The Amlicites joining the Lamanites (v. 24) may or may not have been pre-arranged, but war is a by-product of priestcraft. In general, the Nephites had gone north when they first separated into two groups and became Nephites and Lamanites (see 2 Nephi 5). The land of Nephi was south of the land of Zarahemla. The Prophet Joseph Smith gave his opinion that the ruins of Quirigua in Central America were those of Zarahemla. In this area, to go up is to go south. Therefore, the land of Minon above (south of) the land of Zarahemla (Alma 2:24) was threatening the land of Zarahemla. The Amlicites and Nephites had fought on the east side of the river Sidon (v. 15) and apparently the valley of Gideon (vv. 20, 26) was far enough from Zarahemla to require them to camp away from Zarahemla, but close enough for the spies to see the approaching Lamanites (v. 24). The safety of Zarahemla was their great concern.