“His soldiers were more afraid of their own general than of the enemy. They had no option of flight or retreat, whereas their opponents had the option to save themselves by surrendering.”
The error Pompey made was not giving his opponents a way out, but instead forcing them to fight to the death, which ultimately led to their victory.
It would have been more wise for Pompey to follow the advice of Sun Tzu: “To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape.”
