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

Fan Wencheng didn't give him a chance to interrupt and continued:

"Your Highness, please consider this: with the Regent's wisdom and current power, if he truly wanted to harm you, would he resort to such a clumsy and flawed assassination attempt?"

"Would he leave such obvious 'evidence'? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?"

Fan Wencheng's words struck Hauge's heart like a heavy hammer.

He had been dominated by fear and anger, and had no time to think about many details. Now that Fan Wencheng had pointed it out, many illogical points suddenly came to mind.

Yes!

If Dorgon really wanted to kill him, there were many more discreet and effective ways to do so in the unsuspecting city of Shenyang. Why go to such great lengths?

Seeing the ever-changing, unpredictable expression on Hauge's face, Fan Wencheng knew that his words had had an effect.

He waved his hand and said to Hauge's guards inside the tent:

"You may all leave now. I have important matters to discuss with the Prince."

The guards looked at Hauge, who remained silent for a moment before finally waving wearily.

The guards exchanged glances, not daring to disobey, bowed respectfully, and left the tent one by one, gently pulling the curtain closed behind them.

For a moment, only Hauge and Fan Wencheng remained in the huge central command tent.

The light inside the tent was dim, with only the flickering firelight from the charcoal brazier illuminating the two men's faces, which displayed different expressions.

Fan Wencheng continued:
"Your Highness probably doesn't know, does he? On the very night you were assassinated, the Regent was also assassinated, and the token of your household guards was found on the assassin!"

In an instant, the air inside the central command tent seemed to freeze.

The flames in the charcoal brazier flickered uneasily, casting long shadows of the two figures onto the thick felt tent walls, swaying with the firelight like ghosts.

Fan Wencheng's words were like a cold key, unexpectedly unlocking the door to the truth in Hauge's heart, a door that had been sealed by layers of anger, fear, and suspicion.

Haug froze on the spot as if he had been frozen in place, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably. His face, which had been flushed with anger, instantly lost all color, turning deathly pale, and then an unbelievable bluish-gray tinge appeared.

His eyes were wide open, but his pupils contracted sharply, as if unable to focus, staring blankly at the swaying shadows on the tent wall in front of him.

Yes
Fan Wencheng is right! So many illogical details, so many flaws that can't stand scrutiny! How could I have been so blinded by greed and anger, without thinking things through?
If Dorgon truly wanted to eliminate him, there were countless more discreet, effective, and less likely to cause an immediate uproar within Shenyang! Why resort to such a clumsy "assassination" that left such an obvious handle?
This is clearly as if they're afraid others won't know it was Dorgon who did it!
And yet, he had fallen so easily into the trap set by the southern barbarians! He had been manipulated by Hong Chengchou like a fool!

Hauge, who prided himself on being a hero, charging into battle and maneuvering skillfully in the court, has now become a pathetic pawn in the enemy's schemes!

In an instant, an extreme sense of humiliation, mixed with the anger of being fooled and the fear of realizing the truth, surged and crashed in his chest like magma, almost bursting through his chest!
"Hahaha. Hahahaha. Hahahahahaha!!!"

Suddenly, a burst of extremely abrupt, sharp, and sorrowful laughter, filled with self-mockery, erupted from deep within Haug's throat!

The laughter started off somewhat suppressed, but then grew louder and more out of control, eventually turning into a near-manic laugh!
He laughed so hard he was doubled over, tears streaming down his face, his whole body trembling, and even the tiger-skin chair beneath him creaked under the weight.

The laughter echoed in the empty tent, sounding unusually jarring and sinister. It didn't sound like the laughter of a normal person at all; rather, it sounded like the final howl of a wounded and dying beast in despair.

Fan Wencheng, standing in the tent, was so frightened by the sudden burst of laughter that his whole body trembled, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He stared in horror at the crazed Hauge, instinctively taking a half-step back. His lips trembled, but he dared not utter a single word. He could only lower his head deeply, his heart filled with unease and fear, afraid that Hauge might do something irrational under extreme stimulation.

He could only stand there stiffly, waiting for Haug's hysterical outburst to pass.

The chilling laughter lasted for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea before gradually subsiding, turning into intermittent, sobbing breaths.

Haug seemed to have used up all his strength, slumping in the chair, his chest heaving violently, his face a mixture of tears and a distorted expression.

