It was always Hannibal's intention to utilise brute-force diplomacy as he campaigned across the Italian peninsula, hoping to break down the Roman alliances with the Socii and implode the Republic. However, the plan did not unfurl as intended and, as Carthage began to lose ground in the conflict, it completely backfired. The Massylii, a Numidian tribe, had been present at some of the greatest Carthaginian victories of the war, their superb mounted skirmisher cavalry being key to Hannibal's tactical success in many of them. When his fortunes began to sour, however, and after the death of the tribe's pro-Carthaginian leader, they defected to the Romans. Diplomatic overtures from Scipio to the new leader, Masinissa, further greased the wheels of this new alliance.
