Chapter 1147: then title translation, then ===GLOSSARY=== with list of JSON objects for each named entity appearing in these lines

He waved his arms desperately, fortunately grabbing a rope, but the ship tilted ever more sharply; Jiang Zhengyang let out a terrified shout, seeing the deck and the lake almost vertical, if he kept holding the rope he would likely be dragged under by the capsizing ship, he suddenly let go of the rope, screaming as he plunged into the icy lake, the heavy armor dragging him down; Jiang Zhengyang struggled to tear off his armor, yet his body kept sinking, he flailed helplessly, yet fortunately seized a log, gasping he climbed aboard, seeing the ship he had just been on slowly sink into the water, all around him soldiers screamed and cried for help.

Not far away a small boat sailed past before him, on it stood a person gripping a knife, who was none other than the second chief of Blackwater Village, Ruan Jingwu.

Jiang Zhengyang seemed to see a savior, and hoarsely shouted: "Chief Ruan, save me…"

Ruan Jingwu heard Jiang Zhengyang's voice, but he did not turn; a subordinate beside him said: "Second Chief, it's Sir Jiang!"

Ruan Jingwu gritted his teeth and said: "No need to bother with him, let that stupid pig fend for himself!" If Jiang Zhengyang had not insisted that all the ships leave together, they would not have ended up in this predicament. Jiang Zhengyang appears shrewd but is actually a fool; Ruan Jingwu believes this well-trained flotilla must have come following Jiang Zhengyang's forces, lying in ambush here all along, waiting for the chance to net them all in one go.

Ruan Jingwu gazed at the burning lake; he did not regret the hundred thousand shi of grain Jiang Zhengyang had brought, but what pained him deeply was the loss of these five hundred warships. To transport the grain, Blackwater Village had almost committed all its vessels; Ma Xingkong, wanting Jiang Zhengyang to feel at ease, had not sent many marines along, and this decision led to the annihilation of their fleet.

Jiang Zhengyang clung to that piece of driftwood, gazing hopelessly at the receding boat; moments ago he had been exhilarated over his grand plans, but in an instant he had plunged into an abyss of no return. The painstakingly obtained hundred thousand shi of grain was gone just like that, and the most ridiculous part is that, even now, he does not know who launched this attack against him.

A glimmer of fish‑belly white appeared in the eastern sky; the line between water and heaven grew ever clearer, dawn arriving amidst the bloodshed. Under Li Yongfu's command, the fleet began to patrol the scene, shooting down the surviving soldiers.

Hu Xiaotian sat leisurely on the deck, sipping fragrant tea, his back turned to the side where battle still raged, his eyes fixed on the east where dawn would first break. Day was about to break; Long Xuan'en would suffer a bitter pill for his poor judgment of people, while Jiang Zhengyang was merely a clown, his vision and stature truly lacking.

Li Yongfu rushed over excitedly to Hu Xiaotian's side to report the latest battle situation. The Blackwater Village's five hundred grain transports were utterly annihilated, none spared; only a few water bandits escaped in lifeboats, while most of the enemy troops had already perished in the icy lake. As for the enemy commander Jiang Zhengyang, he was lucky—he had just been captured by them.

Li Yongfu said: "My lord, what should we do with Jiang Zhengyang?"

Hu Xiaotian gazed at the eastern horizon; a morning sun was slowly rising between sky and water, staining the heavens and the lake blood‑red. He took a sip of tea and said softly: "Take him back to Martial Prosperity Commandery; I need to learn exactly what he and the Prosperous Prefecture side are planning."

Yes!

Jiang Zhengyang still had twenty thousand troops stationed at Qinglong Bay, with Zu Dacheng left in charge of the garrison. When flames rose on the lake they noticed, but because the distance was truly too great they did not know what had happened; they vaguely guessed a battle had occurred, yet they did not know which sides were fighting, how the fight went, whether they had any ships usable, and could only stare blankly at Qinglong Bay until dawn, when surviving soldiers returned in lifeboats, weeping and reporting the attack.

Zu Dacheng only then realized it was over; not knowing whether the commander-in-chief Jiang Zhengyang was dead or alive, Zu Dacheng became the backbone of these twenty‑plus thousand men, yet their remaining provisions were scarce—enough for only a day's consumption. Without grain, heading to Kangdu would be a dead end, and fleeing to the Blackwater Gang might find them unwilling to take them in; before long, the news of Jiang Zhengyang's embezzlement while in charge would spread everywhere, and they would all be implicated.

Zu Dacheng had no choice but to abandon the plan to enter Baiquan City; the only remaining option seemed to be returning to Yunyang, yet even if they marched day and night, the journey from Baiquan City to Yunyang would take three days and three nights, and their meager supplies could not sustain them that far. Moreover, the troops had suddenly lost a hundred thousand shi of grain, plummeting from the peak of excitement to the depths of despair, each feeling utterly despondent; they knew the future was bleak, and even if they reached Yunyang they would still face imperial pursuit, but at present they had no way to retreat.

