The True and False General

War god Xiao Zhan pacifies the northern frontier, but his merit overshadows the ruler, forcing him to surrender his military seal and retire. On his way home, he encounters a thousand-year-old python spirit seeking a title, and Xiao Zhan grants it, establishing a pact of shadow substitution. Thereafter, court intrigues and battlefield clashes are handled by the python spirit's false general, while the true Xiao Zhan observes from seclusion. After the northern frontier changes command, corrupt officials and chaotic troops cause the defense line to collapse entirely, Yanmen Pass falls, and enemy forces threaten the royal court. With the nation in crisis and no capable officials, the false general is appointed in an emergency, given the power to execute without prior approval, yet he requests only ten thousand elite troops. Court officials criticize him, and he signs a life-or-death military pledge on the spot. The true and false generals cooperate openly and covertly, defeating powerful enemies with ingenious strategies, stirring the chaotic chessboard of the Great Li dynasty amidst intrigue and warfare. — Description from novelcodex.org