Seleucus's army of over 100,000 was clearly insufficient, so it was not surprising that he chose to reduce his forces.
But what is strange is why they did not retreat to Boeotia south of Thermopylae, but instead stayed in Thessalian's fortified city of Mari?
When Pagnadas' three million troops surrounded the city of Pella, Seleucus was also in the army.
He should be very clear that when the besieging force is several times greater than the defenders, the city will be lost sooner or later!
This time, Stroby is sending out his troops in a big way, and Seleucus will definitely be able to find out how many troops there are.
Given his military skills, it is unreasonable for him to choose to stay in an isolated city.
"Great! I never thought that Seleucus would act foolishly one day! Let's rush in and surround the city of Mari. We must make Seleucus, the traitor, pay with blood!" Odysseus said happily.
Hearing this, Alexander was stunned for a moment and did not comment immediately.
inappropriate!
This is totally inappropriate!
Alexander knew Seleucus all too well.
Seleucus was not the type to fight a dull battle.
When Achilles came to aid Pella, it was clear that the Tinian Alliance still had 400,000 to 500,000 troops. Seleucus was certain of defeat and immediately dared to retreat.
Knowing that he could not win, Seleucus still made this choice. There must be a special reason.
"Where is the main force of the Athenian navy? Send someone to investigate immediately! Also, send 150,000 light cavalry to march south day and night, passing through Thessalion. They must reach Thermopylae before dawn tomorrow! If there is a chance, occupy it immediately!" Alexander said after careful consideration.
Searching for the main force of the Athenian Navy?
Capture Thermopylae as quickly as possible?
What does this mean?
Seleucus' army is clearly hiding in the city of Mari!
Odysseus was puzzled.
"Understood!"
The messenger agreed and strode away.
After pondering Alexander's words for a moment, Odysseus began to understand.
"Are you saying that Seleucus is deliberately encircling our army to buy time for the reinforcements of the Tenein League? However, the main force of the Tenein League's army has been confronting Sparta in the south. Boeotia has just been defeated, and even King Pagnadas was killed. How can they organize a decent reinforcement in such a short time?" Odysseus asked.
"Don't underestimate Athens! An opponent of Athens' size cannot be defeated by common sense! Let's deploy our army first and then adapt to the situation." Alexander answered with a heavy heart.
Sensing unusual movements in the Seleucid army, Alexander would have been more cautious and stopped advancing south, based on his previous behavior.
However, this time, he promised King Stobi that he would lead the army and expand the territory of Stobi.
It was really embarrassing to return empty-handed just after successfully crossing the Olympus Pass.
At this moment, Alexander only hoped that the reinforcements from the Tino Alliance would come slower and in smaller quantities.
In that way, I can use my tactics to the fullest extent and perhaps even create a miracle.
"Since you are sure that reinforcements from the Teno Alliance will come. Well, I will use my strengths to win the hearts of the Thessalians. As for fighting, it all depends on you!" Odysseus stretched out his right palm and said.
"Great! Happy cooperation!"
Alexander smiled calmly upon hearing this, and stretched out his right hand, shaking it tightly with Odysseus.
Two days later.
The main force of the Stoic army, commanded by Alexander, approached the city of Mari.
The siege of Mali City had just been completed, and the scouts sent to the south and east brought back the latest news.
Reconnaissance of the eastern waters showed that the Athenian navy was not in this area.
Even in the Euboean Islands, the ancient home of Eubia, there were less than two thousand Athenian ships stationed there.
Moreover, most of them are not landing ships, but ordinary naval warfare ships.
A navy of this size has limited transport capacity.
Even if the transport troops landed, they would not be able to shake the Stobi Army, which had stronger land combat capabilities.
This made Alexander quite happy, and he felt that he had made the right bet!
However, the 150,000 light cavalry who went south to attack Thermopylae encountered big trouble.
The defenders of Thermopylae were replaced by Athenians at some point.
Although their fighting ability is average, there are really a lot of them!
Stoby had a total of 150,000 light cavalry, and they fought head-on, but they were unable to defeat the enemy defenders.
In desperation, the Stoby Light Cavalry Corps chose to retreat, leaving only a few scouts to scout the enemy's movements in the south.
"Your Excellency the Commander. Although we did not capture Thermopylae, we can see many flags from afar behind Thermopylae, and they are very diverse. We believe that the Tino Alliance is gathering heavy troops in the plains behind Thermopylae!" the scout explained.
"Gather heavy troops? That's impossible! I don't believe the Tenetinian Alliance dares to leave Sparta behind and transfer the main force of the army to the north! This should just be a trick of the enemy, intended to scare us and make us retreat!" Alexander judged.
The city of Mari had been surrounded, and Athens's dominant naval force was not nearby.
It would be a pity to miss such a great opportunity.
After all, the 150,000 troops who initially marched south to Thermopylae were just light cavalry with mediocre combat effectiveness.
The main infantry at his disposal did not engage in battle with the enemy.
If a real battle were to come, Alexander had confidence in his own command ability. Aside from the Theban heavy cavalry, the rest of the Theban allied army would definitely not be able to defeat him in a one-on-one fight.
As for the reinforcements that the Tino Alliance could send, at most, it would never exceed one million!
"Keep investigating and report any new developments!" Odysseus instructed the scouts.
Odysseus could not find any reason to object to Alexander's judgment.
He just felt weird.
If Alexander's judgment was correct, the only source of large-scale assistance from the Athenian League could be the Athenian navy.
So why did Seleucus choose to defend the inland city of Mari?
Clearly, Thessalion has several port cities!
The two previous failures of Macedonia's southward advances were due to the large number of mercenaries that landed at these ports. The continuous flow of mercenaries offset the Macedonian army's greater individual combat power.
Not daring to take any risks, Odysseus implemented new policies in Thessalion, winning over the hearts of the people while also constantly strengthening intelligence work.
Any large-scale offensive by the Teno League would not escape Odysseus's sight.
However, five days passed and nothing happened.
The only change was that Alexander was about to capture the city of Mari.
Holding on to Mari was actually not Seleucus's idea.
Helplessly, he fled during the Battle of Pella.
Not only did Pagnadas' army lose its supply line, but they also lost the southern entrance of Mount Olympus.
This behavior was quickly reprimanded by Pericles' envoys.
Since his soldiers were all members of the Teneinite Alliance, Seleucus dared not rebel. He had no choice but to explain himself, hoping to gain Pericles' forgiveness.
In the end, Pericles finally did not pursue the matter any further, but instead sent Seleucus a death order.
Choose a nearby city and defend it! Hold on until the Tino Alliance Army marches north, and then you can win!
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