"If we don't retreat now, when will we?" Guan Yu hadn't expected to seize Yuan Shao's corpse so unexpectedly. Regardless of who had killed Yuan Shao, as long as Yuan Shao was dead, all problems would be resolved.
Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Hua Xiong immediately turned back like the wind. From the start, they had limited men and horses. If not for being forced into this situation, who would have dared to clash head-on with the well-organized opposing army? Now that all their goals had been achieved, and with Yuan Shao's corpse even retrieved as a bonus, there was no longer any justification to continue the fight.
After Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Hua Xiong retreated, Yuan Shao's Army finally regained their senses. Their lord had died—just like that—right after being successfully escorted, as they were about to retreat back to Jizhou. He had died right before their eyes.
