Men ordered to guard the southern gates? (8)
I believe the answer is:
sentries
'men' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both people as well as being plural nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'ordered to guard the southern gates?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'ordered' could be 'sent' and 'sent' is found in the answer.
'southern' could be 's' (abbreviation) and 's' is present in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sentries that I've seen before include "It sneers at those on watch" , "Lookouts, guards" , "Sentinels, guards" , "Soldiers on guard duty" , "Guards to control entry" .)