Novels like The Third Republic
Books Chinese readers most often put in the same booklists as The Third Republic, best match first.
- 1 A Man of the Jianghu 江湖混的人 What kind of people are these? They’re a rowdy bunch, a bunch who think they’re better than everyone else. The brothers we ran wild with back in the day. When our youth had passed and we looked back, some familiar faces were nowhere to be seen. Some had gone far away, some had faded into silence, and some were still eating from the same communal pot. Why? Because the road we took was one we could never turn back from. 1.4kReads8.2Score—14d adds
- 2 Tainan Underworld: Tales of the Past 台南黑道往事 Lin Qing is a promising business management graduate, always impeccably dressed in Taipei, until a letter from home pulls him back to the heart of the storm: Anping, Tainan. His father, Lin Shuisu, rules the docks with an iron fist as the gang boss of the Shuishu Gang. This world reeks of the sea, rust, cheap betel nut, and unrestrained violence, a stark contrast to the orderly life of Taipei. His first lesson after returning home is watching his father hack off the fingers of a debtor named A S 32Reads—Score—14d adds
- 3 On the Run 一路逃亡 Orphaned at the age of ten, Ji Ling struggles to survive while the villagers spit on him. After falling into Ghost Cliff, he finds himself at death's door, only to be saved by a mysterious green-skinned gourd! The gourd holds a world within. It can hold an endless supply of water, and eating its fruit grants him divine strength. It becomes his only means of survival. When he first comes down from the mountain, he is taken in by a well-meaning stranger, only to be sold for three thousand yuan by 220Reads6.9Score—14d adds
- 4 Underworld: The City's Dragon Overlord 黑道江湖：都市枭龙 [Urban] [Rousing] [Male-Oriented] [Feel-Good] [Urban Life] After two years in prison, today is the first day I’m free! I grew up in an orphanage and have my own household registration, but no connections. The moment I decided to make my way in the underworld, I set foot in a turbulent era and began building a towering legacy! 57Reads—Score—14d adds
- 5 After Getting Kicked Off the Police Force, I Took Down the City’s Criminal Underworld 被警队开除后：我掀翻全城黑恶 Forced to take off the uniform I wore to defend the righteous path, I won’t join the underworld. I’ll punish it and fleece it. I devise clever schemes and turn their own force against them, specializing in fleecing underworld bosses. I’ll take ill-gotten gains, clear out their criminal territory, and settle every score. Today they ignore me. Tomorrow there won’t be anywhere left for the wicked to swagger. I’m Xiao Zhang. I do things with a swagger, and I’m the godfather to every thug in the city 48Reads—Score—14d adds
- 6 Hot-Blooded and Reckless 热血轻狂 [Underworld] + [Martial Arts Training] + [Cultivation]: An absolutely thrilling underworld novel When we were young, we were reckless. When faced with darkness, will you swallow your anger or fight back with everything you have? Watch a group of fiery, ordinary young men rule the underworld. Who can stand against them! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 7 The Winds of Ye City 邺都风云 My father was dead, but his debts remained. 140,000 yuan, two people, one county town. Zhou Ye only wanted to study hard, but some people wouldn't let him. Why should a son have to pay off the mess his father left behind? He refused to accept it. Then He'd beat them into submission. 1Reads—Score—14d adds
- 8 On the Day My Engagement Was Called Off, I Awakened the World-Breaking System 退婚当天，我觉醒破界系统 Su Chen's spiritual root has been destroyed, and his family is about to throw him out. Already brokenhearted, he accepts the annulment of his engagement. Who would have thought that on their wedding night, his bride, who had stormed off in a huff, would return in the middle of the night? “Tonight... are we still going to be husband and wife?” Just as Su Chen is about to wave her off, a mechanical voice suddenly rings out in his mind: Dimensional Break System successfully bound! The next second, —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 9 From Scavenger to Underworld Kingpin 从捡垃圾到黑道枭雄 The boy who scavenges for food in the garbage is destined to become a king through blood and fire. Lin Bei, an orphan abandoned by the world, curls up on a park bench. His only chance to survive is rummaging through foul-smelling trash cans. With winter approaching, he sets his sights on the “garbage mountain” in the west of the city, the place no one dares touch because it’s “Brother Gou’s” lifeline. When more than a dozen dark figures surround him and cold fists rain down on his head, the wild 1.5kReads7.3Score13214d adds
