After their exhausting journey through the Alps, the men were fatigued but had enormous confidence because of their accomplishment.
"The men had become as filthy and unkempt as savages,
and the sudden change from labour to leisure, from
starvation to plenty, from dirt and misery to decent
living had affected them in various ways."
They were permitted to rest for a week in the Po Valley where they recuperated and prepared for the coming battles.
Once in the Po Valley, there were about 26,000 infantry, 6,000 calvary, a few hundred camels, and a handful of elephants. At the time of the battle near Placentia, thousands of Ligurians and Gauls were part of Hannibal's army.