Chapter 242: Father and Son Fighting and Civil War Begins
The Palace of Southern Tang Dynasty.

At this moment, the emperor seemed to have aged by ten years. Although he hated his son for getting drunk and making mistakes, he was his most beloved son after all and one of the most capable successors. Not only had he been killed by the sword, but he was also covered in infamy.

He wanted to clear his son's reputation, but how to explain that the body was in the hands of the Dasui people?
As he was sighing, he happened to meet the eldest prince who came to pay his respects.

"Father, I am here to pay my respects to you."

"Greetings? Your brother is gone, what else can I ask for?"

Of course, the eldest prince's poisoning was false, but his desire to squeeze out the third prince was true. The two were not from the same mother, so now that his greatest rival was dead, he could not help but feel extremely happy.

But I still have to pretend to be hurt, otherwise I will make my father angry, which will be another trouble.

"Father, calm down. My third brother died unjustly. Now that Xuncheng has been lost, we must come up with a strategy to deal with the enemy as soon as possible. Otherwise, if Dasui's people attack us all the way, won't our Southern Tang be in danger?"

Everyone can explain the reason, but facing the rising momentum of the Pei family army, the Emperor of Southern Tang was somewhat helpless.

Xuncheng is the easiest to defend and the most difficult to attack among the nine border cities.

It took Pei's army only half a month to break through the entire line. Such an achievement was like a nail in the coffin for the other soldiers defending the city. Everyone was afraid that Da Sui's butcher knife would be aimed at them next.

As the two were talking, they suddenly saw the eunuch outside running in with a hurried look and weak steps.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, urgent news just arrived from the front line."

Hearing the word "urgent report", both father and son looked solemn. This was not good news, so the eldest prince quickly took the urgent report and handed it to his father. When the Emperor of Southern Tang opened the letter, his already hunched body became even more bent.

The letter in his hand fell to the ground, and the eldest prince hurried forward to take a look.

"Biancheng and Wangcheng have fallen one after another. The Pei family army is unstoppable and is now attacking Feicheng. The city is in danger. Your Majesty, please send troops to support it as soon as possible!"

Compared with Xuncheng, the guards in these two cities are much more lax.

Because there is nothing valuable in the city that is worth heavily guarding, but Feicheng behind these two cities is different. Feicheng is the economic lifeline of Southern Tang. More than 50% of the merchants do business here. If this place is breached, it means that the economy of Southern Tang will be in big trouble.

All the people of Southern Tang had not expected that Dasui would come with such a fierce force, so they were still enjoying the reunion and relaxation during the New Year. Because Dasui most wanted to attack Xuncheng, which was far away from them, the guards in Feicheng also relaxed their vigilance a little.

Unexpectedly, they took the two barriers blocking the way with a single move. Suddenly, Feicheng became a toothless fat pig waiting to be slaughtered, which naturally attracted the attention of the Dasui army, and everyone's eyes were bloodshot.

"Father, please send the troops quickly. Draw half of the troops from the four inner cities to push over. Otherwise, if Fei City is lost, I'm afraid our capital won't be able to be saved for much longer."

For Southern Tang, Fei City is their lifeline. If the supply of money is cut off, everything in the royal capital will be in jeopardy.

Therefore, the Emperor of Southern Tang was also panicked and spoke immediately.

"Send, send, we must send! The troops in the four inner cities are not enough, we need to draw troops from other border cities. We must protect Feicheng and never let the people of Dasui break through easily!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The eunuch hurried to report the news, while the eldest prince came up with a plan.

"Father, why don't you lead the army in person? This way, Da Sui's momentum will be suppressed. Maybe the soldiers in Feicheng will be inspired and fight even harder!"

When he said this, it was inevitable that he had selfish motives in mind. He wished he could take this opportunity to dethrone his father and ascend the throne himself. However, Sima Zhao's intentions were so obvious that even if the Emperor of Southern Tang was furious, he could still understand the meaning of his words!
Thinking of this, he sneered, and there was no fatherly affection in the eyes of the eldest prince, only the emperor's calculations.

"My son, what you said makes sense. Your third brother is gone. Now that I rely on you the most in the court, I am old and powerless in many things. How about I immediately appoint you as the crown prince and you lead the army in my place? The day you return victorious will be the day I abdicate and let someone else take over. How do you think?"

All the calculations are just for the supreme power.

The eldest prince was not a smart man. The only reason he could get a share of the spoils in the court was that he was old enough and his mother was also a noble concubine with a noble status. Now that he heard the emperor's promises, his mind was filled with excitement about ascending the throne.

"Is your words serious, Father?"

"Look at your remaining brothers. Is there anything you can rely on?"

The second prince died of illness, the fourth prince broke his leg after falling off a horse, the fifth prince's mother's family is of low status, and the sixth and seventh princes are still young. With this calculation, he is indeed the only candidate for the position of crown prince.

Thinking of this, the eldest prince's inner desire swelled a lot, and his whole body exuded a sense of self-confidence that he was the only one who could do it.

"Your Majesty is right. I am your eldest son and I should help you at this time. Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will go back and pack my things. As soon as your imperial edict arrives, I will rush to Feicheng and go to the battle for you!"

I was so excited by what I said that I probably even deceived myself.

The Emperor of Southern Tang, although he appeared pleased on the surface, was actually completely disappointed with his son in his heart. After seeing him off with a smile, he immediately wrote the imperial edict to appoint him as the crown prince.

At the same time, a secret order was also sent out.

If Feicheng is lost, the prince will die for his country; if Feicheng survives, the prince will have his own troops and will be beheaded on the spot immediately.

The eldest prince was walking with a bold step at this moment. He never thought that his father, who had just trusted him so much, would plot against his life. He was so complacent that he thought he was going to seize the imperial power of Southern Tang.

The internal strife is still going on, but it has turned from open to covert.

By the time the news of the crown prince being enthroned and the crown prince leading the army in person on behalf of the emperor spread from the capital of Southern Tang, Pei Zisu had already led 50,000 troops and detoured to Wengcheng, the farthest border town beside Feicheng.

Looking at the geographical map of Wengcheng, Ge Huzi, who was standing next to Pei Zisu, made a joke.

"It really is like a turtle shrinking its head."

His words made everyone laugh. The reason why the 50,000 troops would take a detour through Weng City was because the lord of Weng City, Fang Jie, was originally a spy of the Pei family. Over the years, he had devoted himself to the intelligence of Southern Tang.

Although Wengcheng is not as conspicuous as other border cities, it has a special feature, which is that it is the only way between the capital of Southern Tang and Feicheng.