- 10 A Disciple of the Generation 一代门徒 In the 2000s, we entered a new century. Tower after tower rose from the ground, and people moved from a simple, kindhearted world to one filled with complicated struggles of human nature. The times changed and taught us so much, so very much. We also lost so much, so very much... 109Reads—Score—14d adds
- 11 A Ballad of Jianghu 江湖的悲歌 An accident took Man Cheng’s grandfather’s life, but it also introduced him to someone who would become very important to him. The incident changed the way he saw the world and set him on a path of no return. As more brothers joined him, ready to weather every hardship by his side, he found himself traveling farther and farther down that road. Looking back on his youth, some people are still by his side, some have ended up behind bars for good, and some he will never see again. 440Reads—Score—14d adds
- 12 Lord of the Apocalypse: From Death Row Inmate to King of the Planned Zone 末日之主：从死囚到待规划区之王 Xiao Ke, a special forces instructor, wakes up in the body of a death-row prisoner with only half a month left before his execution. After awakening the Collection System, he makes his “first fortune” and stages a breathtaking escape from death row. The price, however, is that he cannot enter a safe zone for three years. In the post-apocalyptic wasteland, the unplanned zones are ruled by the law of the jungle, but he's like a dragon released into the sea. Standing on the barren land of an unplan —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 13 Bloodstained Underworld 血色黑道 This novel is based on numerous real events. The author has simply used literary exaggeration to tell the story of a small group of troubled people in civilized society, exposing the filthy methods and despicable behavior hidden beneath their dazzling appearances. People from different walks of life experience different joys and sorrows, all leading to tragic endings. As the saying goes, once you enter the jianghu, its depths are unfathomable; by the time you turn back, a hundred years have pass 63Reads6.9Score—14d adds
- 14 Tales of the Underworld in Dongguan 莞城江湖往事 The jianghu isn’t a world of free-spirited heroes, revenge, and fine clothes atop spirited steeds. It’s a filthy, chaotic reality twisted by darkness! I, Zhang Xingheng, entered the jianghu to play the game of schemes and use my brains. Everything in the world was part of my calculations, including myself! So, you ask why I succeeded? Because every big shot in the jianghu fell victim to my schemes! They fell amid blades, guns, and blood! From the moment I stepped into the jianghu, every big shot 11.4kReads6.8Score65114d adds
- 15 South City's Fierce Eagle: No Way Out 南城雄枭：上天无门 The son of a dockworker starts with nothing but the grief of his father's murder. Over ten years, amid the blood and fire of a southern port city, he builds an underground empire with his own hands. Then, in the sweeping tide of the crackdown on organized crime, he makes the most difficult choice of his life. 5Reads—Score—14d adds
- 16 It's Tough Making It in the Jianghu 江湖社会不好混 The underworld isn't just about fighting. It's also about human relationships and social savvy. Charging in thoughtlessly is what amateurs do. Planning and strategy are both essential. Strength is a prerequisite. Watch the protagonist climb to the top. P.S. This old hand at reading novels is writing one for the first time. I hope you'll support and encourage me. Please forgive me if it's not well written, and go easy on me in the comments. —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 17 The River-Crosser: A Fugitive 过江龙：亡命之徒 His parents died in a mining disaster, and he was forced out of work. Wang Yue only wanted to tend his barbecue stall and live quietly and honestly with his brothers. But the son of a powerful family kept pushing him, refusing to leave him even a way to survive! With nowhere left to retreat, he would retreat no further! (This book has a gritty style and realistic plot. Proceed with caution.) 55kReads8.2Score3.9k14d adds
