Alexander's massacres weren't &quot;grug strong&quot;, they were to establish control over territory quickly or solve immediate concerns, just as the Mongols did. The point was to cause fear and isolate dissidents so that people would obey him, because his army couldn't possibly hold territory by itself or fight a unified enemy. What's missing in this picture is that this strategy, even if it seems barbaric, actually results in much less death and destruction in the long run. I still hate what he did to Thebes, though. <|endoftext|> 