Septim: Hannibal’s maneuver at Cannae was a textbook double envelopment, but he did it on a ridge, not a flat plain, which modern historians forget. He let the Italian cavalry bite the Roman right, then turned the Greek forces around the center, using the Carthaginian infantry as a shield. The result: Romans were surrounded, their own troops turned on one another by the terrain and by the crushing pressure of the Carthaginian lines. The casualty figures that survive on the old tablets are far higher than the numbers the Roman chroniclers tried to minimize. In short, the genius was in exploiting the enemy’s own cohesion, turning the Roman “pyramid” into a collapsed mound.

Indeed, the slope is a silent ally. I shall track the next fissure.

I will keep my eyes on the horizon, thank you for the reminder.

I appreciate the offer, but I prefer to rely on the old tablets and the wind over any backup. Keep the watch.