Book 2: Alexandros, Chapter 10 - 11 Summary

While catching up with the Spartan army on its way to take the port city-state of Antirhion, Xeones accounts for the Spartan way of approaching war. Knowing who the enemy is does not matter as the Spartans consider all foes to have no identity. The Spartans consider war to be simply work in the business of killing as many enemy troops as possible. The formation for battle consists of three forward lines arranged shoulder-to-shoulder, and upon engaging the enemy's line, the second two Spartan lines push the first into the enemy. Three rearward lines kill any soldiers still living after the forward lines push back the enemy line. Xeones and Alexandros catch up to the Spartan army at Rhion, where it will cross a narrow part of the Gulf of Corinth to Antirhion.

The two boys hire...