The Lion's Brood Triumphant
POD 215 BC: The Battle of Dertosa. Better command of his cavalry lead to Hasdrubal Barca having a victory at the Battle of Dertosa. Momentarily giving up the idea of engaging the Carthaginians in Iberia, the Scipios takes the remainder of their army and head back to the Italian peninsula to support the Roman armies against the armies of Hannibal, Mago, and Hasdrubal Gisco.
With reinforcements from Mago and Hasdrubal Gisco, Hannibal is able to successfully siege and take the city of Nola in 214 BC. Several more city-states, including a few northern ones, on the Peninsula come over to Hannibal after the Battle of Nola. With almost all of Southern Italy under his sway, Hannibal must now contend with the legendary Roman legions harassing him whenever he makes war with in another region of the Italian Peninsula. However, with four armies at his command instead of the one he had IOTL, he manages to inflict several crushing defeats on them. Having been rebuffed when he came to Rome to talk peace terms, Hannibal has a new goal: to capture Rome itself and make the Romans see that their cause is lost.
Hannibal suffers a devastating blow when the Scipios in charge of an extremely large legionary force manages to crush the forces led by Mago Barca and kill Mago at the Battle of Latina (June 212 BC) while sustaining heavy losses of their own. A stalemate develops a few miles east of Latina and continues throughout the summer. During this time, Hannibal appeals to Carthage to send more troops. However, the anti-Barca factions of Carthage work against him to only send 4000 Numidian cavalry men and 20 elephants.
In order to bolster his forces, Hannibal sends Hasdrubal to Ptolemaic Egypt to hire mercenaries. Hasdrubal returns with 8,000 Egyptian infantry and 500 Egyptian cavalry composed almost entirely of native Egyptians. In September 212 BC, Hannibal ambushes the Scipios a few miles from Latina and manages to win a decisive victory against their forces, killing most of the men along with both Scipio the Elder and Publius Cornelius Scipio.
September 212 BC: Hannibal continues a rapid march to Rome to lay siege to the city but is met with a large force of 15,000, mainly the dregs of Roman soldier commanded by Scipio the Younger and Gnaeus Fulvius. The seasoned Carthaginians and fresh mercenaries make short work of them and continue their famed March to Rome. Rome is in a panic not seen since Hannibal took Cannae as the Senate desperately raises a combined force of free men and slaves to face Hannibal.
But farmers, city-dwellers, and slaves do not fight like soldiers and mercenaries and the army is crushed with many made prisoner. Hannibal starts to siege Rome while the Senate debates whether to sue for peace. Hannibal has repeatedly stressed that Sicily will be returned to Carthage and Rome remains mostly confined to the Italian Peninsula. As one senator says, “Should Hannibal should breach our gates, the people of Rome will be made slaves of Carthage.”
During the siege, Carthage sends an additional 8000 infantry with supplies to aid Hannibal in his siege. The Romans muster another force of 15,000 infantry and 1000 cavalry, to force the Carthaginians out. The Battle for Rome (December 212 BC) is a bitter one but ends in the utter defeat and merciless slaughter of the Roman force. After the battle, the Senate begins to debate again whether to raise yet another force to fight the Carthaginians. As Cato the Elder begins an impassioned speech for Rome to fight until “Hannibal is forced to march his men through the streets of Hell”, Scipio the Younger without a word yanks him down from the platform, ending his speech and any more discussion about fighting Carthage.
212 BC: The Roman Senate sues for peace and Hannibal consults with the Carthaginian government to determine the terms of Roman surrender. Rome returns Sicily to Carthage, pays a small war fine to Carthage, and recognizes the supremacy of Carthage in the western Mediterranean.
211 BC: Carthage ran a huge debt with their protracted war with Rome and desperately needed to get new sources of precious metals to avoid another Mercenary War and the revolt of various Hispanic and Numidian tribes. Tale of fields of gold are already known to Carthage from Berber nomads and they use camels from Persia to make the journey. A few diplomats and merchants make the journey to Jenne Jeno.
Last edited: