You start the game with a sizeable navy of Scout Ships. Upgrade them as soon as possible - controlling the seas is of vital importance. On land, you should be able to control the map east of the Macedonian bridge to the north - there's resources there. When you have Long Swordsmen, you can push the spread troops back. The Macedonians have a lot of War Elephants that you should consider trying to convert - Macedonian units are four times harder to convert, but it's still easier than killing them.