I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 224 Angel in White

Today, Joseph also witnessed with his own eyes the appalling medical care conditions of the Guards Corps - military doctors even used river water to clean bandages; they scratched wounds by rubbing a scalpel on their pants; they treated casualty A's blood when they were stained on their hands. B's wounds - only then did he think of setting up a field hospital or something like that.

He looked into the female doctor's questioning light green eyes, took the chair next to her and asked her to sit down: "First of all, you already know that many diseases, including wound infections, are caused by bacteria."

He spread his hands and gestured in the air: "Bacteria are everywhere around us, including beds, clothes, hands, bandages, etc. Normally, the skin blocks bacteria so that they cannot enter the human body. Once injured, the barrier Just disappeared.

"If the injured person is allowed to lie on the ground casually at this time, his wound is likely to rub against the ground or clothes, causing a large amount of bacteria to enter the wound. Even the bandage used to wrap the wound will bring a lot of bacteria.

"Then, just like you normally see, the wounds fester and the injured get a fever. Eventually, except for a few very healthy people, most of them die."

Perna's medical heart was immediately hooked. She grabbed the pen and paper in the hand of the staff officer next to her. Ignoring the latter's stunned gaze, she quickly lowered her head and recorded: "Bacteria...wounds...by the way, Your Highness, then let's How can this be avoided?”

"Try to prevent the injured from being infected with bacteria." Joseph made a comforting gesture to the staff member and continued to Perna, "For example, use strong alcohol to clean the wound. Oh, the alcohol concentration is 75%. The effect is best. Alcohol can be very Efficiently kills bacteria.”

Perna nodded subconsciously: "75%? This can only be obtained by repeated distillation."

"The cost may be higher, but the dosage is not large, so it is definitely worth it." Joseph continued, "There is also the need to disinfect everything during the medical process, including the doctor's hands, as well as the operating bed, scalpel, bandages, etc.

"Doctors must wash their hands repeatedly before performing surgery and use water that has been boiled and then cooled. Everything else must be steamed and boiled to eliminate the bacteria on it.

“After this treatment, the ulceration of the wound will be greatly reduced.

“To do all this, you need to use a lot of professional equipment and avoid people who have not been disinfected from approaching.

"So, we need a hospital. Things here are disinfected at all times and equipped with various drugs and medical equipment. Doctors are concentrated here to perform operations on the wounded, and irrelevant personnel are not allowed to enter at will.

"Everything in the field hospital is usually packed on a carriage and moves with the army. After a battle, a tent is immediately set up in the camp, the hospital equipment is moved in, and disinfected. Then we can start to rescue the wounded."

Perna's eyes lit up when she heard this. She imagined herself busy in such a hospital, with injured people escaping death through her treatment and smiling gratefully at her...

"Your Highness, I will definitely build this field hospital as quickly as possible!"

She held the pen and paper firmly and said loudly and seriously.

"Then it's all your fault." Joseph introduced her to some disinfection matters, and then said, "You also need to compile these procedures into a book and teach them to other military doctors. As for the cost, you can roughly calculate it. , I’ll call you immediately.”

Perna learned from Dr. Lamarck, and her medical skills are quite exquisite. The military doctors of the Guards Corps are still very convinced of her.

Perna nodded and asked again: "Your Highness, you seemed to have mentioned 'nurse' just now?"

"Yes, that is an important profession." Joseph thought for a moment and explained, "Actually, there are many medical operations that are not complicated, such as stopping bleeding, dressing wounds, feeding medicine, disinfecting, transporting the wounded, etc. In fact, It can be mastered with simple training.

“And asking doctors to do these chores wastes a lot of their energy.

"So we need a profession similar to that of a 'physician's assistant', which I call a nurse."

He silently apologized to Nightingale in his heart and continued: "This way the doctor can concentrate on performing complex operations or analyzing the condition.