- 18 Tales of Vocational High School 职高风云录 [Told in flashbacks] [First-person POV] [Passionate] [Youth] [Rags to riches] [Two heroines] [Don't mess with an honest man, or you won't even get the chance to kneel and beg for mercy!!!] —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 19 Reckless Years, 轻狂岁月， The little brother I used to look down on has suddenly become the big boss... Chase the campus belle, take down the school bully! A legend in the west of the city is still a legend in the east! I, Chen Han, never hold a grudge, because I get my revenge the very same day! I charge across the battlefield for no reason but to live out my wild, reckless youth! —Reads—Score114d adds
- 20 Dark Night Turmoil 暗夜風云 Crime, love, friendship, and all-consuming passion. After Lin Yu's father lost his business and could no longer bear the burden of his debts, he jumped to his death. His family was plunged into despair overnight. His mother was bedridden with a serious illness and urgently needed an enormous sum for medical bills. With nowhere else to turn, Lin Yu was swept into a gang fight on the street. When he stepped in to save a girl who was being bullied, he displayed extraordinary courage and fighting sk —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 21 Apocalypse! I Lead the Villagers in Building an Army 末世！我带领村民建立军团 In 1992, a strange electromagnetic storm swept across the globe. Every electronic device was destroyed. Temperatures plunged, and an endless winter descended. There are no zombies and no supernatural powers, only ravenous giant beasts and desperate bandits taking advantage of the chaos. Zhang Fan, a former field soldier, makes his stand in Qingshan Village, defending his home, making weapons, and organizing his people. Starting from a tiny village, he takes in refugees, wipes out bandits, and bu 18Reads—Score—14d adds
- 22 A Journey Through Troubled Times 浊世征途 This is not a brainless power fantasy, and there is no System or golden finger. After seventeen years of writing, my specialty is fabricated reality and real fabrication! If you do not like it, please do not read it. Thank you for understanding. Those years, those brothers, those stories! Let us set sail and renew our old bonds! May all the brothers who pass by, come in, follow along, and offer their support live to be a hundred, enjoy abundant wealth, and have all their wishes come true! 41.2kReads9.4Score3k14d adds
- 23 Tales of the Northeast: Wang Pinghe 东北风云往事之王平和 The underworld of Northeast China in the 1990s had no beauty filters, just tough men with hard fists. Wang Pinghe, nicknamed Little Hoodlum, was the second child in his family. He should have lived a quiet life under his parents’ care, but instead plunged headfirst into the underworld. He fought viciously and was fiercely loyal. The iron gates of the detention center could hold him, but they couldn’t contain his wild streak. He would take a knife for his brothers, yet treat beautiful women with 28.8kReads8.6Score1.6k14d adds
- 24 I Dabbled in the Underworld and Accidentally Reached the Top 黑道玩票，不小心混到了巅峰 (Underworld + passion + brotherhood) You want to force me to the top of the underworld? Then I’ll give you exactly what you want! I’ve weathered bloody storms! Walked through a hail of bullets! Been betrayed by brothers! Faced life and death with indifference! Endured every vicious scheme! I, Wang Dongsheng, will tear through the darkness and shatter every plot! I’ll lead my brothers to rise on this blood-soaked road! I only ever wanted to be a nobody, but you forced me to become a hyena bristli 10Reads—Score—14d adds
- 25 Wolf Hunt 狼狩 Lin Qiwen watches his honest, hardworking parents get beaten right before his eyes. As a boy, he’s falsely accused and sent to juvenile detention. Five years later, he walks out and stirs up the underworld. Revenge is only the beginning. He wants far more than that. Watch Lin Qiwen climb step by step to the very peak of power! 624Reads6.6Score10214d adds
