a Persian general. Ariobarzanes had chosen the best possible place to facilitate an ambush and executed it flawlessly. Macedonians set a camp in the valley and took care of the wounded. Alexander's situation was difficult. They were stuck high in the mountains in the middle of winter on hostile soil, with numerous enemies ahead. The Persian Gate was the only known pass around suitable to cross with an army. Days passed, while the Macedonian command discussed how to overcome the Persian blockade. It is said, that a local shepherd guided Alexander through the mountains to the rear of the Persian positions, but this is strangely similar to the story of Ephialtes, who helped the Persians reach the Greek rearguard at the Battle of Thermopylae 150 years earlier. Either way, the Macedonians finally found a way to beat the Persian defence, and with supplies dwindling day by day, they immediately organized a new attack. Night had come. Alexander took the bulk of his troops and, unseen, led them through the passes to the north-east, while the rest of the army under Craterus lit up many campfires hoping to focus the Persian attention onto the camp. Shortly before the dawn, Craterus marched remaining troops to the valley attempting to feign an attack. Ariobarzanes prepared to storm their positions again, but just when he ordered the attack, the sound of Macedonian horns echoed in the valley at the Persian rear and Alexander's detachment suddenly appeared from behind and raided the unexpecting camp defenders, while another unit under Philotas attacked the Persians on the hill. Brutal melee combat began, yet the Persians had to fight in unfavourable positions, and they were no match for the fierce and battle-hardened Macedonians, who quickly proved to be far better soldiers and overwhelmed Ariobarzanes' troops. The satrap of Persia tried to break through and retreat, but his unit was surrounded and slaughtered, as he refused to surrender and fought to the last man. Despite the initial setback and loss of many good soldiers, Alexander finally managed to overcome the Persian blockade, and soon it became clear, that Ariobarzanes' resistance was the last act of organised Persian defence. The ultimate goal, the city of Persepolis, ceremonial capital of Achaemenid Empire was visible on the horizon.
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