Soldier with a lance, maybe (8)
I believe the answer is:
corporal
'soldier' is the definition.
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for corporal that I've seen before include "Petty officer" , "Poor Carl (anag)" , "Napoleon was this little" , "NCO next under a sergeant" , "Army rank" .)