- 26 At Eighteen, I Got a Cardigan Tattoo and Hit the Jianghu 我18岁纹开衫闯荡江湖 My biological father was sentenced to death, leaving me an orphan. As I slowly grew up, I became a delinquent with no interest in anything worthwhile. On my eighteenth birthday, the family I depended on could no longer put up with me. After I left, I spent every day hanging out with my old middle school classmates. Without even realizing it, I began following the same path as my father. Let me, at eighteen, see just how cruel, filthy, and dark this world of self-interest really is! 50.3kReads7.6Score3.8k14d adds
- 27 Underworld Chronicles: The Road Through the Gangland 黑道往事：黑道风云路 This book tells the story of Liu Yong, the Northeast underworld boss, and his years of turmoil in the jianghu. It blends fact and fiction, hearsay and rumor, with a touch of artful historical embellishment. Told as a novel, the story is entertaining and gripping, giving you something to pass the time with after a meal while offering a glimpse of what the real jianghu is like, and how complicated human nature can be. This book is a real thrill to read! Liu Yong is a name that carries weight. Whet 469Reads—Score—14d adds
- 28 Doomsday: High-Dimensional Parasitism 末日：高维寄生 The apocalypse has arrived. Mutant beasts run rampant, and evil forces hold the world in their grasp! I repaired an old doll and accidentally bonded with a higher-dimensional life form, unlocking two top-tier talents! Forge sci-fi weapons, build an impregnable fortress, and assemble an invincible team. Crush bandit dens, take on giant mutant beasts, and dig deep into conspiracies involving illicit cross-district operations. From a lowly soldier to the strongest overlord reshaping the wasteland! —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 29 A New Era: The Female Lead Is Both Badass and Fabulous 新纪元：女主她又爽又飒 After a global geological cataclysm, most regions became wasteland. Born into an era of scarce supplies, tight food shortages, and social chaos, Lin Jin understood that to survive this dark world, where people would devour you without a second thought, she had to learn to be ruthless and to seize what she needed. She went from being a black-market trader outside the district to a police officer within the system, climbing step by step to heights that had never been meant for her... Even an ordin —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 30 Starting in a County Town, I Build a Global Crime Queen 从县城开始，打造全球黑道女皇 [The rating just came in and will rise later] Right after transmigrating, he discovers he has become the useless live-in husband of the county's crime boss. From the start, his wife has a cold dagger at his throat, while hundreds of enemies gather outside, sharpening their blades and shouting for blood. His wife is about to be killed in the street! At this critical moment, the [Strongest Queen Support System] activates! “Ding! Host's wife, Qin Lengyue, is facing utter ruin. Beginner's gift pack 17Reads6.9Score314d adds
- 31 Zhou Bufan’s Road to a Triumphant Rise in the Underworld 周不凡的黑道逆袭路 [No dogs are harmed in this book.] [This book is based on real events. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.] A hopeless case? A pushover anyone can pick on? When Zhou Bufan, once trampled underfoot, enters the chaotic North City covered in scars, all he wants is to keep his head down. But in this wretched world, even staying alive is too much to hope for! When fists rain down on him again, when his dignity is crushed once more, he can’t take it anymore. He won’t take it anymore! “Either live —Reads—Score—14d adds
- 32 The Bad Boy’s Handsome Kirin 不良少年之麒麟帅 No System, No Transmigration This story follows Bai Long, beginning in the era of warlord conflict. It tells how Bai Long grows from a boy anyone could bully into a legendary figure. 2Reads—Score—14d adds
- 33 Bandit City 匪城 [Not a wish-fulfillment power fantasy, and the protagonist isn't invincible: a comeback story + underworld conflict + a rock-bottom start + personality reversal + ruthless decisiveness + brains and brawn + ruthless bandits and war criminals abound] I'm Shen Liu. Ever since my father was imprisoned for seriously injuring someone when I was seven, I've endured humiliation at every turn. Then a girl appeared, and my life began to change... Once again, they knocked me down. As they unzipped their —Reads—Score2.2k14d adds
