Chapter 29 The Child of Heavenly Scourge
Two hundred li (100km) southeast of Beijing lies the city of Tianjin.
This unique city, known as the “Emperor’s Ferry” because Emperor Yongle passed through it during the Jingnan Campaign when he usurped the throne from Emperor Jianwen, was both an inland city and a port city.
How could an inland city, far from the sea, be a port city? Because Tianjin was situated along the route of the Grand Canal.
The Grand Canal, a colossal waterway stretching in a straight line from Hangzhou all the way to Beijing.
Tianjin was its midpoint, serving as a floodgate for the canal leading to Beijing. Even before the Ming Dynasty, during the Yuan Dynasty, Tianjin flourished with commerce via water transport. Its prosperity only grew when Emperor Yongle moved the capital back to Beijing and renovated the Grand Canal.
For the Ming Dynasty, with its capital situated excessively far north, the Grand Canal was truly its main artery, its lifeline. Tianjin, acting as Beijing’s port, reaped the full benefits of this ripple effect, establishing itself as Hebei’s largest city after Beijing.
And there, a formidable clan had taken root.
A martial family that held sway over the Hebei Martial World:
The Hebei Peng Clan.
“Mother, it is your son, Ja-ryeong.”
In the innermost private annex of the Peng Clan Manor, located on the outskirts of Tianjin, a young man announced his visit from outside the door.
The young man’s name was Peng Ja-ryeong, the current Clan Head’s legitimate eldest son, and the former Young Clan Head of the Peng Clan, once known as the Tyrant Dragon.
