Hannibal's Crossing of Lake Tracimani

Hannibal could have attacked Rome following his victory at Lake Tracimani but instead he decided to rally up more willing allies from within the lands of the Roman Republic. So Hannibal headed south towards the lands of Magna Grisia and the Romans stayed in hot pursuit. They did not want to give Hannibal any kind of opportunity to settle anywhere within the Republic. Should Hannibal be allowed to settle he may have created a power base in which he could start recruiting societies who believed that defecting Hannibal would be advantageous considering how formidable he appeared to be.