Rome had to mobilize all its forces to change the course of this war. Every year, Roman and Carthaginian armies met on the battlefields of Italy, Spain, and the Mediterranean islands, but the tally of victories began to tilt in favor of Rome.
Just nine years after the Battle of Cannae, Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother, gathered an army and led it to Italy. The Romans encountered his army near the Metaurus River in northern Italy. In the battle that followed, the Carthaginian army suffered a crushing defeat and Hasdrubal fell in this battle. This was the first truly significant Roman victory against the Carthaginians on Italian soil. The Carthaginian losses were so high that the Romans called this battle "the revenge of Cannae".
There was one man behind many Roman victories. Many years ago, in the hour of shame and despair of the Romans, there stood on the field of Cannae a young military tribune named Publius Cornelius Scipio. He grew up in that war, and when his time came, after the fall of his father and brother in Spain, he took command of the Roman forces.
In 205 BC, Scipio was already consul in Sicily. He planned to bring the war to Carthaginian soil to force Hannibal back to Africa to protect the capital.
But he was allowed to recruit new forces and use two legions he already had under his command. Scipio spent a lot of time training them. He introduced a new system of signals for more effective control of troops on the battlefield. A few years ago, Scipio concluded a treaty of alliance with the Numidian king Syphax and befriended Masinissa, the Numidian prince.
But the Carthaginians married Hannibal's niece Sophonisba to Syphax, even though she had been betrothed to Masinissa. This broke the alliance between Syphax and Rome but also turned Masinissa away from Carthage.
But even in such unfavorable circumstances, Scipio decided to bring the war to Carthaginian soil. In 204 BC, the Roman fleet left Lilibeum and landed on the African coast. Just after the landing, the Romans besieged Utica, the ancient Carthaginian capital. Scipio didn't have many troops, just about 20 or 30 thousand. Therefore, Scipio decided to devastate the Carthaginian continent and hope to get lucky in a decisive battle.
Panic grips Carthage. They relied on mercenaries and allied troops and did not have a regular army. But almost all the mercenaries were in Italy with Mago and Hannibal. The allied troops had not yet assembled. While Scipio was busy at the siege, the Carthaginians assembled an allied army twice the size of the Roman army. From a position of strength, the Carthaginians offered peace talks and Scipio accepted. He was waiting for Masinissa, who was gathering troops throughout Numidia.
Roman scouts would approach their camps and set them on fire at night. At the same time, the Roman legions were marching on them. Panic gripped the Punic soldiers and they began running for their lives. The Romans were able to disperse the enemy army. Hasdrubal fled the battlefield and the Romans captured Syfax. After that, Roman cavalry commander Gaius Lelius helped Masinissa take control of Numidia.
After this defeat, the Carthaginian Senate again sued for peace and Scipio agreed to a truce. Carthaginian envoys traveled to Rome to have the Roman Senate approve the peace treaty. At the same time, when they left Carthage, messages were sent to Mago and Hannibal asking the generals to return to Carthage.
But unfortunately for Carthage, the Romans defeated Mago in the Battle of Insubria and mortally wounded Mago himself. With the remains of his army, Mago sailed to Africa, but he died of his wounds before his fleet reached Carthage. Hannibal also returned home. But he lacked ships to take all his troops with him. This is why Hannibal only took with him his seasoned veterans who had been with him from the beginning of the war.
When the forces arrived in Africa, the Carthaginians broke the truce. They attacked the Roman fleet, sank the Roman ships and killed the Roman envoys. Hannibal was gathering his forces and preparing the army for the decisive battle.
Hannibal still hoped to make peace with Rome and suggested that Scipio meet him. But they failed to find common ground. Hannibal rejected the old peace agreement and proposed new conditions unacceptable to Rome. Moreover, now that his adversary was Hannibal, Scipio no longer wanted peace. He wanted to be remembered as someone who had defeated the glorious Hannibal, not as a consul who signed a peace treaty with Carthage.
The Battle of Zama was inevitable.
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