The besieged in turn take the offensive. One night, they cross the ditch of the Roman camp on the isthmus with the help of long planks and begin to tear down the palisade and attack the enemy. There is panic among the troops of Manilius, once again Scipio, by a bold maneuver, will save them by charging the Carthaginians with the cavalry.
The consul decides to reinforce the defenses of his camp then, the supply of the troops being difficult, he sends the tribunes, in turn with a strong escort, to requisition wood, fodder and food in the surroundings. All have suffered greatly from the ambushes of Hasdrubal and Phaimas, with the exception of Scipio Emilian; the fame of the young leader increasingly exceeded the framework of his own troops and he quickly became the most effective and popular captain of the Roman army.
Manilius, quite jealous of his subordinate, decides to restore his prestige and organizes an expedition against Nepheris, a town located on the heights, about thirty kilometers south-east of Tunis. Hasdrubal held his headquarters there and, from this position, could monitor and threaten the Romans. But the consul, quite inexperienced in the art of war, got the matter off to a bad start, despite the formal advice of Scipio, who once again succeeded in extricating the Roman cohorts in extremis; the losses were severe and the legionnaires no longer trust anyone but this young tribune who each time manages to save them from the worst.
Also, the senate of Rome having sent emissaries to investigate this siege which is bogged down, they collect unanimous testimonies on the military value of Scipio. It is also to him that Massinissa, dying, entrusted the care of settling his estate. The young tribune divides the government of the kingdom between the three legitimate sons according to the skills of each. Gulussa receives command of the Numidian armies which he places at the service of Rome; having a great experience of skirmish warfare such as Hasdrubal and Phaimas lead, his presence proves to be invaluable all the more so as it rallies cities hitherto loyal to Carthage.
Scipio, after a chance interview with Phaimas; manages to detach the lieutenant of Hasdrubal from the Carthaginian cause and makes him join the Roman forces with his horsemen. It is still a triumph for the young tribune. In the meantime, the consuls being elected for only one year, Manilius, at the end of - 149, yields the command of the Roman forces to his replacement Pison accompanied by an admiral:Mancinus. He returns to Rome where he is preceded by Scipio, welcomed as a winner, and by Phaimas. But the new leaders fail in their military operations. Carthage raises its head; the city is no longer blocked and was even able to rescue Bizerte (former Hippo-Zarytos) besieged; many corsairs based in the latter port indeed constantly harassed the supply convoys intended for the Romans. The Punic government sends emissaries to rally other forces against Rome; a lieutenant of Gulussa abandons the latter with 800 cavalry; the Moors themselves are solicited.
But ambition and jealousy eat away at Hasdrubal. The command of the army of Nepheris is no longer enough for him. If launches a campaign of slander against his namesake, nephew of Gulussa by his mother, and responsible for the defense of the city of Carthage; the latter is accused of complicity with the Numidian enemy and he is assassinated in the middle of the Senate. Hasdrubal then becomes the commander-in-chief of all Carthaginian forces.