Hannibal

Hannibal Vaca (Hannibal Barca, 247-182 BC) was a famous general of Carthage in the ancient country of North Africa. When he was young, he marched into Spain with his father Hamirka Vaca, became an enemy of Rome for life, and had excellent military performance. During the second Punic War, he led troops from Spain over the Pyrenees and Alps into northern Italy, defeating the Romans at the Battle of Trabia (218 BC), Lake Tracimeno (217 BC) and Cannes (216 BC). After the Battle of Cannes, the Romans refused to confront Hannibal and gradually recaptured the stronghold in southern Italy. In 204 BC, the Romans, led by the Great Scipio, invaded the basic lands of Carthage, forcing Hannibal to return to Africa. In 202 BC, the Great Scipio defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama. After the war, Hannibal became an administrator of Carthage in 196 BC to help Carthage recover from the scourge of the war. In 195 BC, the Romans forced Hannibal to be expelled. Hannibal fled the East and went into exile in the kingdom of Seleucid until 189 BC, when Rome defeated Antioch and asked for Hannibal's extradition. Hannibal fled to the Kingdom of Petiniya in northern Asia minor. Even so, the Romans were still worried about Hannibal, who had been trying to extradite him to Rome for trial. Hannibal poisoned himself in 182 BC. At the end of the 6th century BC, there was a rich and powerful slave country in northern Africa-Carthage. Carthage was a hostile country of Rome, and the two countries were at war for years. Little Hannibal grew up in the flames of the first Punic War. The war between them was called the Punic War because the Romans called the Gallions. At the age of nine, his father ordered him to kneel at the altar and swear: when he grows up, he must become the sworn enemy of Rome. Hannibal kept his oath firmly in mind, and at the age of 25 he became the commander-in-chief of the Carthaginian forces in Spain. It was not long before the second Punic War broke out when Carthage attacked the Spanish ally of Rome, the city of Sagum. The Romans had planned to split into two ways: one from Sicily to attack Carthai, and the other to land from Spain to contain Hannibal's army. But Hannibal unexpectedly avoided the main force of the Romans and, at great risk, led the army from the path across the inaccessible Alps and into the Italian mainland, dealing a heavy blow to the Roman army. The Roman army was unprepared, and the battle plans were all disrupted, and the Carthaginian soldiers, who were supplied by the Gallic tribe, entered Italy and defeated the Roman army at one stroke. This victory caused many wait-and-see tribes to join Hannibal's army, and Hannibal's army expanded further. In June 217 BC, Hannibal adopted circuitous tactics and set up an ambush on the banks of Lake Trasmino in central Italy, introducing nearly 30,000 troops of four Roman legions into a canyon surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing the lake on one side. Hannibal's army ended the battle in less than three hours. The Roman army suffered heavy losses, the consul was killed, 15000 people were killed, thousands were captured, and only 6000 people rushed out of the siege and fled into a nearby village. Hannibal's soldiers were in hot pursuit, and all the Roman soldiers surrendered under the condition of laying down their arms and keeping their lives. Hannibal treated the prisoners differently, ordered all Roman soldiers to be shackled, and immediately released the Italians without Roman citizenship. The victory made the Romans very afraid of Hannibal, calling him "Rome's nightmare". Hannibal is not only a talented strategist, but also an excellent diplomat. He paid attention to taking advantage of the contradictions between Rome and its Italian allies to isolate and weaken Rome. At the same time, he formed an anti-Roman alliance with his Roman neighbors along the Mediterranean coast. In August 216 BC, fierce fighting broke out in the famous city of Cornay. At that time, the Roman army had 80,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry, while Hannibal had only 40,000 infantry and 14,000 cavalry. In this war, Hannibal took the art of command to the extreme. Through accurate calculation and perfect dispatch, he surrounded the enemy with half as many troops as the enemy. After 12 hours of fierce battle, the Roman army was defeated and lost more than 70,000 men, while Hannibal lost less than 6,000 men, creating a brilliant example of winning more with less in ancient military history. In August 216 BC, fierce fighting broke out in the famous city of Cornay. At that time, the Roman army had 80,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry, while Hannibal had only 40,000 infantry and 14,000 cavalry. In this war, Hannibal took the art of command to the extreme. Through accurate calculation and perfect dispatch, he surrounded the enemy with half as many troops as the enemy. After 12 hours of fierce battle, the Roman army was defeated and lost more than 70,000 men, while Hannibal lost less than 6,000 men, creating a brilliant example of winning more with less in ancient military history.