Fight with soldiers in Greek city state (6)
I believe the answer is:
sparta
'greek city state' is the definition.
'sparta' can be an answer for 'state' (I have seen 'Laconic state' mean 'sparta' so perhaps 'state' could also mean 'sparta'). I am unsure of the 'greek city' bit.
'fight with soldiers' is the wordplay.
'fight' becomes 'spar' (sparring is a kind of fighting).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'soldiers' becomes 'TA' (abbreviation for Territorial Army).
'spar'+'ta'='SPARTA'
'in' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sparta that I've seen before include "Ancient Greek city-state" , "Ancient Greek city state" , "Old Greek city state, famous for its citizens' austere lifestyle" , "A strap from an ancient Greek city?" , "Ancient Greek city noted for its austerity" .)