Along with many other young women, Xie joined the Nationalist Revolutionary Army in a bout of patriotic and revolutionary fervor. She participated in the Northern Expedition of 1926, and was particularly active in the propaganda units. It was at this time that she started her autobiographical works, and segments of her writings (which were formatted as letters in a diary) were published in the Nationalist Party newspaper, the "Central Daily News," in 1927. Her literary reputation started with her military diaries and letters, some of which were translated into English by Lin Yutang and published first serially in 1927 and then in book form in 1930. However, after the Nationalist purge of the Communists in 1927, her regiment was disbanded and she returned to her hometown. While at home, her parents wanted to proceed with her arranged marriage to Xiao Ming, and she was virtually imprisoned until she was married and crossed the threshold of her husband's home. In her autobiographies, she notes that her husband respected her wishes to not consummate their marriage and to consider an annulment. For a short while, she resigned herself to domestic chores and duties, until she was offered a teaching position at the Datong Girls School.