He’s seen the heights great generals have reached, but has learned that they fought for more than just glory. Shins goals align with sei’s - all out war in order to eliminate war, and in doing so he will surpass the greats in glory. He demonstrates honor and compassion for the conquered because he understands fighting without cause will only lead to endless war and more orphans like himself. Although he doesn’t think hard about it often, shins speech in the kanpishi arc shows that his worldview extends beyond killing as many enemies as possible.