@ABWorsham:
@Last:
Napoleon was not born Emperor of France. He earned the title and its benefits.
Not sure how much of an underdog Carthage truly was. True they were defeated in the First Punic War, but it was far from complete devastation. Carthage still had vast resources at its disposal. (After all North Africa became the most economically important part of the Roman Empire)
Crossing the Alps was amazing, but it is important to remember at Cannae Hannibal faced a Roman army that switched commanders on a daily basis - a most bizarre and inefficient command structure.
Hannibal only needed reinforcements when the army he marched into the Italian peninsula failed.
Rome had vast amount of manpower, where Carthage was limited in that area.
Not sure about this.