- 34 The Thug Gets Out of Prison 暴徒出狱 Before I went to prison, I was a big shot everyone feared. After getting out, I wanted to live a different kind of life. I just wanted to be an ordinary person, live a quiet life, and work hard to make money. I was ready to let bygones be bygones. But I wanted to let them go, and they kept pushing me. So I had no choice but to fight back with everything I had. 28Reads—Score—14d adds
- 35 Underworld Storm: Southeast Asia 黑道风云之东南风云录！ In the 1990s, the southeastern provinces were a chaotic mix, with criminal gangs flourishing everywhere. They controlled the underworld, disregarded the law and morality, and kept crime rates high… In Min City, Minzhou Province, Li Tianju is forced back onto the road of no return after getting out of prison. He rises like a storm, crushing all challengers until he becomes a crime boss in his own right! (This book has no harem, no formulaic tropes, no invincible protagonist, and no filler. It’s h 140Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 36 The Evil Lord Descends into the Abyss 邪主临渊 [Underworld] [Brotherhood] [Passionate] [The author is also a fan of Uncle Qin] I was bullied all through middle school. I thought things would get better in high school, but I was still bullied. Little by little, those people led me down a road of no return... My name is Mo Daoxie. Dao as in “principle,” and Xie as in “evil.” 5Reads—Score114d adds
- 37 Black, White, and Gray? How Can You Get Ahead Without Getting Your Hands Dirty? 黑白灰？不涉灰怎么出人头地 Brotherhood + slow-burn ensemble cast + one female lead + not overpowered + first-person perspective Some people say black is black and white is white, and anyone who falls into the underworld is a bad person. I wanted to be a good person. I never wanted to fall into the underworld. But does being a good person mean being looked down on? Does it mean being powerless when trouble strikes? Only later did I realize that society isn’t simply black or white. The world’s true colors are black, white, 22Reads—Score—14d adds
- 38 The Jianghu Madman 江湖狂人 Personality determines fate. When Chen Yuanshan overcomes his fear, the underworld gains a few more madmen. Absolutely ruthless and decisive: one disagreement, and he pulls a gun! The plot isn’t melodramatic, and the pacing is slow-burn. I’m a new writer, so my writing is limited. Please be understanding if it isn’t very good. 443Reads—Score—14d adds
- 39 After Prison, I Became the King of the Underworld 出狱后，我成了地下王者 One accidental assault completely turned the wheel of my fate! By the time I returned from prison, a path to kingship lay before me! It seemed to have been waiting for me all along, awaiting my awakening! I set out on the journey to the very top... 20Reads—Score—14d adds
- 40 Bad Boy: The Sequel to No Rules, No Limits 不良之无法无天续写 Our youth was bold and unruly, and in our reckless years, brotherhood always came first! The martial world was full of excitement, but also rife with bloodshed, schemes, and deceit! Brothers stood by each other through life and death, but there was no shortage of backstabbing and betrayal! Loyalty endured with righteous strength, but even heroes could fall short and meet an untimely end! Power could make you stand above the crowd, but it also brought drunken excess and the ruin of everything you 1.2kReads—Score—14d adds
