My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

"Fooled?"

Dorgon was taken aback by Fan Wencheng's nonsensical words. His bloodshot eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment. He stopped and stared at Fan Wencheng with a frown.

"Whose trick have you fallen for? Mr. Fan, explain yourself clearly!"

Fan Wencheng took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but his speech was still extremely fast:
"Your Highness, haven't you realized yet? This is all a carefully designed trap! It's a conspiracy by the Ming army! It's a trick by Hong Chengchou and his gang of southern barbarians! I dare to swear on my life that Prince Su, Haoge, has absolutely no reason or courage to assassinate you in such a clumsy way at this time and place!"

"We've all been played! We've been manipulated by Hong Chengchou!"

"A Ming army conspiracy?"

Upon hearing this, Dorgon was first taken aback, then an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

He had been blinded by anger and was only thinking about how to capture Haug, this "traitor," and tear him to pieces; he hadn't thought about that direction at all.

Seeing that Dorgon seemed skeptical, Fan Wencheng quickly stepped forward and stated his findings and deductions.

"Your Highness, please calm down and think carefully! First, if Hauge really wanted to usurp the throne, would assassinating you have any effect? ​​Absolutely not!"

“You’re not the one sitting on the dragon throne now; you’re just the regent. Even if we kill you, the emperor will still be the emperor, but Prince Hauge will be branded with the heinous crime of ‘murdering a prince and plotting rebellion,’ becoming the target of everyone’s wrath. What will the other banner princes think? He will be in an even more dangerous situation than he is now! This makes no sense at all!”

He paused, observed Dorgon's gradually changing expression, and continued:
"Secondly, and most importantly! Before coming to your residence, I made a special detour to Prince Su's residence! It was already surrounded by your troops, but I managed to find out that Hauge fled in a panic!"

"His wife, concubines, most of his wives, daughters, and even the large amount of gold, silver, and valuables accumulated in the mansion were all left intact in the mansion!"

"He only took a few personal guards and a few young sons with him! Your Highness, think about it, if Hauge's rebellion was premeditated and well-prepared, how could he be in such a sorry state? He couldn't even take care of his family and treasures? Does this look like someone who is about to rebel?"

"This is clearly a hasty escape made to save one's life after suddenly encountering great fright and threat!"

Fan Wencheng's voice grew louder and louder, and his emotions became increasingly agitated:
"Third, I learned from Prince Su's residence that tonight, almost at the same time as your assassination attempt, a group of assassins in black attacked Prince Su's residence! Those assassins were also exceptionally skilled, and the waist badges of the Imperial Guards were found on the bodies of the assassins who were killed!"

"Right now, everyone in Prince Su's residence is saying that Your Highness, out of fear of Prince Su, sent the imperial guards to assassinate him! Hauge was forced into this situation and had no choice but to fight his way out of the city to protect himself!"

"What?! Is that really true?!"

Upon hearing this, Dorgon was struck as if by lightning, his entire body stiffening on the spot, his eyes wide open like copper bells, his face filled with extreme shock and disbelief!

He was so preoccupied with how to capture Hauge that he had neither the time nor the inclination to investigate what had happened to Hauge.

As Fan Wencheng connected the clues on both sides, he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His head buzzed as if a heavy hammer had struck him, making him dizzy and almost unable to stand!

"Your Highness! Don't you understand?"

Fan Wencheng stamped his foot in anguish, his voice filled with grief and indignation.

"This is a vicious plot meticulously planned by Ming spies! They simultaneously sent men disguised as the enemy's confidants to assassinate you and Prince Su, and deliberately left behind 'conclusive' evidence! Their goal is to create a huge misunderstanding, causing you brothers to turn against each other and kill one another!"

"This will cause our Qing Dynasty to split apart and fall into civil war! In this way, the Ming Dynasty can reap the benefits! Your Highness! How vicious Hong Chengchou's move is! We...we have all fallen into his trap!"

"Hong Chengchou's Ming army's strategy of sowing discord."

Dorgon muttered to himself, his face turning from ashen to deathly pale, cold sweat instantly soaking his inner shirt.

Fan Wencheng's analysis was like a wake-up call, instantly extinguishing the raging fire in his heart, replacing it with a deep-seated fear and anger!
Yes! Haug may be arrogant, but he is by no means a fool! How could he do something so stupid as to destroy his own position and give others a handle to use against him?

