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I mention the destruction of Babylon by the Assyrians because it's an exception, and because the king goes on in great detail about how much he wanted to remove

I mention the destruction of Babylon by the Assyrians because it's an exception, and because the king goes on in great detail about how much he wanted to remove even the idea of Babylon. Most conquerers obviously felt they were the best person to do the job, but they were not in it for like, direct personal gain. At some point you conquer enough to drown in wine and gold long before you conquer as much as they did - and being in war is not pleasant even as the king. They felt there were doing something for their people by unifying disparate factions.

cousin_it 6y ago
"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no lands left to conquer." Skyler: "If I have to hear one more time that you did this for the family..." Walter: "I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. I was really alive." The way I see it, conquerors aren't driven by greed or morality. They conquer because they enjoy it, are good at it, and want to be the best and greatest.