Infiltration
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Summary
On the eve of victory in the War of Resistance, Xu Zhongyi, a repeat student in the Military Statistics Bureau's special training class, is forced to go undercover in the Communist forces about to march into the Northeast. Their words and humane conduct win him over, giving him a new understanding of the Communist Party and convincing him to surrender to it. After assessing him, the Party organization decides to exploit his gifts in economics and strategy and sends him back into the KMT's Shenyang Military Statistics station to supply our army with urgently needed strategic materials. Playing on the Nationalists' internal straits and their postwar weariness with civil war and greed, Xu Zhongyi cleverly secures large quantities of vital supplies for our army while entrenching himself within the KMT's Military Statistics apparatus. His old rival in Military Statistics, Qi Gongzi, also arrives in Shenyang. Qi repeatedly launches lethal moves, only to have each dissolved without a trace. The enemy devises a sinister "infiltration" plan. Xu Zhongyi finds a foolproof way to break it and defeat them.
Editor's review
In Permeation, the espionage narrative unfolds at the turning point between the eve of victory in the War of Resistance and the postwar Northeast. Xu Zhongyi is no born hero: starting as a repeat student in a Military Statistics training class, he is gradually won over by reality, turns himself in, and then goes back undercover inside the enemy to procure supplies for his own side. The novel's greatest strength is combining an economic and strategic gift with an undercover identity, so the contest is not only gunfights and assassinations but a game played over resources, hearts and minds, and cracks in the system. His old rival Qi Gongzi lands lethal blow after lethal blow, each defused in turn, and the attack and defense around the enemy's "infiltration" plan keep the plot tight. In characterization, Xu Zhongyi's hesitation, calculation and transformation have real layers, and the Nationalists' greed and war-weariness are used as driving forces, so it never feels unmoored. Suited to reading in segments on the commute or before sleep, following the shifts in the protagonist's circumstances to feel the weight of choosing a faith; it also works as an accessible popular entry point for understanding the complex postwar situation in the Northeast.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy espionage and undercover stories and want tight plotting and reversals
- Readers interested in the historical background of the postwar Northeast who want to enter it through fiction
- Readers who prefer a character-growth arc and want to see the protagonist move from compulsion to conviction
- General readers who need segmented reading on the commute or before sleep and prefer strong storytelling
Not a good fit for
- Historical researchers expecting pure archival scholarship and unwilling to accept fictional plotting
- Readers put off by espionage, factional maneuvering and depictions of violent conflict
- Readers who prefer slow-paced lyrical literary writing and have low demands on plot momentum
Reading tips
- First map Xu Zhongyi's identity shifts from Military Statistics to turning himself in to going back undercover in Shenyang, then read the specific operations; the character's motives will be clearer.
- Treat the economics and supply-procurement passages as a window into the postwar situation, and watch how the author uses resource contests to drive the story.
- When Qi Gongzi makes a move, pause and guess how Xu Zhongyi will defuse it, then compare with what follows to appreciate the espionage plotting.
- If you are unfamiliar with the postwar Northeast background, briefly note the shifts in factions and missions after each chapter to reduce confusion over relationships.
Contents
- 第1章
- 第2章
- 第3章
- 第4章
- 第5章
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- 第167章
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- 第171章
- 第172章
- 第173章
- 第174章
FAQ
I have no experience reading espionage novels. Can I still read Permeation?
Yes. The main line follows Xu Zhongyi's identity shifts and supply procurement, the plot moves fairly directly, and it does not depend on extensive prior knowledge. On a first read, just keep track of the three-way relationship among Military Statistics, the Communist forces and the Shenyang station; when characters proliferate, jot down faction affiliations. The barrier to entry is not high.
What is most worth watching about Xu Zhongyi as a character?
That his transformation is not achieved in one step: from forced undercover work, to being won over, to turning himself in, to being assessed by the organization and sent back inside the enemy, every step carries real pressure and calculation of interest. Readers can watch how he entrenches himself within Military Statistics while completing our side's missions; the tension of this double identity is the core of the character.
What is the "infiltration" plan in the book?
The material shows that the enemy devises a sinister "infiltration" plan, and Xu Zhongyi finds a foolproof way to break it. You need not hunt for the answer in advance; treat it as the focal point of the later conflict, and watch how both sides lay plans, probe and counter, and how Xu Zhongyi exploits the enemy's internal contradictions to break it.
Is it better read in one sitting or in segments?
Either works. The plot has strong continuity, so reading it in one sitting makes the rhythm of attack and defense around the "infiltration" plan easier to grasp; if your time is fragmented, read in mission stages, and after each action node, review which camp Xu Zhongyi is in and what his mission is before continuing.
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About the author
肖锚
Author
Xiao Mao is a Chinese author known for war and military fiction. Public information about him is limited: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not found in existing records. Four of his works are held in the collection, including Shen Tou (Infiltration), Feng Zheng (The Kite), and Parts 1 and 2 of Xiao Yan San Jin (When the Smoke Clears), mostly categorized as war and military fiction and premium fiction. These works suggest that Xiao Mao focuses on the fate and emotional entanglements of characters against the backdrop of war, weaving stories around infiltration and standoffs, choices and conflicts. He presents both the tension and cruelty of wartime settings and the struggles and perseverance of individuals caught in the tide of their times. His storytelling combines the readability of genre fiction with a degree of emotional depth, and has gained some recognition among readers of this genre. The two-part structure of When the Smoke Clears shows his ability to handle longer narratives and continuous plots. Overall, Xiao Mao's writing centers on war and human nature, with a style that balances realism and emotion.
