216 BC. Rome was bleeding. North African general Hannibal Barca just obliterated 50,000 Roman soldiers at Cannae—the worst defeat in Roman history.

For 15 long years, Hannibal could not be stopped.

From marching war elephants through the Alps to weaponizing gossip (and cows), Hannibal is still considered one of recorded history's Top 10 military minds.

So Rome sent a 20-something Scipio - an untested ‘Gen Z’ commander - to fix it.

And Scipio did just that.

Instead of brainstorming ways to destroy Hannibal on the battlefield in a blaze of glory, Scipio dove into boring stuff - like the enemy’s supply chain and psychological tendencies.

Hannibal’s war machine depended on supplies and revenue from one hub - his North African capital, Carthage.

But after 15 years of kicking ass, Hannibal got overconfident, leaving only 1,000 troops at home.

Scipio timed his attack with an unexpected low tide, exposing a hidden path beneath the "impregnable" walls. In a single day, Rome captured the city.

Hannibal scrambled to Rome to protect his capital, but the damage was done.

Though Hannibal still possessed the stronger army, Scipio's strategy of starving Carthage weakened his enemy just enough. Within a few years, Carthage surrendered.

The war was over.

“Boring” obsessions ended an intercontinental war.

Robert Greene's 16th Strategy of War says:

Apply this to the B2B battlefield 👇

Burn your competitors’ oxygen!

🤓NERD OUT

Unearth your competitor's source of oxygen - this could range from revenue (major clients), operations (vendor relationships), or reputation (review sites where they rank highest). Be boring.

🔥SOFTEN THE EARTH

Slowly burn your competitor's oxygen. Woo competitor accounts, outrank on review sites, and seed gossip with vendors. Be methodical.

⚔️ ATTACK

With your competitor oxygen-starved,. Steal clients, become their supplier's top priority, and bury them on review sites.

~ The B2B Bandits ~

NOTE: This is the 16th weekly installment of our latest series - the B2B Bandits’ practical interpretation of Robert Greene’s 33 Strategies of War. Back-issues here.