Achilles, on the other hand, looked at Alexander in tacit understanding and nodded.
"Alexander is right. Although the Theban heavy cavalry is strong, our chances of winning are not small! As long as we can hold them back and force them to fight a protracted war, the final victory will definitely be ours!" said Achilles.
Force them to fight a protracted war?
Odysseus still didn't understand.
Odysseus was an expert in domestic affairs and knew that if he fought for a long time, his side would surely win, because the enemy's supply routes had been cut off.
Boeoxia has an army of 1.4 million, and their food and fodder consumption is astonishingly high! As long as we can hold out for ten days! Or even just five days!
Once the enemy runs out of food and supplies, they will soon collapse!
However, the fortifications were not built in time. Pella was surrounded by vast plains on both sides. How could they stop the Boeotian cavalry?
Even if there are a few defenses that can be repaired.
The enemy is not stupid. They can rely on their mobility to bypass undefended areas!
When facing cavalry, infantry can never catch up with the enemy, which is a shortcoming that our side cannot avoid!
Seeing that Odysseus still didn't understand, Achilles and Alexander laughed at the same time.
The two of them simultaneously extended their right index fingers and pointed to the same location on the large sand table in the hall.
Looking in the direction of the two men's fingers, Odysseus finally came to his senses.
"Great Salt Lake! I understand! The terrain to the west and south of Pella is very low. You want to blow up the Great Salt Lake and let the lake water fill the entire southern plain! In that case, this place will become a muddy swamp! No matter if it's the enemy or us, no large-scale passage will be possible in the short term!" Odysseus said excitedly.
Alexander's strategy is a typical case of killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of his own!
Once the Great Salt Lake explodes, the vast fertile fields west and south of Pella will become saline swamps.
Even if one day in the future the water dries up, the fertility of the land will be greatly reduced!
So at first, Odysseus didn't think in this direction at all.
It was not until he was reminded by the two that he suddenly realized that a true battle maniac did not have so many rules and regulations in his mind!
To win, do whatever it takes!
Obviously, Achilles and Alexander are both of this kind!
"Well, without further ado, let's act quickly!"
After figuring this out, Odysseus immediately took action.
The three of them divided their forces and worked together. One directed the soldiers and civilians outside the city to evacuate, while the other directed the army to plant gunpowder at several weak points along the Great Salt Lake.
It's not dark yet.
With a few loud bangs, the surging waters of the Great Salt Lake burst through the dikes and flowed into the great plains to the west and south.
When the Boeotian cavalry arrived near Pella, they saw a large salt marsh blocking their way home.
"Damn it! These lunatics in the Great North are truly despicable!"
After observing the road ahead, Pagnadas was furious!
The water level in this artificial swamp isn't too deep. If you follow the raised slopes and try to move forward, you can probably get through!
However, the number of his men was not 14,000, but a full 1.4 million!
There is such a slow method. How long will it take to pass all of them?
Our own military rations simply cannot sustain us for such a long time!
Moreover, there are enemy troops behind and in the city of Pella that are no less numerous than our own!
They are the natives here and are much more familiar with the terrain than we are!
If the Boeotian army is harassed by them during the march, it can be foreseen that the situation will become even more difficult!
what to do?
What should I do?
"Report to the king! After long-range reconnaissance on the east and west fronts, we found that the western part of the swamp area has already bordered the mountains and there is no passage. But in the east, there is a flat terrain about ten kilometers wide that can be passed through!" The scout entered the tent to report.
"Is it passable? Does that also lead to the northern entrance of Mount Olympus?" Pagnadas was delighted when he heard that. He pointed to the marching map spread out on the table and asked the scout to give an accurate answer.
The scout looked at the map and pointed decisively.
There, although it bypasses the swamp area, is a road leading southeast.
If you go from there to the new capital of Stobi, Botaitia, you can arrive there quickly.
But if we turn towards the north entrance of Mount Olympus, it will be a detour.
"Botaitia! If our army takes Botaitia, returning to the sea from there would also be a good option!"
Gazing at the map, Pagnadas was lost in thought.
This attack on the Great North had clearly failed. However, Pagnadas felt a sense of shame for not being able to invade the Stobi mainland and only withdrawing from the outskirts of Macedonia!
Now that God has left a way for him, suggesting that he go to Botaitia, the capital of Stobi, to make a big fuss, Pagnadas will certainly not refuse!
The strongest force of the Tino Alliance is the navy!
As long as we capture a port and summon the Athenian navy to come to support, it will be no difficulty!
As for the Great North, there was clearly a good harbor, but Pericles and Seleucus did not land there. Instead, they gave the credit for swallowing up the Great North to Boeotia?
Pagnadas did not think about this.
He simply thought that it was because the Athenian military had been severely restrained by Sparta, so that it had a navy but lacked a landing corps!
As long as we can capture Botaitia, a defeat can even be turned into a victory!
Using Botaitia as a beachhead supply base, they will receive a steady flow of supplies and troops. The Great Northern Offensive could be turned around!
"Order the entire army to immediately turn southeast and head straight for Botaitia through that passage! I want to catch Stoby off guard!"
As soon as he thought of this, Pagnadas issued new instructions, and his mental state suddenly improved!
"This? Our army has just been traveling for a whole day and hasn't had a rest yet. Do we have to travel another night?" the messenger asked in surprise.
"Stop talking nonsense and execute it immediately! Opportunities are fleeting, and we must overcome difficulties to win the battle!" Pagnadas shouted angrily.
Our army's rations can only last for five days. How could a small soldier like you know such a secret?
If we don't hurry up and seize the supply base,
Are you waiting for the army to collapse when the food runs out?
"yes!"
Hearing this, the messenger dared not ask any more questions and immediately left the tent. But Pagnadas remembered something and called him back.
"Wait a minute. There is another thing you need to do as well. Send a message to the alliance leader Athens as soon as possible and ask them to arrange for the navy to go to Botaitia for support! The number of land forces is secondary. Be sure to bring more supplies!" Pagnadas said.
"Understood!"
After hearing the new instructions, the messenger seemed to understand and immediately left the tent after responding.
Without any rest, the Boeotian army set out again at night and headed southeast.
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