The tent fell into a deathly silence once more, broken only by the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and Haug's heavy breathing.

After a long while, Hauge slowly raised his head and wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve.

The madness on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deep-seated weariness and a chilling coldness.

His gaze refocused on Fan Wencheng, his eyes as cold as ice in the dead of winter.

Mr. Fan

Hauge spoke, his voice terribly hoarse.

"Even if I now know that all of this was a conspiracy by that scoundrel Hong Chengchou, so what?"

He paused, a very unpleasant smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You should know better than anyone that I can't go back, no matter what, I can't go back."

His tone then turned incredibly cold, carrying a sense of resigned despair and resolve.

"Whether this is a conspiracy or not, it is a fact that I broke out of Shenyang City before, and it is a fact that I killed the guards of the city. It is also an undeniable fact that I am now here with troops and confronting Dorgon! Tell me, can Dorgon tolerate me? Does he dare to tolerate me?"

"Even if he spares my life for the sake of the 'bigger picture,' imprisonment, confinement, and stripping of my title are probably unavoidable, aren't they?"

"But do you want me to return to Shenyang, be confined to my residence like a dog, and wait in fear for Dorgon to be in a bad mood one day and 'die suddenly from an illness'?"

"Mr. Fan, do you think I am the kind of person who can endure such humiliation and live a life of subservience?"

As he finished speaking, Haug's voice trembled slightly and revealed a deep pain.

Although he always resented Fulin's succession to the throne and his own failure to seize it, he was never truly convinced of his own worth deep down.

But to be fair, he never thought of splitting the Qing Dynasty, and never thought of becoming a sinner of the Aisin Gioro family!

He knew that the Qing Dynasty was now at its weakest and most in need of unity, with the powerful Ming Dynasty eyeing it covetously from the outside and the Qing Dynasty having just experienced a change of imperial power and the disastrous defeat at Songjin.

At this juncture, brothers turning against each other and fighting amongst themselves is undoubtedly self-destructive, pushing the foundation painstakingly built by Emperors Taizu and Taizong into a fire pit! No matter how unwilling he was, Hauge was absolutely unwilling to become the gravedigger of the Aisin Gioro family, and even less willing to let Hong Chengchou and the Ming Dynasty in the south laugh at him and reap the benefits!

But things have come to this point, like an arrow shot from a bow, there is no turning back!
Should he lay down his weapons and return to Shenyang alone to gamble on Dorgon's vague "magnanimity"?
He couldn't afford to gamble, nor did he dare to! Even ants cling to life, let alone humans! He too has the instinctive desire to survive!

However, faced with Hauge's words, which were full of despair and helplessness, Fan Wencheng slowly shook his head.

He raised his head, his gaze calmly meeting Hauge's cold and pained eyes, and said in a steady tone:

"Your Highness, you misunderstand. This old minister has come here today not to persuade you to return to Shenyang, that place of trouble."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Hauge's eyes flashed with extreme surprise, and a spark of inquiry rekindled in his previously lifeless gaze.

He leaned forward slightly, staring at Fan Wencheng.

"Not going back to Shenyang? Then what do Dorgon and Dayuer want? Mr. Fan, please speak frankly!"

Seeing that Hauge's emotions had calmed down somewhat, Fan Wencheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued:

"I dare not conceal this from Your Highness. Before I departed, I was summoned privately by the Empress Dowager and the Regent. They said that if Your Highness would consider the brotherhood and the righteousness of the imperial family and be willing to return to Shenyang, all the past events could be regarded as the Southern Barbarians' schemes to sow discord, and all past transgressions would be forgiven!"

"After your return, Your Highness, all your treatment and authority will remain the same as before. You will still be the Prince Su of our Great Qing Dynasty, and you can do whatever you want. No one will make things difficult for you because of this matter."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious:

"However, the Empress Dowager and the Regent also know that after this incident, the Prince will inevitably harbor some resentment. If they force the Prince to return, it may make them both uneasy, which would be undesirable."

"Therefore, the two of them have given Your Highness another option."

"Another option?"

Haug's interest was completely piqued, and he gestured for Fan Wencheng to continue.

Fan Wencheng stated clearly:

"If Your Highness does not wish to return to Shenyang, the Empress Dowager and the Regent will not force you, nor will they regard you as a traitor and punish you. Your wife, princesses, and all your family members will still enjoy the honor and treatment due to a prince's family in Shenyang, and will not be neglected or harmed in the slightest."