How could I have been so blinded by anger that I failed to see such an obvious flaw? Everything was meticulously planned and executed with such precision; what else could it be but a premeditated scheme to sow discord?!

After realizing what was happening, Dorgon was both shocked and furious. He grabbed Fan Wencheng's arm and asked urgently:

"Mr. Fan! Things have come to this, what should we do? You must make a decision quickly! I am completely confused and have no idea what to do!"

This regent, who was a formidable force on the battlefield and instilled fear in the Ming army, now seemed somewhat helpless in the face of intricate political conspiracies.

He excels at direct combat and strategic planning, but this kind of cunning, hidden, bloodless killing is not his forte.

Seeing that Dorgon had finally come to his senses, Fan Wencheng felt somewhat relieved and quickly said:
"Your Highness, the most urgent task is to immediately cease all extreme actions! The order to search for Hauge throughout the city must be rescinded immediately! In particular, the pursuing troops sent out of the city must be recalled immediately! The misunderstanding has already been created, and tensions are high between the two sides. If any of the troops clash with Hauge's forces, or even engage in battle, the situation will truly be beyond repair!"

"A single spark can start a prairie fire! Eventually, the fake will become the real thing!"

Upon hearing this, Dorgon was startled and immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

Although he still harbored resentment towards Hauge and even considered taking the opportunity to eliminate him, he was even more aware that if he were to actually fight Hauge at this moment, the Qing Dynasty would surely fall into an abyss of no return!
He turned abruptly and shouted sternly at the commander of the guards, who had been standing silently at the door:

"Quickly! Immediately issue this urgent order! All troops dispatched to pursue Prince Su must withdraw immediately! Without fail! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

"Whoo!"

Sensing the murderous intent and urgency in Dorgon's words, the commander of the guards dared not delay and rushed out to relay the order.

Watching the departing figure of the guard commander, Dorgon let out a long sigh, but his mood grew heavier.

He walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked out at the still dark night and the scattered torchlight in Shenyang. An unprecedented sense of powerlessness and anger welled up in his heart.

He considered himself a hero, but he never expected to be outmaneuvered by an opponent thousands of miles away, almost causing a catastrophe!

How could he possibly swallow this insult?
But right now, the most important thing is how to clean up this mess.

Time flew by in tension and unease, and the east gradually began to show the first light of dawn.

After a night of frantic running, Hauge and his men, exhausted, finally arrived at the main camp of the Zhenglan Banner, located dozens of miles north of Shenyang, at dawn. The camp was under his absolute control.

The sentries outside the camp gate saw a disheveled group of men galloping towards them from afar. When they recognized the leader as Prince Su, Hauge, they were immediately terrified. They quickly opened the camp gate and ran to report to the main generals in the camp. The news spread throughout the camp as fast as it could. The high-ranking generals of the Plain Blue Banner, including the Gushan Ejen and Meile Zhangjing, were all greatly alarmed upon hearing the news. They scrambled out of their tents and rushed to the camp gate to greet them.

When they saw the usually imposing Prince Su in such a disheveled state, they all felt a sense of foreboding.

"Your Highness! What's wrong with you? Why are you here so late at night?"

Gushan Ezhen Ashan rushed forward to help Hauge, who was about to fall off his horse, his voice filled with fear and doubt.

With the help of his personal guards, Hauge staggered off his horse, his legs even feeling weak when he landed.

He looked around at his subordinates and generals who had rushed over upon hearing the news, their faces filled with concern and shock. Recalling the harrowing experience of the previous night, a huge wave of grievance, anger, and lingering fear surged into his heart.

Panting heavily, he disregarded all decorum and recounted in detail, with embellishments, how he had been "assassinated" in the Prince's Mansion in Shenyang the previous night, how the "Imperial Guard" token had been found, and how he was forced to fight his way out of the encirclement and escape Shenyang.

Of course, in his narrative, Dorgon and Dayuer became conspirators who plotted to get rid of him, while he was a victim forced to resist.

Upon hearing Hauge's words, the generals of the Plain Blue Banner erupted in uproar! Their anger was palpable!
In the minds and systems of these Eight Banner generals, the safety and honor of their "master" were closely related to their own fate; they were bound together by mutual benefit and loss.

When their master falls, the future of these "lackeys" is over. The best outcome is that they will be disbanded and incorporated into other banners, losing their current power and status.

Hearing that their master had been "persecuted" in Shenyang and had almost lost his life, they felt as if their very roots were being uprooted!

