European Series - Macedonian Phalanx

The endless civil wars in Thebes, Athens, and Sparta, which ultimately benefited the Macedonians of the northern "barbarians" in their eyes, are not uncommon in the history of the Middle Kingdom. Just like the "Jin Dynasty", which glided through the history of the Central Kingdom like a shooting star shortly after the end of the Three Kingdoms period, was soon driven to the Yangtze River by those northern peoples. Under normal circumstances, those who can quickly enter the political arena of the Central Plains after the civil strife in the Central Plains are those marginalized ethnic groups who have accepted the Central Plains culture to a certain extent before. That is, they are familiar with the rules of the game of the Central Kingdom and the military efficiency of the northern horse race is the reason why they can be one step ahead (the Wuhu Luanhuazhihu is the nomadic people attached to it before).

This rule of the central state also applies to Macedonia's entry into "Greece". Although many Greeks still think that Macedonians are not real Greeks, and that the monarchy of the Macedonian kingdom is not "democratic" enough, it is undeniable that the rules of the game in the Greek world are already transparent in the eyes of Macedonians. . They have been sitting in the mountains and watching tigers fighting in the north, just waiting for an opportunity to enter the "Central Plains".

When the Thebes barely defeated the combined forces of Sparta and Athens and became the hegemon, the entire Greek world has experienced civil strife for more than 70 years. The decline of the traditional two Greek powerhouses and the unconvincing situation of Thebes also gave the Macedonians a strategic opportunity to come forward to clean up the mess. On the other hand, as we said just now, the reason why the nomadic people attached to them are able to seize the opportunity in the civil strife in the Central Kingdom is that they technically have higher military efficiency. And this is also the advantage of the Macedonians.

The military advantage of the Kingdom of Macedonia largely depends on its organizational form. The inefficiency of "democratic" Greece in the Hippo War and the Peloponnesian War should be clear to everyone after passing the previous content. No matter how much the Kingdom of Macedonia can grant its citizens "citizenship", at least it won't waste too much time in decision-making. However, when many friends mentioned Macedonia's military force, they would immediately think of the "Macedonian phalanx", and believed that this was the technical reason for Alexander to build his empire.

In fact, many technological advances in history have indeed changed the balance of power at that time. For example, the northern nomads, after mastering the technique of "cavalry and archery", forced the central country and began to defend it with the huge wall. In the face of the strong ships and cannons of the West, the Qing Empire was at a loss at first. However, the advantages of technology can only be temporary. When the technological generation gap is leveled, geopolitical power will return to its dominant position.

In general, the Macedonian phalanx is an army that combines the military advantages of Eurasia and has a huge offensive power in a frontal decisive battle. We know that the main arms of the Greek world are "heavy infantry" suitable for close combat. This defensive-oriented unit was also born in response to the terrain of Greece and the city-state's "duel" style of warfare. However, such a "clunky" army is obviously not conducive to outward expansion.

The Macedonian's biggest transformation of the Greek-style infantry phalanx is to reduce the protection of individual soldiers, so that the phalanx has stronger potential energy to rush to the opponent; lengthened the length of the weapons (Macedonian spears can reach 6-7 meters long ), so that you can attack your opponent one step ahead when the pawns are close. In order to make the spear formation play a greater role, the Macedonians will adjust the length of the spears, so that the first 4-6 rows of spears will directly participate in the first attack). When the Macedonian phalanx was approaching, the Greek-style heavy infantry, who only carried short weapons and waited to get close to the opponent's first row of soldiers, would find that they had absolutely no way to avoid the opponent's attack. According to the exaggerated description of the Athenians, each of their soldiers needed to face more than ten spear points. In this case, no matter how heavy the armor and no matter how large the shield, it seems to be of no avail.

If the Macedonians only strengthened their melee aggression on the basis of the Greek army, then at best they would become the hegemons of the Greek peninsula. We can easily feel that the flanks of this extremely frontal attack force are its weak links (there is no way to turn around). If the opponent's tactics are also positive PK, then it is not a big problem. But if the opponent has enough maneuverability to detour, then they have no chance at all to point the spear at the opponent.

Of course, since the Macedonian phalanx was able to sweep the Persian Empire, Alexander and his father certainly did not think of this. Although the Macedonian phalanx is often described as a phalanx of infantry, it is not just an impressive formation of spearmen. On the flanks of the phalanx, the heavy cavalry team composed of Macedonian nobles was responsible for the protection work. In fact, the attack power of the Macedonian phalanx was largely accomplished by those elite cavalry. When the phalanx of infantry is battling the opponent in front, these elite cavalry do not just passively protect the flank of the phalanx, but will flank the opponent from both sides to defeat the opponent's formation.

There have been many research articles on the advantages and disadvantages of the Macedonian phalanx, and you can easily collect various technical analysis from the Internet. In contrast, what we are more concerned about is the geographical background of the Macedonian phalanx. In fact, in addition to spearmen and heavy cavalry, the Macedonian phalanx also has archers, spearmen and other arms. This multi-armed approach clearly bears the shadow of the Persian army. In other words, if what the Macedonians have to face and learn is only "Greece", then the Macedonian phalanx that we are also here today is not the case. It is precisely because of Macedonia's position on the edge of the Greek peninsula and its tangled relationship with the Persian Empire that Philip II was able to gain the strengths of the two and create a Macedonian phalanx that could sweep across Eurasia.

In 337 BC, in the region of Boeotia, by virtue of the Macedonian phalanx defeating Philip II of the Greek coalition (338 BC, the Battle of Chaeronia), a perfect geographic center "Corinth" was chosen, according to the Greek According to the rules of the game, a new Greek alliance, the Corinthian League, was formed. However, Macedonia, which has a kingdom system, does not actually think that the loose confederation of Greece is sufficiently advanced. Macedonia would be just another Thebes if not changed. The problem is that if the Macedonians simply wanted to form a Greek kingdom, they would never have encountered less resistance than the Persians back then. Unless you can make the Greeks feel that the "dictatorship" of the Macedonians can bring more benefits than their democratic culture.

Of course, the Macedonians can also learn from the Dorians and establish the Macedonian kingdom on the basis of destroying the Greek civilization. However, the Macedonians who have been integrated into Greek civilization for a long time are not subjectively willing to be the terminators of Greek civilization. Nor is it necessary to do that. Because, they will soon tell those "Greeks" who are used to infighting, that there is enough to satisfy the interests of all Greeks on the other side of the ocean.