Superficialespenderàtuttalagrandeenobilespiritodiprogresso (Stealing peace only kills all great and noble enterprising spirit)

- Tacitus (Roman historian)

The day after the fall of Lilipoli, the Roman army marched there in great force, and soon came to the vicinity of Lilipoli. On the way, they were attacked by a small force of Hannibal's cavalry, and under the weight of the Roman army, of course, they were quickly repulsed. Seeing that the north bank of the Caldus River was flat and favorable to Hannibal's cavalry, Scipio the Elder ordered his whole army to cross the river and set up camp in front of the undulating new city of Canu, about nine kilometers from Hannibal's barracks.

Once stationed, Scipio the Elder led a part of the Roman army to challenge Hannibal. He set up a battle formation between the two battalions and waited for Hannibal. As soon as Hannibal saw the Roman army move, he immediately took 5,000 Spanish mercenaries and all the cavalry about 4,000 to storm the Roman formation. The high mobility of the cavalry caused considerable confusion in the Roman phalanx.

Scipio the Elder had long expected Hannibal to charge with superior cavalry, and in order to compensate for the lack of Roman cavalry, he paired light and cavalry with them on either side of the heavy troops. This not only compensated for the lack of cavalry, but also significantly lengthened the entire formation, making it impossible for Hannibal to use the tactics of encircling on both flanks. Hannibal's army, which had no support from the hoplites, gradually could not resist the pressure of the Roman hoplites, and fought hard until the afternoon, and finally gradually withdrew from the battlefield, and the Romans won the battle. Scipio the Elder immediately ordered the Roman army to move the barracks forward and relocate to the area of the battlefield, which was only about 5 kilometers away from Hannibal's barracks.

The Romans, of course, did not perceive that this was Hannibal's intention to lose the battle, nor did they ask why Hannibal sent only a small number of troops, not even heavy troops. Hannibal's aim was to be highly mobile and to be able to quickly retreat in the event of a losing battle. This victory boosted the confidence of the Romans, and Paulus, the deputy commander of the coalition forces, immediately ordered a third of the Roman army to cross the river and set up a second camp on the north bank on a high ground closer to Hannibal's camp, just over three kilometers from the enemy camp.

If the Roman army on the north bank launched an attack on Hannibal's camp and pinned down Hannibal's forces, the Roman army on the south bank could directly attack the city of Lilibal, so that Hannibal could not take care of everything. Hannibal immediately recognized the seriousness of the problem and moved his main camp outside the city of Lilibal on the south bank.

In this state, the two armies entered a standoff. The Roman army was so wary of Hannibal's tricks that they did not dare to rush into a decisive battle, and once Hannibal had already lined up with his whole army, but the Romans hesitated and did not respond to the battle. Opinions within the military are also not very unanimous. Scipio the Elder and most of the generals in his army believed that the Romans had a numerical advantage and should fight a decisive battle as soon as possible. Borus and a few others are still not very reassured, hoping to watch and wait more, and not to act rashly if they are not very sure.

In this two-day stalemate, Oscar's army had already experienced bitter battles; So, I was spared not to go to war. However, the Coalition's over-cautiousness made Oscar feel that nearly 40,000 Coalition troops were already being led by the nose by Hannibal's 15,000 army; Bayliss also quietly told Oscar that if this continued, the coalition would have no chance of winning.

Oscar, who was worried in his heart, came to the military tent of old Scipio, who was 54 years old this year, and his hair was already gray; At this time, he was lying alone on the general's table, studying the map of Lower Sicilya. Seeing Oscar coming alone, old Scipio said without raising his head: "Oscar, you are here for the two days of war; Our family is the backbone of Rome. So, don't be inhibited; Say whatever you want. ”

Old Scipio's arrogance was known to all, and what was even more remarkable was that he never had any familial prejudices; Since he said so, Oscar naturally didn't think much about him. So, Oscar said calmly: "Your Excellency Scipio, you have always been the supreme commander of the coalition forces; I'm sure you've seen in your old wisdom that Hannibal is leading us by the nose step by step.

If our nearly 40,000 troops are kept moving back and forth by Hannibal like this, we will soon lose the initiative and numerical superiority on the battlefield; When the time comes, with Hannibal's battlefield command ability and the elite of the army under his command. Our army of 40,000 is not necessarily winning! Sir Scipio, you are the conqueror in the hearts of the Romans; He is also a veteran of the battlefield who has been facing off against Hannibal for many years.

