Tôn Thất Thuyết
As Jean Dupuis was detained, Francis Garnier returned to Cochinchina. Admiral Dupré assigned him the task to negotiate the release of Dupuis. Garnier presented a list of demands to the court, waiting for response, while Huế court did not take any action, suspicious of Garnier’s real intention. Because of that, Francis Garnier decided, without permission from his superior, to take over Hanoi by force on 20 November 1873. After capturing the city, Garnier and his men launched themsleves in a full blown conquest of the region and conquered most of the delta's largest cities in the course of December 1873. There was divergence between Huế court and regional military officials. On the one hand, Huế court was preparing for negotiation with French representative to have Garnier remove from Hanoi. On the other hand, Hoàng Kế Viêm ordered Liu Yongfu and Black Flags to move to west of Hanoi, ready for offensive. On 21 December, a battle was started and ended with the decapitation of Francis Garnier by Black Flags’ platoon. The moment Huế court was informed of Garnier’s death, court officials ordered Hoàng Kế Viêm and Tôn Thất Thuyết to move Liu Yongfu back to Hưng Hóa.