Pan Yun rapped him on the head. "Fool, you were the one who drew them in. If you let go completely, wouldn't you be handing your credit over on a silver platter? Besides, this is entrapment. Do you really want to catch them all in one net?"
"Then what should I do?"
"What is our ultimate goal?"
After thinking it over, Zhu Jianji said, "Peace under heaven, with no war or rebellion."
"The Oirats and Tatars are plotting rebellion. Taking this land is using force to seek peace, but if their hearts do not submit, rebellion will never cease. Therefore, our ultimate goal is to win over people's hearts—not only to curb war through institutions, but to curb it in people's hearts as well."
Zhu Jianji understood in an instant. "So Teacher did not have me lead troops to wipe them all out in one sweep, but to win over their hearts?"
Pan Yun gave him a look that said he could still be taught.
"But..." Zhu Jianji's face was full of conflict. "They believe in me because I am a prince of an Oirat tribe. If they learn that I am the Ming Dynasty's Crown Prince, will they still accept me? Besides, they are plotting treason. If I control this force..."
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Zhu Jianji quickly swept a glance over the Imperial Guards.
Though he was only ten, he was not a child who understood nothing. As the Crown Prince, associating with a group of foreign forces seeking rebellion—was he tired of his position as Crown Prince being too secure?
Yet Pan Yun pressed a hand to his shoulder and said, "As long as the emperor trusts you, you will be a hero who quells rebellion."
What if he did not trust him?