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He had defeated the Roman army of Scipio on the banks of the Rhone and he had guided his army safely across the mountain passes of theAlps although it was October and the roads were thickly covered with snow and ice. Then he had joined forces with the Gauls and together they had defeated a second Roman army just before they crossed the Trebia and laid siege to Placentia, the northern terminus of the road which connected Rome with the province of the Alpine districts.
他在羅納河畔擊潰了西皮奧將軍率領的羅馬軍隊，又指揮軍隊成功地攀越了10月時節、冰雪覆蓋的阿爾卑斯山。之后，他與高盧人會師，擊敗了正要渡過特拉比河的第二支羅馬軍隊。現在，漢尼拔正在圍困普拉森西亞，即一個位于連接羅馬與阿爾卑斯山區行省大道上的北方重鎮。
The Senate, surprised but calm and energetic as usual, hushed up the news of these many defeats and sent two fresh armies to stop the invader. Hannibal managed to surprise these troops on a narrow road along the shores of the Trasimene Lake and there he killed all the Roman officers and most of their men. This time there was a panic among the people of Rome, but the Senate kept its nerve. A third army was organised and the command was given to Quintus Fabius Maximus with full power to act "as was necessary to save the state."
元老院大吃一驚，表面卻不流露出來，依舊像平常那樣冷靜而精力充沛地工作著。他們隱瞞羅馬軍隊接連失敗的消息，又派遣了兩支新裝備的軍隊去阻擊漢尼拔。在特拉美諾湖邊的狹窄道路上，精于用兵的漢尼拔突然率軍殺出，撲向羅馬援軍。陣腳大亂的羅馬軍隊拼死抵擋，無奈漢尼拔已經占得先機。特拉美諾湖一役，所有的羅馬軍官和大部分士兵戰死沙場。這一回，羅馬人再也坐不住了，他們議論紛紛、驚恐難安，只有元老院還在強作鎮定。第三支軍隊被組織起來，交 由費邊·馬克西墨斯統領，并授予他"視拯救國家的需要"，采取行動的全權。
Fabius knew that he must be very careful lest all be lost. His raw and untrained men, the last available soldiers, were no match for Hannibal's veterans. He refused to accept battle but forever he followed Hannibal, destroyed everything eatable, destroyed the roads, attacked small detachments and generally weakened the morale of the Carthaginian troops by a most distressing and annoying form of guerilla warfare.
費邊深知漢尼拔是一個非常危險的對手。為免于全軍覆沒，他必須十二萬分地小心。況且他手下盡是些未經訓練的新兵，這已經是羅馬能夠征召的最后一批兵員了，根本無法與漢尼拔麾下身經百戰的老兵們匹敵。因此，費邊小心翼翼回避與漢尼拔發生正面決戰。他憑借對地形的熟悉，尾隨在漢尼拔身后，燒掉一切可吃的東西，并摧毀道路和橋梁。他還不時襲擊迦太基人的小股部隊，運用一種最令敵人困擾和痛苦的游擊戰術，來不斷削弱漢尼拔軍隊的士氣。
Such methods however did not satisfy the fearsome crowds who had found safety behind the walls of Rome.
這樣的戰術當然不能安慰飽受驚恐折磨的羅馬人民。他們躲進羅馬的城墻內避難，整日提心吊膽，希望一場大捷來徹底解除恐懼。
