Xie Zhen
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Xie Zhen (解珍) is a character in the epic Chinese tale, the Water Margin.
Xie Zhen and his brother Xie Bao were rated as the best hunters in Dengzhou. He stood at 7 feet, had a purplish face, wide shoulders and a narrow waist. He donned trousers made of leopard skin and wore a tiger skin around his torso. He was brave and daring, had the ability to travel in harsh conditions, scaling mountains and climbing cliffs. He was skilled in martial arts and carried a bronze forked spear, thus earning the nickname 'Double-headed snake' (两头蛇).
The Xie brothers were assigned to hunt down a ferocious tiger within three days. On the third night, they met the tiger and fired poison arrows at it. The wounded tiger fell off the mountain and landed in Squire Mao's backyard. The brothers went to Mao's residence to ask for the dead tiger, but were arrested instead. Actually, Mao had already sent the dead tiger to the county office and received a reward. Then, Mao accused the Xie brothers of robbing him, by bribing the county governor. Then, the Xie brothers were sentenced to death.
The jailer Yue He was a relative of the Xie brothers' cousin Sun Li. He immediately went to the Sun Li's residence to ask for help. Sun Li, together with his younger brother Sun Xin and his sister-in-law Gu Dasao, Zou Run and Zou Yuan from Dengyun Mountain, raided the prison and rescued the Xie brothers. They killed Squire Mao and his family, then fled to Liangshan.
The Xie brothers aided Sun Li as they acted as conspirators from within the Zhu Family Village, and helped the Liangshan heroes conquer Zhu Family Village, making great contributions. The brothers then became leaders of the Liangshan infantry, and part of the 36 Heavenly Chieftains.
Xie Zhen followed the heroes on their campaigns, and during the Fang La campaign, he aided the heroes in conquering Hangzhou. Then, when the heroes were attacking Wulong Ridge, the Xie brothers volunteered to act as spies. They disguised themselves as hunters and tried to scale the mountain. Unfortunately, enemy troops discovered them and threw hooks down at them. Xie Zhen was caught by the hooks, but he drew his sword and sliced off the ropes connected to the hooks, falling from over hundreds of metres high to his death.
