A Pyrrhic victory is a victory gained at such a cost to the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. The phrase references a statement attributed to Pyrrhus of Epirus. After his victory against the Romans in the Battle of Asculum in 279 BC, Plutarch reports that Pyrrhus exclaimed “One more victory over the Romans and we are completely done for!”



He was a trier though, sounds like he did his best:
That’s a pretty long multi-year rampage, taking on all the big players in the region. We can’t all be winners 😅