Alexander's promise to make such a lance drew much cheer from the commanders.
While it simultaneously produced a headache for Alexander.
Because what he had promised them was the manufacturing of a sealed hollow tube that was also strong and hard.
And that was hard.
For example, the water pipes at this time were made by hammering a sheet of metal until the sides rolled over one another.
And then to seal the overlapping gap, molten lead would be poured over, chosen as the preferred metal because of its low melting point.
This would produce a relatively good seal, adequate enough to transport water, but Alexander doubted if such a weak sealant would be able to take repeated shocks a typically reusable lance would be expected to withstand.
But that was not to say that a hollow tubed lance was not possible.
In fact, the kind envisioned by Menes did exist in Alexander's previous life.