There are other versions of what exactly the oblique order is. One version says that all preparation done on the night before or the day of the battle to reinforce its flanks or center could be considered part of the oblique order. If that were true then Cyrus the Great used it at the Battle of Thymbra in 547 BC. Other commanders in history, ancient and modern, have also prepared in much the same way. This version would be like Frederick claiming he invented war itself. Reinforcing a flank at night or out of sight of the enemy is not so much a tactical maneuver as depending on surprise. Many Austrian, French, and English officers of this time thought the oblique order was moving an entire army around. They never understood that Frederick the Great never did this. He maneuvered by lines and by flanks, never by army.