Hannibal's Third DecisionYou have
changed History! It is generally considered bad policy in this era
to use rivers at your back, since retreating would be slow work that could
cost you many of your troops. It cuts down on your mobility, and
your options, and its motivational capacity is dubious. Had Hannibal
chosen to stand here, he'd probably have had his army (and himself) slaughtered,
and we'd have had no more problems. So, that's not what he
did. Below, see why the other choice was better. Good decision! Hannibal
realized that he could only defeat such a large force by using his wits,
and this was the perfect opportunity. He hurried his army across
the river, concealing his cavalry near the banks. The Romans, anxious
to give the young whippersnapper an early defeat, pursued him at top speed.
This led to their undoing, as it is extremely difficult to fight in 3 feet
of water! While the Roman force was up to its armpits in river, the
Carthaginian cavalry rushed in with them. The horsemen of the cavalry,
free to swing swords and thrust spears, destroyed the Roman force.
Once the Romans retreated, Hannibal's army raced back across the river,
and thumped 'em good. Now, you will have another choice. Fresh off his stunning victory,
Hannibal was even more excited to attack his sworn enemy. Saguntum was the southernmost city
in Spain, allied with Rome. Situated on the southern bank of the
Iberus River, it was a wealthy and prosperous city, well fortified against
invasion by land or sea. If Hannibal chooses to attack Saguntum,
it will definitely precipitate a Second Punic War, and all hopes of a peaceful
coexistence will be gone. Hannibal is not really in need of the money
that rests in Saguntum, but it may not be wise to leave so hostile a city
behind him, if he heads on to attack Rome itself. Attacking Saguntum will
cause the Romans to be warned of Hannibal's intentions, though there can
be little doubt of them anyway. It will also cause what we will call
the Fortification Problem. It takes time and troops to reduce
such a city, during which time the Romans may try to reinforce the town,
or find other methods of resistance. Hannibal has neither unlimited
time, nor the unlimited resources, that reducing cities requires. Faced with these options, what
would you do?