Hanibal excelled at using the indirect approach, not so much through raw deception, but by being able to keep a line of operation that left the enemy uncertain as to his next move. His large scale actions show the ways that strategy and tactics are related. He showed that facing hazardous conditions in order to secure a place from which the enemy can be caught off guard is a sound strategic policy that he employed with success. During Hannibal's era, there was a decided distinction between Roman territory and the nation of Italy, even though at some point that ceased to be true.