You know better than anyone how terrible Hannibal is and how powerful his legions are. Once we give him a chance, he will definitely seize the opportunity to give us a fatal blow! Five years ago we lost four of the five legions, and now we have ten legions and here we have seven of the most effective legions. If something happens, Rome will face an unprecedented crisis!

You know, it's not just the Carthaginians who are eyeing us; There were also the Gallic and Germanic barbarians of the north, the Greek city-states of the Greek peninsula and the Kingdom of Macedonia. Once we lose these seven elite legions here, the remaining three legions of recruits alone will not be able to stop these forces that are plotting against us. The reason why they are standing still now is just to wait for us and Hannibal to lose.

If this time the victory is achieved, the army of Hannibal is completely wiped out; Then Rome will move to a new peak in our hands, and no one and any force will dare to start a war against us easily. Instead, Rome will face at least three attacks: Hannibal will counterattack, Gaul will go south, and Macedonia will attack us across the sea. Your Excellency, we really can't wait! ”

After saying that, the excited Oscar looked at old Scipio with straight eyes, hoping that he could give himself a confident answer. In fact, from the moment Oscar spoke, old Scipio raised his head; has been listening carefully to Oscar's analysis, and sometimes nodding his head in agreement. Looking at Oscar's expectant eyes as he looked at him, old Scipio sighed; Said helplessly:

"Oscar, I admire you; It is not easy to have this insight and vision at your age. I am glad that Rome has such a talent as you; However, there are many things that I can't change even if I see them clearly. In the current coalition army, the Greek legion is not our Roman legion; Unless there is a final battle, the cunning Dionysios will never agree to send his legions into battle.

Of the remaining seven Roman legions, the only ones I could really command were the Boar Legion of the House of Scipio and the Fourth Legion; Maybe I can command your Oscar's army, but only if you follow my orders. Paulus, the deputy commander of the coalition forces, is the representative of the other three families who have joined forces to limit my command; If he doesn't agree with my battle plan, I won't be able to command those four legions.

Although the deputy commander Paulus was also a famous general in Rome, he was too cautious; An overly cautious general is no match for Hannibal at all, he will only lose our fighters. However, I can see it; What can it be? Of course, you don't have to be too pessimistic about the Oscars; After all, our military is more than twice as powerful as Hannibal. Even if we can't win, Hannibal won't be able to beat us easily.

Moreover, the guys in the Senate aren't just vying for power; They also considered the consequences of defeat in the event of defeat. So, at the time of the Seven Great Armies assembled in Sicily; The Latin provinces began a new round of conscription. This conscription was carried out in two waves; Before the war was concluded, the first wave of recruits from the 5 legions was recruited.

If we win, the recruits of these five legions will be in addition to replenishing the lost men; All others were disbanded on the spot, and the second wave of conscription was not carried out. If we lose, the five legions will be the new five legions; And the second wave of conscription of the five corps. Rest assured, Rome is Rome; It is because the Romans never forgot to leave themselves a way back. ”

Scipio the Elder's explanation, although it did not solve the fundamental problem of the current coalition forces, did it also solve its own difficulties; This is a difficulty that Oscar is also unable to solve. The only thing to be thankful for is that the Senate and the four major families at least considered the consequences of defeat and prepared in advance. Think about it, too, how can you be an enemy of Hannibal without thinking about defeat? He's the god of war!

Hannibal also knew that Rome was a little weak now, and he was always afraid that he would fall for his own plan again. The 32-year-old Hannibal decided that if he wanted the Romans to fight a decisive battle, he had to let their guard down and decided to make them feel that he was in control of the war. So he was content to do the little act of looting around every day, and from time to time he sent small forces to harass the two Roman camps, especially the Roman troops who often went to the river to get water.

There were winners and losers in such skirmishes, but in most cases, it was always the Romans who won by virtue of their numerical superiority. And as time went on, the Romans began to sense that the Carthaginians were gradually weakening, and the number of sorties was decreasing, and it seemed that they were losing faith. The Roman army, on the other hand, had the experience of victory in the first battle under the command of Scipio the Elder, and the overwhelming victory of numerous skirmishes, and their confidence and fighting spirit were growing day by day, and the desire for war in the army was growing day by day, and the influence of the Moderate faction was declining, until finally even Borus thought that the time was ripe for a battle.

But will the war really be as easy as the Romans expected? The Great War is about to break out!