Crossword Genius

Old king or noted military leader (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cole

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'old king' is the definition.
(nursery rhyme character Old King Cole)

'noted military leader' is the wordplay.
'noted military' becomes 'col' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'leader' becomes 'e' (I've seen this in other clues).
'col'+'e'='COLE'

'or' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cole that I've seen before include "Old nursery rhyme king" , "Cabbage" , "Old English king!" , "died in 2015" , "Elderly monarch" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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