even Bruce not being aware of Dent's "plan", this was all going to happen anyways.
Dent took it upon himself to take the "blame" as Batman, because he ultimately believed Batman stood for something and was something the city needed. He later would have tarnished his own name sake, but Bruce did HIM the favor, and told Gordon to keep his name in high standing, for the good of the city, because ultimately, Bruce believed Dent was good for the city. They would have made quite the dynamic duo themselves.