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

Just then, a slender hand slightly lifted a corner of the curtain of the green-canopied carriage.

Da Yu'er's pale yet beautiful face appeared behind the car window.

Her gaze briefly met Haug's at the city gate. In that gaze were shock, guilt, and a complex mix of emotions, which ultimately settled into a stagnant silence. She said nothing, but slowly lowered the curtains.

Hauge seemed unconcerned, and his gaze returned to Dorgon.

"Fourteenth Uncle, I have something to ask you."

Dorgon didn't speak, he just waved his hand, and soon only he and Hauge remained.

Haug took a deep breath and asked the question that had been buried in his heart for many years, a question that was no longer important at this moment, but one that he had to ask:
"Fourteenth Uncle, tomorrow... I may die. Here, your nephew only wants to ask you one last question. Back then... when Father Emperor passed away, what exactly happened with the edict? Did... you and Dayuer conspire... to switch the edict?"

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

The surrounding noise, cries, and neighing of horses all seemed to have faded away.

Dorgon stared intently at Hauge, who returned his gaze without flinching.

Time seemed to have passed for a long time, yet it also seemed to have only been a moment.

Finally, as if all his strength had been drained, Dorgon slowly and heavily nodded, squeezing out a dry syllable from deep in his throat:

"……Yes."

Having received this belated but already known answer, Haug's face showed no anger or resentment, but rather a relieved and almost liberated expression.

He nodded and said softly:
"Thank you, Fourteenth Uncle... for telling me the truth. This... is no longer important."

He paused, gazing at the distant, gray horizon soon to be filled with Ming army flags, his eyes filled with sorrow and despair:

"Fourteenth Uncle, let's go. Take the people and live well. From now on... don't think about attacking the Ming Dynasty anymore. We... will no longer be a match for the Ming Dynasty. This... is my last piece of advice."

Having said that, Hauge stopped looking at Dorgon, suddenly pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and slowly rode towards the city, towards the Shenyang Imperial Palace, which was about to meet its final fate.

His silhouette, in the cool light of early morning, appeared so lonely yet so upright, carrying a resolute air of "The wind howls, the Yi River is cold, the hero departs, never to return."

Dorgon watched Hauge's departing figure, remaining silent for a long time.

Only after the figure disappeared into the shadows of the city gate did he suddenly come to his senses, forcefully wave his hand, and roar hoarsely:
"Move out! The entire army, move out!"

The mournful sound of bugles rose, like funeral music.

The massive, chaotic fleeing caravan began to slowly creep northward, towards that unknown, cold, and wild land.

The wheels rolled over the frozen ground, leaving deep ruts, like a shameful scar on this regime that will never heal.

Three days later, on the walls of Shenyang.

Hauge stood alone on the roof of the Phoenix Tower, the highest point in the Shenyang Imperial Palace.

He removed his armor, wearing only a plain cloth robe. The cold wind blew his slightly graying temples, and his clothes fluttered in the breeze.

In his hand, he tightly clutched a tattered flag embroidered with the character "Su"—his final symbol as Prince Su of the Qing Dynasty.

Smoke and dust began to rise on the distant horizon.

The crimson Ming army flags spread slowly like wildfire.

Immediately following was the black smoke billowing from the "Divine Machine Iron Fortress," which resembled a moving mountain range, and the boundless, gleaming Ming army soldiers in their armor.

Haug watched quietly, his face expressionless.

He knew that what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

He chose to stay not to die for a "Qing Dynasty" that had long since ceased to exist, but to... die for his own dignity, to die for the land that gave him birth and nurtured him, and to die for that glorious era that once belonged to the Aisin Gioro family and had long since passed away.

After all, where can they escape to?

Like rats, they spend their entire lives hiding in dark, damp forests, barely surviving.

No, that wasn't Haug's choice.

He would rather die standing than live on his knees.

"bring it on."

He muttered to himself, his voice fading into the biting wind.

At this point, some people might be wondering, "Wait, the Jurchens abandoned Shenyang and began to retreat, so were the Ming army really unaware of this?"

Did they just stand by and watch the Jurchens retreat calmly without doing anything? This question is actually quite reasonable. After all, the Ming army had been advancing relentlessly, pressing forward step by step. Now that the Jurchens had abandoned the city and fled, it would seem illogical for the Ming army to have no reaction.