"only"

He paused briefly, then emphasized his words.

"However, Your Highness and your troops can no longer remain here. You must lead your forces to the Liaodong front to defend the borders of our Great Qing and resist the Ming army's invasion! That is where Your Highness, a pillar of the nation, should play a more significant role!"

Haug's eyes were filled with disbelief and deep astonishment after hearing these words!
He could hardly believe his ears! Dorgon and Dayuer would actually offer such terms? Wasn't this tantamount to acknowledging his current status of having a large army and giving him a legitimate territory?

Has the sun risen in the west?
This is completely inconsistent with his understanding of Dorgon's character! How could that vengeful and power-hungry Fourteenth Uncle be so "magnanimous"?
In fact, Haug's surprise was not without reason.

Dorgon and Dayuer, far away in the Shenyang Imperial Palace, were by no means fools. After their initial anger and panic, they quickly calmed down and held a closed-door meeting for two consecutive days to weigh all the pros and cons.

They knew better than anyone that Hauge had now joined forces with his core troops, and their strength should not be underestimated.

If troops were to be forcibly dispatched to suppress the Qing Dynasty at this time, not only would the outcome be uncertain, but even if a Pyrrhic victory were achieved, the Qing Dynasty would be severely weakened and its elite forces would be exhausted. How would it then be able to withstand the covetous Ming army?
This is tantamount to courting disaster! That's one point.

Secondly, and more importantly, the entire court now knows that this is a divisive tactic by the Ming army.

If, under these circumstances, Dorgon and Dayuer still insist on exterminating Hauge and making him die, it would send an extremely dangerous signal:

Those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish! Regardless of the reason or purpose, anyone who disobeys orders must die!

Even if you are truly innocent!
What will the other banner chiefs, princes, and royal princes think?
Will everyone feel insecure, worried that they might become the next Haug?
If the people's hearts are scattered, the foundation of the Qing Dynasty will truly be shaken!

Therefore, after much agonizing and painful deliberation, Dorgon and Dayuer finally settled on this strategy of "driving away the tiger to devour the wolf".

Allowing Hauge not to return to Shenyang, on the surface, was an act of leniency and a way out, but in reality, it was a way to force him to leave the center of power and send him to the distant Liaodong front.

This move can be described as killing three birds with one stone.

First, it averted an imminent civil war, maintained a semblance of unity, and stabilized morale within the organization.

Secondly, by transferring Hauge, this "time bomb," away from the political center of Shenyang, the immediate threat was eliminated, making it easier for Dorgon and Dayuer to consolidate their power.

Finally, and most importantly, Hauge and his elite troops were placed on the front lines against the Ming army.

The environment on the Liaodong front was harsh, and the troops faced constant harassment and pressure from the Ming army. As a result, Hauge's troops inevitably suffered losses, which objectively weakened Hauge's power.

If Hauge can withstand the pressure from the Ming army on the front lines and even achieve some success, it will be a good thing for the Qing Dynasty.

If they can't hold out and are worn down by the Ming army, then they've eliminated a major threat.

In short, no matter what, neither Dayuer nor Dorgon will suffer any loss!
Hauge was incredibly clever. After a moment's thought, he instantly understood all the hidden meanings and schemes behind Dorgon and Dayuer's arrangement, given Fan Wencheng's words.

He couldn't help but let out a cold laugh with a complex meaning, a mocking glint in his eyes:

"I must say, my fourteenth uncle and that Empress Dowager in the deep palace are really good at scheming! They are quite adept at using this strategy of driving one tiger to devour another and killing three birds with one stone!"

Fan Wencheng felt a pang of embarrassment when Hauge pointed it out, but it quickly turned into a helpless sigh as he offered words of comfort:

"Your Highness, things have come to this point, and this is indeed the most favorable solution that we can think of at the moment, one that benefits all parties."

"Only if you leave the area around Shenyang can the court feel at ease and our Great Qing Dynasty avoid a catastrophe within its own walls. I hope Your Highness will consider the greater good!"

Haug fell silent upon hearing this.

He slowly stood up, walked to the charcoal brazier, and held his hands over the flames to warm them; the flickering flames reflected his ever-changing expression. (End of Chapter)