Xie Zhen (Water Margin)

Xie Zhen is a fictional character in Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Double-headed Serpent", he ranks 34th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.

Background

The novel describes Xie Zhen as a powerfully built man seven chi tall, with a purplish face, wide shoulders and a narrow waist. He usually dons trousers made of leopard skin and wraps his torso with tiger hide. A brave soul, he can travel in harsh conditions, scale mountains and climb dangerous cliffs. Highly skilled in martial arts, he uses a bronze forked spear. He is nicknamed "Double-headed Serpent".

Joining Liangshan

Xie Zhen and his younger brother, Xie Bao, are the best hunters in Dengzhou (登州; in present-day eastern Shandong). The magistrate orders them to hunt down, within three days, a ferocious tiger which has been terrorising Dengzhou's residents. On the second night, the Xie brothers track down the tiger, corner it on the edge of a cliff, and fire poison arrows at it. The wounded tiger falls off the cliff and lands in the backyard of Squire Mao's mansion. Squire Mao ordered his servants to take the dead tiger to the magistrate to claim the reward when the Xie brothers were clambering down the hill to reach his mansion. The Xie brothers are furious when they find no dead tiger in Mao's house. They smash the furniture in the hall before leaving. The squire's son, Mao Zhongyi, lures the Xie brothers into a trap, frames them for robbery and sends them to the local magistrate's office. Squire Mao then bribes the magistrate to sentence the Xie brothers to death.

Yue He, the jailer in charge of the Xie brothers, is the brother-in-law of Sun Li, the local commandant whose brother Sun Xin married Gu Dasao, a cousin of the Xie brothers. Yue He delivers the news to Gu Dasao and Sun Xin, who enlists Zou Yuan and Zou Ruan into their rescue party. Sun Li is also pressured into joining in. With Yue He's help from inside the prison, they succeed in extricating the Xie brothers. They kill Squire Mao and his family in revenge and then flee to Liangshan Marsh to join the outlaw band there.

Before they go up Liangshan, Sun Li, who has studied martial arts under the same master as Luan Tingyu, the martial arts instructor of the Zhu Family Village, volunteers to be Liangshan's mole in the village. The Liangshan outlaws have failed in their previous two attempts to take the village. Sun Li and his companions, including the Xie brothers, win the confidence of the Zhus and Luan Tingyu, and they strike when the chance comes. The Liangshan outlaws succeed in defeating the Zhus and capturing the village.

Campaigns and death

The Xie brothers become leaders in the Liangshan infantry after the 108 Stars came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. They follow the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the Liao invaders and rebel forces on Song territory after they received amnesty from Emperor Huizong.

At the battle of Black Dragon Ridge (烏龍嶺; northeast of present-day Meicheng Town, Jiande, Zhejiang) during the campaign against the rebel forces under Fang La, the Xie brothers disguise as hunters to scout the territory. While climbing up a cliff, they are discovered by enemy soldiers at the top, who attempt to capture them with hooks. Xie Zhen is caught and tries to free himself by cutting the ropes tied to the hooks, but ends up falling off the cliff to his death. Xie Bao is crushed to death by the boulders and other debris thrown down by the enemies.

See also

• List of Water Margin minor characters#Xie brothers' story for a list of supporting minor characters from Xie Zhen's story.

References

• Buck, Pearl S. (2006). All Men are Brothers. Moyer Bell. ISBN 9781559213035.
• Ichisada, Miyazaki (1993). Suikoden: Kyoko no naka no Shijitsu (in Japanese). Chuo Koronsha. ISBN 978-4122020559.
• Keffer, David. "Outlaws of the Marsh: A Somewhat Less Than Critical Commentary". Poison Pie Publishing House. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Li, Mengxia (1992). 108 Heroes from the Water Margin (in Chinese). EPB Publishers. p. 69. ISBN 9971-0-0252-3.
• Miyamoto, Yoko (2011). "Water Margin: Chinese Robin Hood and His Bandits". Demystifying Confucianism. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
• Shibusawa, Kou (1989), Bandit Kings of Ancient China, Koei
• Zhang, Lin Ching (2009). Biographies of Characters in Water Margin. Writers Publishing House. ISBN 978-7506344784.