America 1881: They Call Me Legend

The first to fall ill were those who ate spoiled canned beef.

Halfway through the group, they began to vomit and diarrhoea.

Soon some of them collapsed, could no longer stand up, and fell on the side of the road, panting, cursing the canned supplier.

These people lost their combat effectiveness and were naturally counted as patients, and then they were carried away on stretchers by the support staff who came behind.

At first, only a small number of people developed symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

But Roosevelt soon discovered that there were more and more such people.

Some of them didn't even touch the damn cans.

And the symptoms of these people also began to become various as time went by.

For example, some of them have already started to have a fever, feel pain all over, feel dizzy, feel weak in limbs, unable to walk, and can no longer stand up after taking a rest and sitting down.

Roosevelt thought it was just a general heatstroke or something, and it would be good to take a break, and continue to keep up with the team after the rest.

But he soon realized that he was wrong.

Soon after, some of the people who develop these symptoms quickly move on to the next stage.

They began to experience physical bleeding and shock, and would soon die of heart failure without timely treatment.

Soldiers began to fall one by one.

He had to camp in a jungle clearing sixty kilometers from the Santiago front.

Roosevelt patrolling the barracks.

Looking at the sick soldiers who were lying or lying under the trees, he frowned.

If non-combat attrition continues like this, there is no need to fight battles, let alone destroying the Spaniards, whether he can bring most of them back to the United States alive is a question.

"Damn it, we have to think of a way." Roosevelt folded his hips and looked around at the soldiers.

He wondered if he should write to Army Headquarters explaining the situation he was facing.

While Roosevelt was still thinking about how to write this letter, one of his soldiers who used to be a postman trotted over.

"Sir, there is an old woman in a strange robe who wants to see you with a group of people," said the soldier.

"Strange robe? Old woman?" Roosevelt was confused.

But before he could figure out how to reply, he saw a group of strangely dressed people walking towards him.

The leader was not tall, wearing a light gray robe and a mask on his face, only his eyes were exposed.

However, it can be vaguely judged from the figure and long hair that it is a woman.

However, her whole body was tightly wrapped.

Roosevelt suddenly had the illusion that he had come to Saudi Arabia.

The woman quickly walked up to Roosevelt:
"You are Mr. Roosevelt, aren't you?"

Roosevelt nodded.

It was only when he got closer that he could see clearly that the woman's hair was gray and her voice was a little old, like a nun in a certain monastery.

"excuse me, you are?"

Roosevelt searched his memory, but he really didn't remember knowing such an old woman.

"My name is Teresa Romney. I am a military doctor who participated in the Civil War. I was entrusted by Mr. Chen to help you!" said the old woman behind the mask.

Upon hearing Chen Jianqiu's name, Roosevelt was immediately overjoyed.

"Thank goodness! You came just in time!" he said happily.

Teresa has been training medical talents for Chen Jianqiu since Roswell started training the militia.

This time, she took these medical talents together to form the medical unit of the US Second Volunteer Cavalry Regiment.

However, as the Spaniard's resistance became weaker and weaker, there were fewer and fewer injuries in the team.

Chen Jianqiu heard that Roosevelt's army had been circling in the jungle, and suddenly remembered something, so he asked Teresa to come.

"Take me to see the patient." Teresa said to Roosevelt.

Without saying a word, Roosevelt brought the team to the seriously ill soldiers.

Teresa just glanced at their symptoms.

In addition to fever and bleeding, these people's eyes and skin were yellow like "bronze men".

"They had yellow fever," Teresa said bluntly. "It's an infectious disease with a high mortality rate."

When he heard that it was an infectious disease, Roosevelt was dumbfounded.

"When we first arrived in Cuba, there were several cases like this. We didn't know what caused it at first, but Mr. Chen reminded us that it might be mosquitoes or some blood-sucking insects." Teresa said.

In Roosevelt's mind, the scene of himself and the soldiers being chased and bitten by those unknown mosquitoes suddenly appeared last night.

He suddenly felt his body start to itch.

He reached into his clothes and touched them.

"Uh, not everyone who gets stung will be infected." Teresa watched Roosevelt's movements, and had to add, "We only discovered this later."

Roosevelt realized his gaffe.

He adjusted his glasses:

"So how did you solve this problem afterwards?"

Teresa shrugged:

"Mr. Chen asked us to bring mosquito nets, so the disease didn't bother us too much."

Chen Jianqiu didn't bring the mosquito net on purpose, but in his impression, this thing should be a standard equipment for camping in summer.

In addition, a cotton mill in Virginia just paid the interest for a batch of goods to Sanjiang Bank as a loan, so I brought it along.

Roosevelt was dumbfounded.

Not to mention the mosquito nets, even the tents were obtained through untold hardships, and there are not enough of them.

If the tent is really enough, at least it can block some mosquitoes!

"Then what should we do?" Roosevelt frowned.

"My suggestion to you is to leave this jungle as soon as possible and go to an open place, farther away from the water source." Teresa said sympathetically.

"What about my patients?" Roosevelt looked at the dying soldiers, feeling a little heartbroken.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Roosevelt, as far as we know, there is no medicine."

Teresa sighed, pointed to those patients, and made a sign of the cross on her chest.

"These children have to find a boat to go back, and then resign themselves to fate."

Roosevelt knew that he had no other choice, so he had to go back to the tent and write a letter to the logistics department.

Leaving aside those who are dying of illness and those who are still half-breathed.

These can't be cured after lying on the hospital bed for a while.

Even if the illness is cured, there is no fighting power.

This disease caused him to lose hundreds of soldiers and corresponding combat effectiveness, which was worse than losing a battle!

Teresa and his medical team tended to the patients while they waited for the troop carrier to arrive.

Soldiers who are still healthy, under the leadership of Roosevelt, continue to advance towards San Diego.

At a place called Las Guamasi, they finally encountered a large group of Spanish soldiers.

This group of Spanish soldiers was led by the Spanish brigadier general Lu Bing, and brought together many soldiers who were wiped out by Chen Jianqiu and the rebel army, with a number of as many as 500.

Roosevelt had at least one piece of good news.

That was the main force of General Joseph Wheeler, who, after a few days' delay, followed.

They did have horses, but basically in the ghost place of Cuba, they all chose to dismount and fight in the end.

Since the designations of the [-]st Cavalry Brigade and the [-]nd Cavalry Brigade were occupied, the unit led by the general was named the [-]rd Cavalry Brigade.

After deliberation, the two sides decided that the intact [-]rd Cavalry Brigade would attack along the main road, while the weakened "rough cavalry" (another name for the [-]st Cavalry Brigade) would attack along the path west of the main road.

Both sides began to push forward simultaneously.

Roosevelt thought that this battle should be a head-to-head battle, and he was also full of confidence in this battle.

For General Wheeler had brought not only fresh troops, but two Hotchkiss guns.

But what they didn't expect was that the Spanish soldiers also had two Maxims.

Not only that, but they also have two 75MM Knuber mountain guns.

At the same time, because some people in Roosevelt's army still used black powder firearms, every time they shot, Spanish soldiers might find their position!
The Spanish soldiers have all installed Mauser's smokeless powder rifles, which are not so obvious in the jungle.

As a result, Roosevelt and the Army once again fell into a bitter battle.

However, Chen Jianqiu didn't know about these, and he didn't intend to intervene.

Because he showed up at Guantanamo Bay. (end of this chapter)