The naval battle at Cloud Marsh caused hardly a ripple; Hu Xiaotian's side certainly would not boast of it, while the Blackwater Village bandits suffered a great loss and could not even tell where those seventy warships came from. Ma Xingkong, after this engagement, was gravely weakened—he not only failed to gain a share of the hundred thousand shi of grain, but lost more than half his ships, and could only hole up in Jade Heart Mountain to recuperate; recovering his strength would likely take years.

As for Zu Xingjian, after returning to Baiquan City he immediately reported to the court, eager to clear his name; he certainly would not admit colluding with Jiang Zhengyang, instead pushing all blame onto him, claiming that Jiang Zhengyang, upon seeing the grain, had rebelled, embezzled it, and conspired with the water bandits of Cloud Marsh to bring the grain to Jade Heart Mountain to join the Blackwater Village bandits—never expecting that those Blackwater Village bandits would try to pocket the grain, so they set a trap in Cloud Marsh, netted everyone who boarded the ships, and seized the grain.

Zu Xingjian was certain Jiang Zhengyang must die, so there would be no one to contradict him; the remnants of Jiang Zhengyang's force, over twenty thousand strong, were like stray dogs, panicked all day, and having caused such a disaster they would surely fall into a situation where everyone cries out to beat them. Although Zu Xingjian led several thousand men to meet Jiang Zhengyang, no one knew that he and Jiang Zhengyang had reached an agreement; escorting the grain convoy was his duty, thus he was not only blameless but meritorious—of course he now dare not claim credit, and merely clearing his name and surviving this crisis would already be a great relief.

Jiang Zhengyang's grain convoy vanished overnight; Zu Dacheng led the twenty‑thousand‑strong remnants north along the Wangchun River. Though the snow had stopped, the temperature had plunged, and the soldiers knew what had happened—they had followed Jiang Zhengyang not for lofty ideals but to fill their stomachs; now the grain was gone and they bore the crime of stealing imperial grain, with no future in sight. Zu Dacheng merely said he would first take them back to Yunyang, but less than a day's march saw over five thousand desert; he could do nothing about it, and leading the remaining ten‑plus thousand through hunger and cold they arrived at Tongyuan Bridge, intending to cross the Wangchun River and reach Yunyang.

Upon arriving at Tongyuan Bridge, they saw in its very center a general clad in black armor astride a black horse, double hammers in hand, standing proudly on the bridge—it was Hu Xiaotian's fierce general Xiong Tianba, behind whom stood five thousand elite troops in strict formation.

Xiong Tianba had been waiting here on orders from Ye Tianxing for quite some time; Ye Tianxing had calculated that Jiang Zhengyang's remnants would cross the river here to flee to Yunyang, estimating that perhaps fifteen thousand would remain, but in fact the soldiers' flight was worse than he imagined, and only twelve thousand had reached Tongyuan Bridge.

Xiong Tianba raised his right-hand great hammer and bellowed sternly: "Halt! I am the vanguard Xiong Tianba serving under Sir Hu; come forward and die!"

Xiong Tianba's fame had already spread through his two consecutive victories over Da Yong, and the tale of him single‑handedly blocking Da Yong's fifteen‑thousand‑strong army at White Wax Pass was widely told; when Zu Dacheng heard it was him, his face changed, yet the only option before them was to cross the river—if they could not, they would be trapped in this region, and soon every power would come to encircle them, leaving them with no way out but death.

Xiong Tianba's fame had already spread through his two consecutive battles against Da Yong, the fact that he alone held off Da Yong's fifteen-thousand-strong army at White Wax Pass was even more widely praised; when Zu Dacheng heard it was him, his face changed, but the only road before them was crossing the river—if they couldn't cross the river they would be trapped in this area, and soon all forces would come to surround and annihilate them, leaving them with only a dead end.

The generals behind him exchanged glances, all saying that desperate troops are bound to win, yet with morale so low how could they have a chance to win? Zu Dacheng asked twice, and only then did someone reply: "General, this humble officer will go!"

Zu Dacheng turned his gaze and saw it was Guerrilla General Zhang Hongsheng, who had always been on good terms with him; only in crisis did true feelings show, and he nodded, saying: "Be careful."

Zhang Hongsheng lowered his spear, spoke calmly: "Just a wet‑nosed brat—what could he possibly do? General, watch me take his head!" He spurred his horse, reined it in, and stepped out of the ranks to walk slowly onto the bridge. His black‑chested mare paused as it set foot on the planks, and Zhang Hongsheng proclaimed loudly: "I am Zhang Hongsheng, guerrilla general under Sir Jiang of Yunyang; those who recognize the situation should quickly withdraw and clear the way, otherwise I will surely take your life." His words rang with vigor, and the troops behind him, hearing them, seemed to regain some confidence, cheering him on; indeed Zhang Hongsheng too was a famed warrior of Yunyang.

Zu Dacheng silently prayed that Zhang Hongsheng could defeat Xiong Tianba, for only then could the demoralized troops regain their confidence, force a crossing of the Wangchun River, and perhaps find a path to survival on the far bank.

Xiong Tianba laughed loudly: "Old lady's, what's all the talk—just come over and die!" (To be continued~^~)

Xiong Tianba burst out laughing: "Damn it, what nonsense, just come over and die!" (To be continued~^~)