As soon as the enemy troops saw they were beaten, they broke and fled.
Tips
history
From 《汉书·李陵传》: after Li Ling's army was surrounded by Xiongnu forces, he told his men that survivors should 各鸟兽散 - scatter each man his own way to make it back home.
usage
Commonly 作鸟兽散 ("to perform the birds-and-beasts scatter"). The formulaic pattern survives from classical Chinese into modern writing.
