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THE
IRONY OF JUSTICE
But
by now, a somber reality had caught up with
me. I soon realized that an occupying force,
no matter how noble its intentions might
be, was just that, an occupying force.
I could not harshly avenge previous Persian
generations’ acts in Greece while
simultaneously serve as a just ruler in
contemporary Persepolis.
Something had to give.
What, I did not know at the time, but something
had to give.
In all honesty, as Zeus
is my witness, it was not the first time
that I had realized this, though it was
the first time that I knew that action was
required.
Until
I crossed Taurus, I could technically still
claim to – if I may borrow Philip’s
line – be “liberating”
Greek cities. But from Cilicia onwards,
I was conquering land that was otherwise
Syrian or Phoenician.
I was too young to do much about it then,
but this realization marked a considerable
shift in how I would have to wage the war.
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