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To me, greatness transcended the army or civilian life; it included being able to reward those around me in the greatest of ways.

However, the reality was that the hardships back home and the lack of loot initially made this hard to do.

So if there was ever a doubt as to why I continued my march towards Persia’s major cities, everyone found out upon arriving in Susa. We left Babylon and traveled southeast for twenty days onto Susa, near the Persian Gulf.

I might have still been far away from Persepolis, but knocking on Susa’s door meant that I was on the footsteps of considerable riches.

As the administrative center of Persia and the second of Darius’ capitals, Susa would prove to be wildly profitable.

I was right. Thanks to its riches, I rewarded my men exceptionally well. This is why I felt betrayed when in later years they would feel that I had sold them out by adopting Persian ways.

Few historians mention this when they pontificate about me. But hey, such is life.

Say hello to the bad guy.

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