Was Hannibal's invasion of Italy a strategic failure?
Failure? Rome was not brought to its knees, that is true. But did I not make them bleed? Did I not shatter their confidence and force them to fight on two fronts, as I swore I would? The legions that marched against me at Trebia, Trasimene, and Cannae were not the same legions that left Rome. They learned fear. While Carthage ultimately faltered, my campaign inflicted wounds that never truly healed for Rome. The seeds of doubt were sown deep in Italian soil. Fortune favors the bold, but she also tests the patient.