Well, actually, the Ming army knew the Jurchens' movements perfectly well from beginning to end, and they were not kept in the dark at all.

After all, since the army marched north from Jinzhou, Zhu Cilang had established strict rules for scouts to explore the route. Every time the army moved forward even a small step, a large number of scout teams would be sent out to explore in all directions. These scouts numbered in the thousands, and each of them was an elite soldier with many battles and sharp eyes and ears. They either disguised themselves as refugees or hid in the mountains and ravines, and were scattered in all directions around Shenyang for dozens of miles. They were active at night and kept a close watch on the Jurchens' every move.

Not to mention the Jurchens' large-scale withdrawal of troops and preparations to abandon the city and retreat, even the transfer of grain and the deployment of troops in the Jurchen army camp could be detected by these scouts and reported back to the Ming army camp.

In addition, Shenyang, as a major city that the Jurchens had managed for many years, had many Ming Dynasty secret agents lurking in the city. These people lived in anonymity, some running small shops in the city, some working in the Jurchen army, and some even attaching themselves to Jurchen officials. On ordinary days, they seemed no different from ordinary people, but once there was important news, they would secretly report the Jurchens' every move to the Ming army camp through covert channels.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang had always kept every move of the Jurchens under his control without any oversight.

Since Zhu Cilang already knew that the Jurchens were going to abandon the city and retreat, why did he not take action for so long? Why did he not order the army to pursue them quickly, nor did he arrange for troops to besiege Shenyang? Instead, he allowed the Jurchens to retreat at will.

It all started in the middle of the night more than two weeks ago.

That night, the Ming army camp was completely silent, with only the footsteps of the patrolling soldiers moving back and forth between the camps. The light from the lanterns flickered in the night wind, illuminating the Ming dragon flag hanging on the camp wall, making it appear particularly solemn.

At that time, Zhu Cilang had just finished dealing with a day's military affairs. On his desk were reports from various places and a map of troop distribution around Shenyang. The flickering candlelight cast a long shadow of him on the curtain of the military tent.

The recent days of mental and physical exertion left a barely perceptible trace of fatigue on the young crown prince's brow. He rubbed his throbbing temples, rose, and walked to the entrance of the military tent. Gazing at the deep night outside the camp and the faint lights in the distance, he was about to instruct his attendants to help him rest when, just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent, accompanied by an attendant's slightly anxious report:
"Your Highness, Commander Zu and Commander Sun urgently request an audience, saying they have important matters to report, and they appear to be in a great hurry."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang's brows twitched slightly, and he had already guessed what was going on. He suppressed his thoughts, slowly turned around, and said calmly:

"Let them in."

Before long, the curtain of the military tent was suddenly lifted, and a gust of wind carrying the chill of night dew rushed in, causing the candlelight to flicker violently and almost go out.

Zu Dashou and Sun Chuanting strode in, both wearing heavy armor covered in dust and bits of grass, indicating they had rushed here without a moment's rest.

As soon as the two entered, they bowed to Zhu Cilang and said urgently:
"Your subject, Zu Dashou, and Sun Chuanting, pay their respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhu Cilang waved his hand, his face remaining completely calm and composed, and said in a gentle tone:
"No need for formalities, gentlemen. You must have urgent news about the Jurchens to come so late at night. Please have a seat, a cup of hot tea, and we can talk slowly."

As he spoke, he gestured to the servants to pour hot tea for the two of them. Then he walked over to the table and sat down, looking at them calmly. His composed demeanor instantly calmed the slightly flustered Zu Dashou and Sun Chuanting.

Zu Dashou accepted the hot tea offered by the servant. He felt a warmth on his fingertips, but he had no interest in savoring it. He quickly took a sip, then put down the teacup and said in a solemn tone:
"Your Highness, the scouts have just sent a secret report that the Jurchens are currently withdrawing their troops on a large scale. The troops originally stationed in various fortresses outside Shenyang are all being withdrawn back to Shenyang in a steady stream. Moreover, they are also plundering the city's grain and supplies. It seems that they are preparing to leave."

