Chinese Name: Xie Zhen 

Japanese name: Ryōtōda Kaichin

Rank: 34th of the 108 Stars of Destiny 

Nickname: Double Headed Serpent 

Xie Zhen and his brother Xie Bao (plate 75) were hunters from Dengzhou and were the best in the region. They were both of large builds, were over seven feet in height, and had dark complexions; they had no parents and neither were married; their preferred weapon was the trident.

The Xie brothers had been unjustly arrested, and the warden at the prison had been bribed to have them killed before they could stand trial. When their cousin Gu Dasao (plate 50) found this out, she assembled a rescue team and they devised a plan to free them. During the jail break, the prison warden as well as several prison guards were killed, and the Xie brothers and their rescuers all fled to join with the Liangshan bandits (see plate 47 for details). 

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As the saga of the Liangshan bandits continued, they were finally granted amnesty by the Emperor, and Song Jiang was given the title of Vanguard General. To prove their merit, they were sent on a mission to quell the Liao invaders who’d been steadily advancing south into the Song Empire. The mission was a success, but when Song Jiang and his men returned, they soon began to feel idle. 

A man named Fang La had rebelled and amassed a large army of brigands. He’d taken over several prefectures and appointed himself king of the region. Upon hearing this news, Song Jiang and his Liangshan brethren volunteered to vanquish Fang La and his forces. The Emperor was thrilled, and immediately sent them to reclaim the land for the Song Empire. 

As the battle between the Liangshan army and Fang La’s rebels waged on, there were heavy casualties on both sides. Liangshan’s infantry forces had chased two of Fang La’s generals to a mountain path. The generals dismounted their horses and retreated through the forest on foot. Suddenly, the Xie brothers jumped from the bushes and captured them. One was sent to the governor to be executed and have his head put on display, the other was disemboweled, and his heart offered as a sacrifice to the recently fallen Dong Ping (plate 88), Zhang Qing (plate 89), and Zhuo Tong (plate 7).

Xie Zhen is shown here capturing and binding Fang La’s general.   

Kuniyoshi recreation