The scene opens with the emperor of the northern kingdom, Lanzhou, telling the king of the southern kingdom that he is fine. Lanzhou tells the king to face his death. He tells Lanzhou to push his sword against the soldiers of his own country and that it is Lanzhou who is fighting against the southerners. The emperor replies that he did not intend to go to this extreme. He says that if Lanzhou had not given military command to the northerners, the kingdom would have been doomed. He also says that Lanzhou should have known that he would not be able to get the throne if he had to rely on the support of others to stage an uprising. The northerners will be defeated if Lanyang