““If a woman had been my general. Well, I think the battles would have been shorter, for one thing.” “Why?” “It is probably not right to say that women are softer,” he began, “because they can be hard when they want to be.” His lips thinned, and she felt a stab of jealousy at whatever female had given him such an impression. “But they are far more reasonable when honor is involved.” He met her gaze, a hint of laughter in his eyes. “Back to honor again,” he said. “Now that I am no longer in it, I have to say that there is very little honor in battle. There is courage, and strength, and forethought. But when it comes down to it”—and he shook his head almost mournfully—“the only honor is the false honor paraded around to puff up the people who are determined to lead men to their deaths.””
