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They wanted "action." Something must be done and must be done quickly. A popular hero by the name of Varro, the sort of man who went about the city telling everybody how much better he could do things than slow old Fabius, the "Delayer," was made commander-in-chief by popular acclamation. At the battle of Cannae(216) he suffered the most terrible defeat of Roman history. More than seventy thousand men were killed. Hannibal was master of all Italy.
他們高叫著"行動"。必須采取行動，而且是堅決迅速的行動。在這片一浪高過一浪的"行動"呼聲中，一個名為瓦羅的民眾英雄，也就是那個在羅馬城四處發表激昂的演說、宣稱自己將比年老體衰、行動遲緩的費邊高明千百倍的家伙贏得了大眾的青睞。可憐的費邊早就被冠以"延緩者"的綽號，遭到全體羅馬人的唾棄，瓦羅在群眾的鼓掌聲中順理成章地成為了羅馬軍隊的新任總司令。公元前216年，在康奈戰役中，瓦羅指揮的軍隊遭到了羅馬有史以來最為慘重的失敗。7萬多人被殺，漢尼拔成為了意大利的主宰。
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.
現在漢尼拔可以長驅直入了，他從亞平寧半島的這一端殺到另一端，如入無人之境。大軍所過之處，他都不遺余力地宣稱自己是"把人民從羅馬重軛下解放出來的救主"，并號召人民加入他反抗羅馬的戰爭。這一次，羅馬的明智政策又結出了至為可貴的果實。"解放者"漢尼拔偽裝成人民的朋友，可他發現被解放的人民似乎并不領情。他處處遭到人民的反對與抵抗，兼之勞師遠征、苦戰于敵國，給養和兵員的補充難以為繼。漢尼拔當然清楚自己的危險處境，他派信使回迦太基，要求增援裝備和士兵。可惜，這兩樣都是迦太基無法給他的。
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.
羅馬人和他們登陸的橋梁是大海的主人。漢尼拔必須盡最大的努力自救。他繼續擊敗那些羅馬人。但是他率領的軍隊的數量在急劇地減少。意大利農民也在遠離他重新任命的"快遞人"。就這樣，經過多年的不斷勝利，漢尼拔發現自己反倒陷入了被征服的國家的包圍之中。
