Emerging from the desert, Alexander rode ahead of the infantry with his cavalry and came upon the Mallian forces scattered on the outskirts of Agalassa. It had been too small to garrison such a large force. Taken completely by surprise, the Mallians panicked and fled toward the city as Alexander’s cavalry rode them down with great slaughter. Again his Scythians proved their worth, each spewing showers of deadly arrows. The cavalry encircled the city until the infantry could come up for a proper assault. Alexander ordered Perdiccas to take the cavalry and the Agrianians to cross the Hydraotes and encircle but not assault a city (Harappa) until he could bring up the infantry. But Perdiccas found the city empty, its inhabitants having already fled.

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Alexander speedily disposed of Agalassa. Through missile fire alone, his men cleared the walls of defenders, then stormed the citadel from all sides. The 2,000 Indians within fought to the last man.

After a meal and short rest, Alexander roused his men to march, again under cover of night. Most of the Mallian survivors had fled south across the Hydraotes before the Macedonians reached it; the remnants still struggling to cross the river were cut down. Alexander immediately crossed the river and harried the enemy, who took refuge in a strongly fortified position (modern Tulambo). He waited for the phalanx to come up and sent it forward, supported by cavalry, to carry the position, killing or enslaving all the Indians.

As Tulambo was falling, Alexander heard that another Mallian force was concentrating at a city of the Brahmins (modern Atari). Again he marched quickly, encircled it with his infantry, and drove the defenders from the walls to their citadel with a deluge of missiles. The Macedonians immediately began sapping the walls. As at Agalassa, the cornered Indians fought manfully, killing 25 Macedonians who had forced their way into the citadel through a breach. A tower, then the adjoining curtain wall, collapsed.

Alexander bounded through the rubble to mount the broken base of the wall. For agonizing moments, he held the breach alone against the Indians. For the first time, the Macedonians had not rushed where he led. Finally, impelled by shame, small groups came forward to join their king and break into the citadel. This time 5,000 Mallians died fighting as they set fire to their own houses. Subsequent events would show that the commander did not fail to note how his Macedonians had hung back, even momentarily.

Alexander then learned that the Mallians were concentrating to defend their principal town, but upon his arrival he found it abandoned. He pursued the Mallians who had crossed the Hydraotes and established a strong position on the western bank. Without a pause, he ordered the infantry to follow as he led his cavalry directly across the river. The Mallian commander lost his nerve in the face of such audacity and ordered a withdrawal before Alexander was halfway across. As soon as the Mallian realized the Macedonian infantry had not completed the river crossing, however, he turned and presented a solid front to Alexander. Alexander used his cavalry to fix the Mallians, while his horse archers took their toll of the enemy. The Indians were already demoralized when Alexander’s Guards, foot archers and Agrianians attacked, with the phalanx coming up behind. The Mallians broke and fled to the nearest city, Multan, with Alexander’s cavalry cutting down the laggards. The Macedonians encircled the city, but for once Alexander abandoned an immediate assault. Night was falling, and his men were exhausted.

The next morning Alexander’s personal reconnaissance of Multan revealed a postern gate that looked vulnerable. He arranged for the Perdiccas to attack the outer walls, fixing the Mallians’ attention. Meanwhile, Alexander would move with his Guards to the postern gate. Batteries of catapults sent a torrent of darts and stones to savage the defenders. Seeing the mass of Macedonian infantry form for the assault, the Indians abandoned the walls and crammed themselves into their citadel. While that was going on, Alexander’s Guards tore the postern from its hinges and rushed into the city.

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