Xenophon says that, having decided to fight, Epaminondas arranged the army into battle order, and then marched it in a column parallel to the Mantinean lines, so that it appeared that the army was marching elsewhere, and would not fight that day.
Xenofonte indica que, unha vez decidira loitar, Epaminondas despregou ao exército en orde de batalla, e logo marchou nunha columna paralela ás liñas de Mantinea, de maneira que parecese que o exército marchaba a algún outro lugar e que non tiña intención de loitar ese día.