The army ministry insisted that the Tonkin campaign should be run by a general from the regular army, and Courbet was relieved of the command of the expeditionary corps on 16 December 1883 (ironically, the very day on which he captured Sơn Tây).
Kementerian Angkatan Darat bersikeras bahwa kampanye Tonkin harus dijalankan oleh seorang jenderal dari tentara reguler, dan Courbet dibebaskan dari komando korps ekspedisi pada tanggal 16 Desember 1883 (ironisnya, hari di mana ia menangkap Sơn Tây).