Martial scenes depict the struggles between rival states, warriors, or bandits, and often come from Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh sources. The plots entail military intrigue, revenge, and strategy, with the noble characters frequently prevailing because of their superior strength of character and intelligence. The content of the performance shifts to the martial arts and acrobatics, and the roles featured are the jing, as generals, along with wusheng and wudan.

Percussion accompaniment is central to these scenes, and the stage is often completely empty to allow space for the battles. In the martial portions of a play, the costumes tend to be the stiff and voluminous formal robes worn at court and the different forms of armor and soldiers" uniforms used for military engagements. The colors are stronger than they are for civilian clothing, with dragons and other powerful beasts decorating the costumes.