- 41 The Toughest Man in Yunnan 云滇第一狠人 {Urban Fiction + Power Fantasy + Nonstop Action} In high school, an accident landed me in prison for five years. Thanks to the guidance of a benefactor, I got out and worked my way up from nothing. Build big! Rise again! Rule Yunnan! 441Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 42 Transmigrating into the Hehuan Sect, I’m the Best at Absorbing Yin to Nourish Yang! 穿越合欢宗，采阴补阳我最强！ [The rating just came in, and it's only going up from here!] Lin Ye transmigrates to the world of cultivation and becomes a male errand runner in the Hehuan Sect. In this sect, where pure yang energy is scarce, he is a walking cultivation resource, destined to become a human cauldron. Then he discovers that he possesses the [Myriad Transformations Pure Yang Origin Body]! Female cultivators who approach him automatically take a liking to him. Those who try to use him for cultivation instead have 16Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 43 The Jianghu of Those Years 那些年的江湖 Quiet! Class is about to begin!!! At Uncle Two's shout, the hall and the streets packed with people fell completely silent. Just then, the young crowd parted, making way without being told. Wen Hua walked through, hearing his brothers call out to him as he passed. “Brother Hua!” “Greetings, Brother Hua.” 14Reads—Score—14d adds
- 44 Black Owl, White World 黑枭白界 Are they loyal and righteous, or consumed by greed? Using a raw, down-to-earth style, this novel portrays the many faces of life among another group of people in the real world. Are they driven to desperation, or risking everything? How will the men who walk the edge tell their stories? Betrayal and being betrayed, killing and being killed: step into the criminal underworld of the late twentieth century, into the hell behind the sunshine. Perhaps they are far removed from you and me. Perhaps the 35Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 45 I Can Turn My Hand to Anything: Two Horizontal Strokes and One Vertical, That's How We Get Things Done 翻手为云：两横一竖就是干 My name is Wang Xiao, and my nickname is Xiao San’er. Those who respect me call me Third Brother. This book is dedicated to the youth I’ve lost and the days I once spent running with a rough crowd. A butterfly spends its life in love with flowers, wandering with their fragrance to the ends of the earth. Through countless hardships, I have no regrets about my golden years. 240Reads—Score—14d adds
- 46 Underworld Tales: From Prisoner to Underworld Legend! 黑道往事：从劳改犯到黑道传奇！ Bai Zimo was once a mighty special forces champion, but after being framed by a villain, he was wrongfully imprisoned for ten years. Three years into his sentence, a mysterious woman appeared and exposed a shocking conspiracy. She also made him a harsh offer: bring down and kill a crime boss within three months, and he could get out and take his revenge. No one expected Bai Zimo’s first targets after his release to be his own brother and sister-in-law! A thrilling battle in the shadows begins! 20Reads6.8Score—14d adds
- 47 From Top Gaokao Scorer to Underworld Boss 从高考状元到黑道霸主 Those who hate me call me cold-blooded and heartless, Those who love me cry out for justice on my behalf, All this is destined on the road to success, No one can change it, this is a king’s fate. Destined, I will stand against this world, I will shock this world, I will change this world, I will conquer this world… 138Reads6.6Score—14d adds
- 48 The Jianghu in Its True Colors 江湖本色 [New book: River Dragon on the Loose] Many years ago, a group of cocky young boys smoked cigarettes that cost just a few yuan a pack and talked big about their dreams. Longing for the day they would grow up, they shouted, “Our future is bright!” Looking back in an instant, the old street is still there, and the stars shine as they always did. But are the brothers from those days still the same? A man remains a boy until the day he dies! Just like youthful passion, it may cool, but it never dies! 982Reads7.2Score10214d adds
- 49 Tale of the Twin Flood Dragons 双蛟记 [Brothers bound by deep affection, sharing life and death] [A flood dragon lies hidden in deep waters. After enduring bitter hardships, it can emerge transformed into a dragon.] 693Reads7.1Score10114d adds
- 50 Li Ran’s Road Through the Underworld 李燃的江湖路 At the notice board of Longcheng No. 1 High School, Li Ran's name had sat at the top of the honor roll for years. With a pen and an exam admission ticket, he could open the door to another world. Until one evening, on a street lined with food stalls, Zhao Tianyu tore it all apart with the roar of his Porsche. His girlfriend, Ding Xiaoxi, was harassed, and his brothers were beaten. When Li Ran charged forward with a beer bottle in his hand, he never imagined that the cut across his skin would bec 4Reads—Score—14d adds
