In fact, Cleitas's complaints were not entirely unreasonable, but he did not understand the character of the Song Dynasty generals.
If they are civil servants and generals, then what they love to do most is to advance slowly. If they are military generals, then the wind, wind, fire, and fire are the last portrayal they can leave in the historical record.
This rule has been proven countless times during the three hundred years of the Song Dynasty.
Ren Fu, Shi Yuansun, and Ge Huaimin, the persons directly responsible for the three tragic defeats in the Song and Xia battlefields, which one of the crimes was missing this one?
This has to arouse doubts: Didn't the generals of the Song Dynasty have brains?
But Cleitas had not seen these records, and he did not even know the officer's name, so he did not know that he had tried the wrong person.
He was a literati, a child of a well-established family with many years of experience as an official. Although his father used the favor system to turn him into a happy military attache when he was dying, he was still a scholar at heart.
Therefore, what he knows is that the march must be based on the word "stability".
But such an idea seemed unreasonable to Alexander.
His marching process is often not so particular.
A few days ago, he was still arguing fiercely with his "staff officers", saying, "Why did the soldiers of the Song Dynasty only walk sixty miles a day? Why did they have to march along the river?"
"They can totally stop being so rigid!"
It's a pity that he still doesn't know that the military of the Song Dynasty is not military, but political.
There is only one reason why all military generals make the same mistake, and that is because the civil servants are shirking their responsibilities.
Although I am not sure how the civil servants did it, the atmosphere of conspiracy in it cannot fool even a fool.
But even smart people can only stare blankly when faced with the behavior of the Song Dynasty generals.
Because this smart man was only the king of Macedonia and had no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Song Dynasty.
No one can understand the depression of being under great pressure. He has wasted a month under this fortified city, which has indeed greatly affected his reputation.
Even the defenders inside Halicarnassus began to despise them.
According to the latest intelligence obtained by Alexander, Neoptolemus appeared on the city walls of Harbin recently in the capital.
The guy seemed to be observing the situation between the enemy and ourselves, and he looked like he was planning something. In short, it made the soldiers very uneasy.
Alexander felt that he could not wait any longer.
"Amintas.",
The king's call soon received a loyal response.
"I'm here. What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"Do you remember Mendos?"
"Remember. On the west side of Halicarnassus, surrounded by sea on three sides, it is almost a peninsula."
"That's right. If we can capture that place, we can block the enemy's sea connections and make them vulnerable from both sides."
"I understand what you mean."
"I give you three phalanx brigades of infantry, go ahead, my comrade!"
"Yes! Your Majesty!"
Amyntas left shortly after. But there was one person who stayed on top of the city and refused to leave.
Neoptolemus looked at Alexander's military camp opposite, and soon noticed the actions of Amyntas and others.
"Ah, sure enough they can't hold it back anymore. It's just that their direction doesn't seem to be towards us."
Hearing his soliloquy, Orontobatis, who came up to inspect the city walls, laughed.
"They are going for Mendos. But they won't lose weight. I'm not a fool. How could I let myself be attacked from both sides?"
"Ah, it turns out you were prepared. It's a pity that I'm still worried."
The seven-character Si cast a look of approval at the six-character Si.
The other party obviously understood and thought that the seven-character Si had been completely impressed by his own wisdom.
However, it is not.
Neoptolemus smiled and added: "If at this time, we send a surprise attack force and suddenly appear behind Amyntas, then Alexander's army that is attacking Mendos will probably It will be our first defeat since the start of the war.”
The enemy's defeat was his own victory, but Alexander rarely had the opportunity to achieve such an achievement.
Although Orontobatis also harbors such a dream, his hometown Athens has fallen. In this place lacking helpers, what qualifications does he have to think that he can do what his companions cannot do?
So he shook his head in disbelief.
But the seven-character Si showed a mocking expression.
"Are you suspecting that I'm a coward? I just don't want to waste a soldier's life."
"I didn't doubt you. As a friend, I just want you to prove it to everyone."
"You..." Orontobatis was furious, but occasionally the other party's territory did make some sense. "Okay, then let's recruit a volunteer army and see if we can catch him by surprise."
After seven words, Si finally left with satisfaction. The proud smile on that face hurt Orontobatis deeply.
An army of a hundred men quickly rushed out of Halicarnassus. They swarmed out of the inconspicuous door and almost escaped the prying eyes of all Alexander's soldiers.
In fact, their operation could not have achieved such good results. If Alexander's soldiers had not made other discoveries, they would have noticed them long ago.
As for what else he discovered, it was the reinforcements that Alexander had longed for.
Ma Sui actually didn't expect that they could get here in such a short time.
Originally, he should have gone to see Alexander as soon as possible, but their tongue fell ill due to overwork, so this process was omitted.
Interestingly, the mission location designated by Li Ning for Ma Sui was still ahead, so he just sent someone to inform him before moving on.
Their actions had no hidden meaning, so the defenders of Halicarnassus quickly noticed this strange army.
Indeed, because the cultural customs of the Song Dynasty were hugely different from theirs, the clothes alone were enough to impress them.
So Orontobatis soon got the report from the soldiers.
But he had no time to care about the legendary heavenly army, but asked urgently: "Where did the dead man from Linka go?"
"Neoptolemus has already led his warriors to set off."
"Damn! This is terrible!"
After that, he ran away in a panic, leaving behind the soldiers who looked confused.
At this time, Amyntas was leading the army to launch a siege on Mendos.
Historically, the siege was carried out at night, but this time due to time changes, daytime became the starting time for their attack.
Moreover, this change also brought about other, worse butterfly effects.
Shortly after the siege began, Amyntas heard a scream.
Screams were common on the battlefield, but this one was particularly harsh because it came from behind.
