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[Hephaistion]

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Hephaistion brought his steed through the pass, the clouds overhead blotting out all light from above. Thunder echoed in the distance and the air was thick with warning of a fast approaching storm. Winds which had but a moment before been little more than gentle breezes tugging at his cloak were quickly transforming themselves into gales that raced through the valley with vehement force. "Such is war," he whispered with great solemnity, lowering his hand to the hilt of the xiphos sheathed at his waist. "The depth of enmity surpasses description as hostilities ascend in rapid pace."

Confidence settled over him like the perfect fit of his cuirass, its protective plate secure and strong. He'd stood against many a foe during his lifetime, never once having tasted defeat. He was certain this battle would end no differently.

Stonegate was ready. No matter how prepared the enemy believed itself to be, the fantasy would fail in the perishing gasp of its final breath.

[Hephaistion]

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The topography of Stonegate supports its location for battle. It takes a great deal of effort to move large numbers of men and animals through constricted spaces. An army marching through a pass is like water flowing through a funnel: just as the volume of water flowing through the funnel depends upon its narrowest constriction, so the number of troops marching through a pass are likewise affected. The divides between passes are buried beneath deep torrents of snow and the air is always glacial, making combat difficult for those unused to such climactic circumstances. Stonegate valley itself lies embedded within steep mountainous embankments which make the area unsuitable for enemy wing deployments.

From a logistical standpoint, Stonegate's army is well supplied with every necessity from weapons to combat experience. Supply is indeed the basis of strategy. When the climate, human and physical geography, tactics and all necessary equipment and provisions are anticipated and provided for, an army will encounter no significant obstacles. Hence arrangements for Stonegate's supplies were made and carried out much before this war's declaration.

Now it befalls the enemy, which most assuredly has little preparation in comparison, to engage a nation that has long anticipated such a strike.

**excerpted with moderations from: Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army by Donald W. Engels