[Sidenote:  B.C. 207 (a.u. 547)] The following year upon announcement of Hasdrubal’s approach the people of Rome gathered their forces, summoned their allies, and chose Claudius Nero and Marcus Livius consuls.  Nero they sent against Hannibal, Livius against Hasdrubal.  The latter met him near the city of Sena but did not immediately open engagement with him.  For many days he remained stationary, and Hasdrubal was in no hurry for battle, either, but remained at rest awaiting his brother.  Nero and Hannibal entered Lucania to encamp and neither hastened to array his forces for battle, but in other ways they had some conflicts.  Hannibal kept constantly changing position and Nero kept careful watch of him.  As he constantly had the advantage of him and ere long captured the letter sent to him by Hasdrubal, he began to despise Hannibal, but fearing that Hasdrubal might overwhelm Livius through mere numbers he ventured upon a hazardous exploit.  He left on the spot a portion of his force sufficient to check Hannibal in case the latter should make any movement, and he gave the men injunctions to do everything to create the impression that he was also there.  He selected the flower of his army and started out apparently to attack some neighboring city, nor did any one know his true intentions.  He hastened on, then, against Hasdrubal, reached his colleague at night, and took up his quarters in the latter’s entrenchments.  Both made ready for a sudden attack upon the invader.  The situation did not go concealed, but Hasdrubal inferred what had happened from the fact that the word of command was given twice; for each consul issued orders to his own troops separately.  Suspecting therefore that Hannibal had been defeated and had perished,—­for he calculated that if his brother were alive, Nero would never have marched against him,—­he determined to retire among the Gauls and there find out definitely about his brother and so carry on the war at his convenience.

So after giving orders to the army to break up he started out that night, and the consuls from the noise suspected what was going on, yet they did not move immediately because of the darkness.  At dawn, however, they sent the cavalry ahead to pursue the enemy and they themselves followed.  Hasdrubal made a stand against the cavalry, deeming them an isolated troop, but the consuls came up and routed him and followed after the fugitives, of whom they slaughtered many.  Even the elephants were of no help to the Carthaginians.  Inasmuch as some of them that had been wounded did more harm to those in charge of them than had been done by the enemy, Hasdrubal gave orders to those seated upon them to slay the beasts as fast as they got wounded.  And they killed them very easily by piercing them with an iron instrument under the ear.  So they were destroyed by the Carthaginians, but the men by the Romans.  So many fell that the Romans became surfeited with slaughter and did not wish to pursue the rest.  They had destroyed Hasdrubal along with many others, they had secured huge quantities of spoil, they had found Roman captives to the number of four thousand in the camp, and thought they had sufficiently retrieved the disaster of Cannae.