他们高叫着"行动"。必须采取行动，而且是坚决迅速的行动。在这片一浪高过一浪的"行动"呼声中，一个名为瓦罗的民众英雄，也就是那个在罗马城四处发表激昂的演说、宣称自己将比年老体衰、行动迟缓的费边高明千百倍的家伙赢得了大众的青睐。可怜的费边早就被冠以"延缓者"的绰号，遭到全体罗马人的唾弃，瓦罗在群众的鼓掌声中顺理成章地成为了罗马军队的新任总司令。公元前216年，在康奈战役中，瓦罗指挥的军队遭到了罗马有史以来最为惨重的失败。7万多人被杀，汉尼拔成为了意大利的主宰。

　　He marched from one end of the peninsula to the other, proclaiming himself the "deliverer from the yoke of Rome" and asking the different provinces to join him in warfare upon the mother city. Then once more the wisdom of Rome bore noble fruit. With the exceptions of Capua and Syracuse, all Roman cities remained loyal. Hannibal, the deliverer, found himself opposed by the people whose friend he pretended to be. He was far away from home and did not like the situation. He sent messengers to Carthage to ask for fresh supplies and new men. Alas, Carthage could not send him either.

　　现在汉尼拔可以长驱直入了，他从亚平宁半岛的这一端杀到另一端，如入无人之境。大军所过之处，他都不遗余力地宣称自己是"把人民从罗马重轭下解放出来的救主"，并号召人民加入他反抗罗马的战争。这一次，罗马的明智政策又结出了至为可贵的果实。"解放者"汉尼拔伪装成人民的朋友，可他发现被解放的人民似乎并不领情。他处处遭到人民的反对与抵抗，兼之劳师远征、苦战于敌国，给养和兵员的补充难以为继。汉尼拔当然清楚自己的危险处境，他派信使回迦太基，要求增援装备和士兵。可惜，这两样都是迦太基无法给他的。

　　The Romans with their boarding-bridges, were the masters of the sea. Hannibal must help himself as best he could. He continued to defeat the Roman armies that were sent out against him, but his own numbers were decreasing rapidly and the Italian peasants held aloof from this selfappointed "deliverer." After many years of uninterrupted victories, Hannibal found himself besieged in the country which he had just conquered.

　　罗马人和他们登陆的桥梁是大海的主人。汉尼拔必须尽最大的努力自救。他继续击败那些罗马人。但是他率领的军队的数量在急剧地减少。意大利农民也在远离他重新任命的"快递人"。就这样，经过多年的不断胜利，汉尼拔发现自己反倒陷入了被征服的国家的包围之中。