When talking about espionage, most people think of agents who lurk in hostile countries and sneak in to deliver classified information. There is a type of spy whose existence is almost unknown, and they are called "lying flat spies". These people seem to do nothing, do not steal secrets, do not pass on information, as if they have nothing to do with the world. But don't be fooled by appearances, they may be more influential than you think.
In the world of espionage, we usually think of the handsome agents in the movies, who travel between countries to carry out dangerous missions and obtain vital intelligence. Not all spies are so "high-profile". There is a special kind of spy existence that hardly conducts any obvious espionage, does not steal secrets, does not contact any intelligence agencies, and it is even possible that their existence is almost forgotten even by their upline. They are the so-called "lying flat spies".
This espionage tactic may sound incredible, but in fact, it has been a notable example in history. For example, Yakovlev in the USSR. Yakovlev was an ordinary scholar in the Soviet Union, who studied at Columbia University in the United States, during which he was instigated by the CIA to become a spy. Upon his return to the Soviet Union, he did not engage in any obvious acts of espionage, did not steal secrets, and did not maintain contact with the United States.
After Yakovlev returned to the Soviet Union, his life seemed to be back on track. He worked at the Soviet embassy in Canada, and was later promoted to Minister of Propaganda when he returned home. In this position, he did not carry out any significant anti-Soviet activities. On the contrary, he seemed to be pushing the cultural and ideological development of the Soviet Union. He relaxed restrictions on Soviet creations and abolished censorship in many newspapers. This seemingly enlightened policy actually loosened the Soviet Union's ideological grip.
Under his influence, Soviet jokes and sarcasm began to circulate widely. These jokes may seem harmless, but in fact reflect the people's dissatisfaction with reality and disappointment with the future. For example, there is a joke that goes something like this: "What is the difference between Soviet and British fairy tales? English fairy tales begin with 'a long, long time ago', while ours is 'not far away, not far away'." Such jokes circulated among the people, gradually eroding the people's trust and loyalty to the Soviet government.
On the surface, Yakovlev appeared to be a loyal Soviet citizen, but in reality, his actions quietly pushed for change in Soviet society. This change was carried out not through violence or obvious political struggles, but through cultural and ideological infiltration, which gradually loosened Soviet society from within. His presence and behavior, seemingly calm, actually posed a great threat to the stability of the USSR.
Another example is the Qin juniper in China. Qin Hui was accused of being a traitor of the Jin Yuan Dynasty during the Southern Song Dynasty, and his actions seem to have been extremely unfavorable to the Song Dynasty. From another point of view, Qin Hui's political strategy can actually be seen as a kind of "lying flat spy". Outwardly loyal to the Song dynasty, he was in fact internally pushing for the collapse of the forces that opposed the Jin dynasty. He used political tactics to weaken the power of the generals loyal to the Song dynasty, and this internal division made the Song dynasty appear powerless against foreign enemies.
The brilliance of this espionage tactic is that it is almost undetectable. These people do not engage in any traditional espionage, they do not steal documents, they do not contact the intelligence agencies of hostile countries, and even their actions seem to many to be within the scope of normal duties. As such, they are able to play a key role in quietly moving the course of history forward.
For those who really understand this strategy, they know that in the complex world of international politics and intelligence warfare, sometimes the most effective weapons are not guns and bombs, but wisdom and patience that can quietly influence the development of events at critical moments. This is where the true power of the "lying flat spy" lies. They influence the fate of the country without being visible, and we may never know what they really are.
Against this backdrop, it is not difficult to see that the world of espionage is far more complicated than we think. It involves not only covert operations and high-tech equipment, but also psychological warfare and tactical struggles. In this invisible war, everyone, no matter how ordinary they may seem on the surface, could be a key figure in changing the course of history.