In 326 BC the forces of Alexander the Great and King Porus were to clash, a battle that would decide the fate of the Punjab region. As Alexander wanted to expand his territory, his gaze fell on India, where he began his campaign in 327 BC. After some decisive victories he would face a final opponent who would prove stronger and more intelligent than anyone he had ever fought. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As Alexander marched through India, King Porus had joined him. Alexander knew he could not leave this dangerous adversary hidden in the jungles of India and prepared for a fight. Alexander established his camp near the city of Jhelum, on the right bank of the river. Porus stopped on the south bank of the Jhelum River to discourage Alexander from crossing the river. Both sides knew that crossing the river directly would cost them the war. Every night Alexander walked up and down the banks of the river until he came up with a cunning plan. His plan was to use a suitable pass, about 27 km upstream from his camp. This is where he would lead his troops. He landed on another island, forcing his troops to wade across the same island as King Porus. His plan was a classic pincer maneuver. He would eventually attack the Indian cavalry flanking each side of Porus' main force from the right. To keep Porus unaware of the river crossing, Alexander devised many traps that would keep Porus occupied. First, Porus was kept constantly moving until he decided it was a bluff and relaxed. Secondly, with each visit to the crossing site, Alexander made a detour inland to remain in secrecy. It was also reported that there was an Alexander lookalike holding sway in a mock royal tent near the base. When King Porus realized what had happened, he decided to charge Alexander's crossed cavalry thinking he was outnumbered. The Macedonian heavy infantry phalanx was outnumbered by 1:5 the Indian infantry. The Indian infantry still suffered setbacks due to the range of the enemy's longer sarissas and the fact that they were light to unarmored on the torso. The other part of Alexander's army crossed the river for a head-on clash with the war elephants of Porus' army. Alexander began the battle by sending his Scythian hired horse archers to flood the right wing of the Indian cavalry. His company armored cavalry was sent to the outnumbered Indian left cavalry with himself leading the charge. The rest of the Indian cavalry galloped towards their struggling relatives on the right wing, but at this moment Coenus' cavalry contingent appeared on the Indian rear. The Indians tried to form a double phalanx, but the complicated maneuvers required brought even more confusion into their ranks making it easier for the Macedonian horse to conquer. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Alexander, destroying Porus' right flank, circled around Porus' left flank launching a mass attack against Porus' left flank. Alexander correctly surmised that Porus would be forced to move his cavalry from the right wing to the left. Alexander had foreseen this and placed his cavalry, under Caenus, in front of them and out of sight. Their job was to break cover and follow the.