Ashoka was one of the Muaryan Empire's rulers and considered by many a great leader compared to later emperors who caused the empire to crumble. The Muaryan Empire stood strong for quite some time mainly because of Ashoka and his leadership, lasting from 322 through 185 B.C. Ashoka's main tactic to keeping his empire in such good condition was his powerful army. Ashoka's huge army of 600,000 soldiers fought on the 9,000 war elephants that Ashoka had. Materials and land were acquired through Ashoka's wars of conquest, giving his empire plenty of resources and keeping it safe from any threats. Unlike Ashoka, later Muaryan rulers had poor strategies and weak armies leading to the end of the kingdom. Ashoka was a great ruler, especially compared to the later emperors.