Green Mamba's men were spread out quite widely; it took them ten minutes to regroup after the retreat order was issued. During that time, Gao Yang and his team had prepared for combat, while Green Mamba had also planned the quickest escape route.
The retreat route avoided opposition-controlled areas as much as possible, largely passing through zones controlled by government forces. However, the intelligence Green Mamba had was outdated; territories once held by government forces could now belong to others. Yet, this was the best route Green Mamba could devise in the shortest time.
About fifty of Coleman Company's people remained. Green Mamba divided them into three groups: ten as the vanguard responsible for scouting and clearing the way, around thirty in the middle, and ten as the rear guard. They maintained a distance of one hundred meters from each other to avoid being caught in an ambush that could wipe them all out.