Ignoring all the evidence that the Guangxi Army had been decisively defeated, and convinced that the 2nd Brigade would be encircled if it remained where it was, he took the controversial decision to abandon Lạng Sơn and fall back to stronger defensive positions at Kep and Chu.
Mengabaikan semua bukti bahwa Tentara Guangxi telah dikalahkan secara meyakinkan, dan yakin bahwa Brigade 2 akan dikepung jika tetap ada, ia mengambil keputusan kontroversial untuk meninggalkan Lạng Sơn dan kembali ke posisi pertahanan yang lebih kuat di Kep dan Chu.