When we first received the news, we thought they intended to concentrate their forces to defend Shenyang and fight a decisive battle with our Ming army. Therefore, we immediately sent people to investigate and verify the information. However, according to reports from various sources, it seems that this is not the case. They have no intention of defending Shenyang at all; on the contrary, they are determined to completely abandon Shenyang and retreat into the heart of Liaodong.

Sun Chuanting nodded in agreement and added:

“Your Highness, I have verified it. The news from the scouts is completely consistent with the information. The Jurchens are not only withdrawing their troops, but also burning down the camps and grain depots outside the city. Many Jurchen soldiers are packing their bags, and even many of their families have been placed in the ranks. It seems that they intend to retreat all the way and never look back.”

When he said this, Sun Chuanting's tone was filled with doubt and urgency. He really couldn't understand why the Jurchens would so easily give up Shenyang, a major town they had cultivated for many years.

Even if the Ming army was truly unstoppable, they couldn't just run away without even fighting, could they?
When Zhu Cilang heard this, his face remained calm, showing no surprise whatsoever, as if he had expected it all along. He then slowly nodded and said in a calm tone:
"I am already aware of this matter, so there is no need for you to be in such a hurry."

As he spoke, he reached into the drawer of the desk and took out a neatly folded secret letter. The edges were slightly wrinkled, indicating that it had been read many times.

He handed the secret letter to Zu Dashou and Sun Chuanting, and slowly said:

"This was just received today. It was sent by a secret agent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Shenyang. It details the Jurchens' movements as they consolidate their forces and prepare to abandon the city. I originally planned to summon the two of you to discuss this matter early tomorrow morning, but I didn't expect you to rush here now."

Zu Dashou and Sun Chuanting quickly stood up, took the secret report with both hands, exchanged a glance, and then eagerly began to read it.

Every item in the secret report was recorded in detail, from the content of the Jurchen generals' discussions to the number of troops deployed, the transfer of food and supplies, and even the Jurchens' planned retreat route.

As they read, their brows furrowed, their expressions growing increasingly grave, and their doubts deepening. They simply couldn't understand why, if His Highness the Crown Prince had received the news long ago, he had remained inactive, allowing the Jurchens to calmly prepare for their withdrawal.

A moment later, the two finished reading the secret report and respectfully handed it back to Zhu Cilang. Sun Chuanting took a deep breath, suppressed his doubts, and spoke first:
"Your Highness, now that we knew the Jurchens were going to leave Shenyang, what should we do next? Should we immediately order the army to pursue them at full speed, or should we send troops to besiege Shenyang, trap the Jurchens in the city, and annihilate them in one fell swoop?"

In Sun Chuanting's view, the Jurchens' decision to abandon Shenyang was definitely not good news; on the contrary, it harbored hidden dangers.

It should be understood that the Jurchens were always fierce and good at fighting. If they retreated all the way to the deeper mountains and forests of Liaodong and dispersed, breaking up into small groups to carry out guerrilla warfare, then this war would become extremely difficult. The Ming army would have to pay a huge price to completely wipe them out, and might even get bogged down in a long-term quagmire of war from which it would be difficult to extricate itself.

On the contrary, if we could take advantage of the fact that the Jurchens had not completely withdrawn from Shenyang, and besiege them in the city, and then mobilize a large army to attack from all sides, with the superior strength and advanced weaponry of the Ming army, we might be able to resolve this war once and for all, completely eliminate the Jurchens' fighting force, and eliminate the threat to Liaodong forever.

But Sun Chuanting also knew that achieving this goal would be extremely difficult, almost impossible.

First, the main force of the Ming army was composed of infantry, which made their marching speed too slow. Moreover, the transportation of food and supplies had been extremely difficult since they began their northward advance, so the army's progress was not fast to begin with.

Now the Jurchens have begun to withdraw their forces and prepare to leave. At their marching speed, they will be able to completely withdraw from Shenyang in just a few days. It is simply a pipe dream for the main force of the Ming Dynasty to arrive at the gates of Shenyang before they leave and besiege the entire city.

Therefore, to besiege Shenyang, they could only rely on two vanguard forces: one was the Mongol tribal coalition led by Abunai and some Ming cavalry, and the other was the naval force led by Zheng Zhilong.

Even with these two teams, it would be extremely difficult to securely besiege Shenyang. (End of Chapter)