It has been five days since the occupation of Tino Island. During these five days, fierce battles have taken place on the mainland, in Thessalian.
The sudden outpouring of the Tino Alliance army from Thermopylae surprised the Stobi scouts who had been keeping an eye on the area.
They hurried to report the new situation to the commander besieging the city of Mari.
Every hour, there is new bad news.
"Report to the commander! A large number of Tino allied troops have left Thermopylae!"
"Report to the commander! The Tino Alliance army is extremely large, and it took more than an hour to deploy. There are at least three to four million men, possibly even more! The main force is heavy infantry!"
"Report to the commander! The Tino Alliance's hundreds of thousands of light cavalry are heading north at full speed, but they're not heading towards Mali City, but due north!"
…
Upon receiving such news, Alexander and Odysseus were nervous and somewhat confused.
King Boeotia and his main force, the Theban heavy cavalry, had just been defeated at the city of Botaïtia.
At this moment, where do the enemy get so many troops?
Could it be that the Tetian League ignored the threat from Sparta in the south and transferred the legions that were confronting Sparta?
What's even more strange is that they had hundreds of thousands of light cavalry, so why didn't they rush to rescue Seleucus in Mari? What does it mean to charge directly to the north?
Is there anything more important than saving Mali City?
"Oh no! The enemy wants to block the Olympus Pass and cut off our retreat! This is a huge trap!"
After a little thought, Alexander finally came to his senses.
No wonder Seleucus dared to defend the city of Mari to the death. He was acting as bait to attract his million-strong expeditionary force to Thessalian.
This matter was a trap from beginning to end.
The Tino Alliance didn't give in at all!
In fact, they have always been very ambitious and want to swallow up the one million people under their command in one bite!
To avenge the loss of three million troops in the Great North!
The Tino Alliance was a coalition of densely populated nations. Losing three million people wouldn't be a major blow to them!
But the Great North is different.
If a million-strong main force army were destroyed, it would take at least three to five years to train them again!
As long as this plan succeeds, the Great Northern Alliance will be devastated.
Even if they can still barely stop the Tino Alliance from moving north, they will completely lose the strength to fight back!
Neither Alexander nor Odysseus could afford the responsibility of burying a million-strong army in the Thessalian region!
"Pass my order. Immediately mobilize all highly mobile legions north to defend the Olympus Pass! The remaining legions will be divided into two groups, alternating to provide cover and withdraw from the battlefield in Mali City!"
Alexander gave the order decisively.
Hearing such an order, Odysseus frowned, but said nothing and could only sigh regretfully.
What a pity!
Just when it seemed that Mali City was about to be taken, it failed at the last moment!
However, Odysseus knew in his heart that Alexander was right.
Only by taking action as soon as possible can we escape.
At this moment, there is absolutely no room for hesitation.
A day later, Alexander and Odysseus finally breathed a sigh of relief after getting rid of Seleucus who was chasing them from the city of Mari.
However, the bad news still came mercilessly.
The 200,000-plus troops sent to defend the Olympus Pass were unable to withstand the charge of the 800,000 cavalry of the Tino Alliance and were driven back!
The south entrance of Mount Olympus is lost!
After all, at the southern entrance of Mount Olympus, all the fortifications faced north.
There is not much geographical advantage in dealing with threats from the south.
The fact that Stoby's cavalry was able to escape in an organized manner under the attack of an enemy force nearly four times their size was an extraordinary performance!
At this point, Alexander did not blame the commanders of the cavalry corps.
He just gathered everyone together to discuss the next steps.
It is impossible to go back through the Olympus Pass for the time being!
Even if the Great North wanted to send reinforcements by land, it would be almost impossible to break through the southern gate which was controlled by the Tino Alliance.
While the army is still relatively complete, there are still more than 800,000 battle-hardened elites.
Alexander hopes to pool wisdom and find the best route to break out.
Knowing that the situation was urgent, everyone racked their brains and came up with a lot of ideas.
However, not to mention Alexander, even Odysseus, who was not very good at fighting, could hear it.
These ideas have no chance of success!
The Tino Alliance's move was too ruthless, and they had already set themselves up to catch the turtle in the jar. The entire Thessalian region was just that jar.
No matter how the Stoby army ran, they could never escape.
As supplies continue to deplete, a decisive battle with them will be necessary sooner or later.
Otherwise, we will be defeated without a fight!
Although the armies of the Tino Alliance are mainly composed of mercenaries, their combat effectiveness is not very strong.
But there are so many people!
Four million against our own eight hundred thousand, you can win no matter how you fight!
Everything in front of him made Alexander unconsciously recall the past.
When Philip was alive, Macedonia's advance southward into the Thessalian region was dragged down by Eubia's endless mercenaries.
At the time, Alexander was deeply impressed.
Unexpectedly, time has passed and now I encounter the same thing again in Thessalian.
Alexander was somewhat discouraged.
He felt that this might be the so-called fate!
There is no way to break this deadlock no matter what!
"Commander, we've received a pigeon message from Master Achilles!"
A messenger hurried into the tent and reported to Alexander and others who were in a panic.
"read!"
Upon hearing this, Odysseus was moved and immediately gave orders.
Odysseus admired Achilles's commanding skills very much.
He felt that, apart from the king, even Alexander was somewhat inferior to Achilles in fighting skills.
Although everyone is at a loss at the moment, Achilles, who is outside the situation, may have thought of a good idea!
Hearing Odysseus' words, the messenger did not dare to hesitate and immediately unfolded the small note in his hand and began to read.
"The southern entrance of Mount Olympus has been blocked by the enemy and cannot be opened in the short term. I have borrowed the Trojan fleet to transport troops to the port of Meganet. Please rush to meet up as soon as possible to discuss major plans together!" the messenger read.
Port McGannette?
Use the Trojan fleet to transport troops?
Hearing this, Alexander unconsciously walked towards the military map hanging in the tent.
Holding a pen, he carefully drew a circle at McGannite Harbor.
Then, Alexander stared at the map and fell into deep thought.
"I understand! Achilles is such a ruthless man, even more ruthless than me!"
After a long moment, Alexander sighed and began to speak.
More cruel than you?
Hearing Alexander's sigh, everyone was confused. They looked at each other, not understanding what Achilles meant and what Alexander understood.
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