"Outrageous! Prince Rui has gone too far!"

"And the Empress Dowager! It must be that mother and son colluded to prevent the prince from being tolerated!"

"Your Highness! We cannot tolerate this! Let's muster our troops, march back to Shenyang, and demand justice from Dorgon!"

"Yes! This is outrageous! Why should a child be emperor? This throne should belong to a prince!"

Inside the camp, calls for battle rose and fell, and the generals were all filled with righteous indignation, eager to muster their troops and march back to Shenyang.

However, after a night of escape and calming down, Hauge, despite his deep hatred for Dorgon, still had a shred of reason left behind that things were not as simple as a rebellion.

He raised his hand to stop his agitated subordinates, his voice hoarse but with a hint of restraint:
"I appreciate the sentiments of my brothers! But this matter is of great importance and cannot be handled rashly! Shenyang is well-defended, Dorgon commands a large army, and the attitudes of the other banners are unclear. If we rashly launch an attack, the outcome will be uncertain, and it will inevitably lead to the division of the country, making us a laughingstock for the Ming army in the south, who will then take advantage of our weakness!"

He took a deep breath and continued:
"The most urgent task is to prepare the army for war, in case of unforeseen circumstances! At the same time, send people to closely monitor the movements in the Shenyang direction! I want to see how Dorgon explains this matter! If he cannot give me a satisfactory explanation..."

A cold glint flashed in Haug's eyes, and he didn't say anything more, but the threat in his eyes was self-evident.

Upon hearing their master's command, the generals, though unwilling, had no choice but to suppress their urge to take immediate revenge and bowed in obedience.
"Yes, Your Majesty! Your servant obeys!"

Subsequently, the entire Zhenglan Banner camp immediately entered a tense state of combat readiness.

Troops were mobilized, sentries were reinforced, scouts were deployed everywhere, and the atmosphere was as tense as the calm before a storm.

However, several days passed, and the army that Dorgon had expected to send to conquer them did not appear.

The area around Shenyang was unusually quiet, and this abnormal calm made the atmosphere in Hauge's military camp even more oppressive and eerie.

In this suffocating wait, Hauge did not receive Dorgon's troops, but instead encountered someone he never expected.

This person was Fan Wencheng.

The soldiers guarding the gate dared not delay and immediately went inside to report.

Hauge was quite surprised to hear that Fan Wencheng had come alone.

He pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, signaling the generals to step down for the time being, and then gave the order:
"Let him in."

He guessed that Fan Wencheng's visit was mostly to act as a lobbyist.

However, Fan Wencheng was a Han official, and I had a decent personal relationship with him. Moreover, I figured he was safe coming alone.

More importantly, Hauge was also extremely eager to know the true situation in Shenyang and Dorgon's attitude.

Soon, Fan Wencheng was taken to Hauge's central command tent.

Fan Wencheng looked travel-worn, his face showing signs of fatigue, but his eyes remained calm.

He entered the main tent and saw Hauge sitting upright in a tiger-skin chair, his face somber. He bowed respectfully in greeting.

"Your humble servant Fan Wencheng greets His Highness Prince Su."

Haug gave him a cold look, neither telling him to get up immediately nor greeting him warmly as usual. He simply gave a curt snort and said in an unfriendly tone:
"Why is Mr. Fan not in Shenyang assisting your regent, but has come to my desolate military camp? Is he here on behalf of Dorgon to persuade me to go back and walk into his trap?"

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly became tense. The guards standing behind Hauge unconsciously placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, their eyes fixed on Fan Wencheng warily.

Despite the hostile atmosphere, Fan Wencheng remained calm. He straightened up, looked at Hauge with composure, and said in a calm yet clear voice:
"Your Highness misunderstands. This old minister has not come on anyone's orders, but for the sake of the Qing Dynasty and to resolve this huge misunderstanding. I have come to explain the pros and cons to Your Highness."

Hauge frowned upon hearing this, his face still cold, but his tone softened slightly:
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? Mr. Fan, I nearly lost my life in Shenyang a while ago. Is that also a misunderstanding?"

Fan Wencheng took a deep breath, stepped forward, and looked intently at Hauge:

"Your Highness, if I were to say that you and the Regent were both tricked by Hong Chengchou of the Southern Barbarians, would you believe me?"

Haug was startled, an expression of disbelief on his face.

How is this possible? (End of Chapter)