| Xie Bao | |
|---|---|
| Water Margin character | |
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| First appearance | Chapter 49 |
| Nickname | "Twin-tailed Scorpion" 雙尾蠍 |
| Rank | 35th,Crying Star (天哭星) of the 36 Heavenly Spirits |
| Infantry leader of Liangshan | |
| Origin | Hunter |
| Ancestral home / Place of origin | Dengzhou (in present-day easternShandong) |
| Weapon | Bronze forked spear (渾鐵點鋼叉) |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 解宝 |
| Traditional Chinese | 解寶 |
| Pinyin | Xiè Bǎo |
| Wade–Giles | Hsieh Pao |
Xie Bao is a fictional character inWater Margin, one of theFour Great Classical Novels inChinese literature. Nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion", he ranks 35th among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the108 Stars of Destiny.
The novel depicts Xie Bao as sevenchi tall, dark-complexioned and having a round face. Each of his ankles is tattooed with a flyingyaksha.[1] Nicknamed "Twin-tailed Scorpion", Xie Bao usually wears the hide of a tiger or a leopard as his outer garment, just like his elder brotherXie Zhen. Skilled in martial arts, agile in climbing hills and able to endure bad weathers, the brothers each use a bronze forked spear in hunting, which is also their weapon in combat. When he is enraged, Xie Bao could shake things around him with his roar.
The governor of Dengzhou (登州; in present-day easternShandong) orders Xie Zhen and Xie Bao, the best among local hunters, to hunt down a tiger in three days which has preyed on travelers on a ridge, failing which they would face severe punishment. On the second night, the brothers trap the tiger, corner it on a cliff, and fire poison arrows at it. The tiger falls off the cliff and lands in the backyard of the mansion of one Squire Mao. As they are clambering down the hill, Squire Mao orders his son Mao Zhongyi to take the tiger, now dead, to the governor to claim the rewards.
Finding no tiger, the brothers are infuriated, smashing the furnitures in Mao's mansion before leaving. They run into Mao Zhongyi, who lures them back to his home where they are seized in an ambush. They are sent to the governor who jails them on the charge of theft. Squire Mao bribes the chief warden to murder them in prison.
Yue He, a jailer in the prison, happens to be related to them, his sister being the wife ofSun Li, whose brotherSun Xin is married toGu Dasao, a cousin of the Xies. Sun Li is the commandant of Dezhou's garrison. Yue takes the news of the Xies to Sun Xin and Gu Dasao. The couple rope inZou Yuan andZou Run to help in the rescue. They also pressure Sun Li to join in. On the day of rescue, Yue He opens the prison gate to let in Gu Dasao, who pretends to bring food to the Xies. After admitting her, Yue unlocks themanacles that shackles the Xies to a bed. Once released, the Xies are like tigers released, charging out of their cell and smashing the chief warden to death as Gu creates havoc in the jail compound. Meanwhile, Sun Li and the others launches an attack from the outside. After pulling off the rescue, the group kills Squire Mao and his family and flee to join the outlaw band of Liangshan.
Before going up to the stronghold, Sun Li volunteers to infiltrate the Zhu Family Village, which Liangshan has failed to take in two offensives. As Sun Li has received combat training from the same teacher as Luan Tingyu, the martial arts instructor of the village, he easily wins the confidence of the Zhus. Xie Bao, together with Xie Zhen, Sun Xin, Gu Dasao, Yue He, Zou Yuan and Zou Run, goes on a rampage inside the village, taking it by surprise, whenSun Li gives the signal. The fall of the Zhu Family Village is an immense contribution by the group before their formal acceptance into Liangshan.
The Xie brothers are appointed as leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the108 Stars of Destiny came together in what is called the Grand Assembly. They participate in the campaigns against theLiao invaders and rebel forces inSong territory following amnesty fromEmperor Huizong for Liangshan.
In the battle of Black Dragon Ridge (烏龍嶺; northeast of present-day Meicheng Town,Jiande,Zhejiang) in the campaign againstFang La, the Xie brothers disguises themselves as hunters to recce the terrain. While climbing up the steep cliff, they are discovered by the enemy soldiers, hurling grappling hooks at them. Caught, Xie Zhen cuts the ropes of the hooks and falls to his death. Xie Bao is crushed to death by the boulders and other debris thrown down at him.