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

Halfway through, the gang began to vomit and diarrhea.

Soon some of them collapsed and could no longer stand up, slumping on the side of the road gasping for breath while cursing the canned food supplier.

These people lost their combat effectiveness, and naturally they were counted as sick numbers, and then carried away on recommended stretchers by the support personnel who arrived from behind.

At first, only a small percentage of people experience vomiting and diarrhea.

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

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

And the symptoms of this part of the people, too, began to become varied over time.

For example, some of them have begun to have a fever, ache all over their bodies, feel dizzy, feel that their limbs have no strength, they can't walk, and they can't stand up again after resting and sitting.

Roosevelt thought it was just a general heat stroke or something, just take a break, and after the rest was over, he continued to keep up with the team.

But he soon realized that he was wrong.

Soon after, a subset of people who experience these symptoms quickly move on to the next stage.

They began to experience body bleeding and shock, and soon died of heart failure if they were not treated in time.

The soldiers began to fall one by one.

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

Roosevelt patrolling the barracks.

He frowned at the sick soldiers, who were lying or lying crooked under the trees.

If the non-combat attrition continues like this, there will be no need to fight, let alone destroy the Spaniards, and whether he can return to the United States alive with most of the people is a question.

"Damn, we've got to figure something out." Roosevelt crossed his waist and looked around at the soldiers.

He pondered whether he should write to Army Headquarters to explain the situation he was facing.

While Roosevelt was still pondering how to write the letter, one of his soldiers, who had been a postman, trotted over.

"Sir, there's an old woman in a strange robe with a bunch of people who want to see you." The soldier said.

"Strange robes? Old woman? Roosevelt was confused.

But before he could think of how to reply, he saw a group of people who were indeed dressed strangely walking towards him.

The man at the head was not tall, and he was wearing a very light gray robe, and his face was covered with a mask, revealing only two eyes.

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

However, her body was tightly wrapped.

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

The woman walked briskly in front of Roosevelt:

"You're Mr. Roosevelt, aren't you?"

Roosevelt nodded.

When he got closer, he saw that the woman's hair was gray, and her voice was a little old, like that of a nun from a convent.

"Who are you?"

Roosevelt searched for his memories, but he really couldn't remember knowing such an old woman.

"My name is Theresa Romney, and I am a military doctor who fought in the Civil War, and I am asked by Mr. Chen to help you!" Behind the mask, the old woman said.

As soon as he heard Chen Jianqiu's name, Roosevelt was overjoyed.

"Thank goodness! You couldn't have come at a better time! He said happily.

Teresa has been training medical talents for Chen Jianqiu since Roswell began training militias.

This time, she took these medical talents together to form the medical detachment of the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of the United States.

However, as the Spaniards' resistance became weaker, there were fewer and fewer injuries in the ranks.

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

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

Without saying a word, Roosevelt led the group to the seriously ill soldiers.

Teresa just glanced at their symptoms.

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

"They were infected with yellow fever." Teresa said dryly, "It's an infectious disease with a high mortality rate. ”

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

"When we first arrived in Cuba, there were a few cases like this, and we didn't know what caused it at first, but Mr. Chen warned us that it could be mosquitoes or some blood-sucking bugs." Teresa said.

Roosevelt's mind suddenly remembered that he and his soldiers had been chased and bitten by those unknown mosquitoes last night.

He suddenly felt his body start to itch.

He reached into his clothes and touched it.

"Well, not everyone who gets bitten will get it." Teresa watched Roosevelt's movements and had to add, "We only found out about this later." ”

Roosevelt realized his gaffe.

He lifted his glasses:

"So how did you solve this problem?"

Teresa shrugged:

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

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

In addition, a yarn mill in Virginia just paid a batch of goods to Sanjiang Bank as interest on the loan, so I brought it with me.

Roosevelt was dumbfounded.

Not to mention mosquito nets, even the tents were obtained after a lot of hard work, and it is not enough.

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

"So what are we going to do?" Roosevelt frowned.

"My advice to you is to get out of this jungle as soon as possible and go to a more open place, a little farther away from the water source." Teresa said sympathetically.

"What about these sick men of mine?" Roosevelt looked at the dying soldiers and felt a little heartache.

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

Teresa sighed, pointed at the sick, and drew a cross on her chest.

"These children have to find a boat to transport them back, and then they are left to their fate."

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

Leave aside those who are sick and dying, and those who still have half a breath left.

These lying on the hospital bed for a while and a half will not be cured.

Even if he is cured, he has no combat effectiveness.

This illness caused him to lose hundreds of soldiers and the corresponding combat effectiveness, which was even worse than fighting a lost battle!

Teresa and his medical team looked after the sick and waited for the troop carrier to arrive.

The still healthy soldiers, led by Roosevelt, continued to advance towards San Diego.

At a place called Lasguamasi, they were finally met by a large group of Spanish soldiers.

This Spanish army was led by the Spanish brigadier general Lu Bing, and gathered many soldiers who were swept away by Chen Jianqiu and the rebel army, numbering as many as 1,500 people.

Roosevelt got at least one piece of good news.

It was the main force of General Joseph Wheeler, which, after a few days of delay, also followed.

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

Since the numbers of the 1st Cavalry Brigade and the 2nd Cavalry Brigade were occupied, the troops led by the general were called the 3rd Cavalry Brigade.

After deliberation on both sides, it was decided that the intact 3rd Cavalry Brigade would attack along the main road, while the wounded "reckless cavalry" (another name for the 1st Cavalry Brigade) would attack along the trail west of the main road.

Both sides began to move forward at the same time.

Roosevelt had thought that the battle should be a head-to-head battle, and he was confident in the battle.

Because General Wheeler brought not only fresh troops, but also two Hatch Chase rapid-fire 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 KNUB MOUNTAIN GUNS.

At the same time, because there were still people in Roosevelt's army who used black powder firearms, every time they shot, they could be found by Spanish soldiers!

And the Spanish soldiers were all equipped with Mauser's smokeless powder rifles, which did not look so obvious in the jungle.

As a result, Roosevelt and the Army were once again locked in a bitter battle.

However, Chen Jianqiu didn't know about this, and he didn't mean to intervene.

Because he showed up at Guantanamo. (End of chapter)