"Of course, no matter how simple the training of nurses is, someone still has to do it."

Perna immediately answered without hesitation: "Leave it all to me, Your Highness. I promise to teach you a nurse who will satisfy you!"

"Then I'm all relying on you." Joseph stood up, caressed his chest and saluted her, "Our angel in white."

If Perna can really establish the health system of the Guards Corps, she will definitely be rewarded with the Order of the Golden Iris for her contribution.

You know, just the modern nursing system founded by Nightingale more than half a century later reduced the mortality rate of wounded British soldiers in the Crimean War to less than 10%!

Wounded soldiers who return from injury can basically be regarded as veterans.

This will not only improve the combat effectiveness of the army.

Perna only heard the words "angel in white", and her cheeks suddenly turned red.

Well, His Highness praised me as an angel!

Holy angel! !

Is His Highness hinting at something...

She didn't dare to think about it anymore, so she came out of the officer's tent with a red face and a daze. She took a deep breath for a long time before she calmed down.

She thought for a moment, and instead of rushing to set up a field hospital, she summoned the military doctors and asked everyone to set up a row of pots and throw all the bandages and sheets on the stretcher in and cook them.

Then, she found some spirits - there were always officers who kept some of this stuff with them - although it was certainly not 75% concentrated, it should have a certain sterilizing effect. In fact, the method of using wine to clean wounds has been around for hundreds of years, but no one has ever been able to explain the principle clearly.

Subsequently, the wounded members of the Guards Corps became the first people in the world to enjoy sterile medical care. Well, rounding it off can barely be considered sterile...

Perna never imagined that the things the Crown Prince asked her to do today would make her a legend in the history of medicine.

…

The next day.

At dawn, the reconnaissance cavalry of the Guards Corps galloped to the commander-in-chief's tent and shouted: "Report! The Algiers Guards have arrived 10 kilometers to the west. Preliminary estimates are that there are 1 There are about 3,000 people.”

Upon hearing this, Joseph immediately stood up from the ground and quickly put on his coat - all the officers were sleeping on the ground like the soldiers. Only senior officers had tents. After all, military deployments could not be discussed in the open, and maps and documents had to be covered.

Berthier's orderly opened the tent and let the scout in. The latter immediately pointed to several positions on the map that was spread out: "The main force is here. There are more than a thousand covering troops here and here. The cavalry is on the side and rear."

Soon, senior officers gathered in the tent and listened to Berthier's general analysis of the enemy's situation: "Obviously, the enemy has also learned about our position."

Although Lefebvre completed a wonderful volley battle, after all, the Guards Corps was small in number, and thousands of Albanian mercenaries still escaped.

These people will definitely report yesterday's battle situation to the Algiers Guards. The latter immediately sent a large number of troops for reconnaissance.

Andre nodded: "The Algiers will definitely choose to form on high ground, and we will have a head-on duel."

Police academy officer Le Drian said with a smile: "We have your Mulan Legion here today, so the fight should be easier than yesterday."

Berthier looked serious: "You can't have such an idea of ​​underestimating the enemy, Mr. Major. Yesterday, the Albanian mercenaries did not know that our army was approaching, so we completed a surprise attack. Today's enemy will be fully prepared. .”

"You are right." Le Drian nodded and looked at the sand table, "Let's adjust our deployment according to the enemy's situation as soon as possible."

Andre said loudly: "If you go head-to-head, let's go head-to-head. We are not afraid of this!"

Just as all the officers gathered around the sand table, Lefebvre in the corner suddenly coughed and said: "Maybe we don't have to fight hard."

He had just been promoted to major and qualified to participate in high-level military meetings, but at this time, his shoulder straps still had the red square representing a lieutenant - he had not had time to receive new shoulder straps last night.

Everyone turned to look at him, "What suggestions do you have?"

"The Algiers will soon spread out to the west, and I'm afraid there will be no chance of a surprise attack."

Lefebvre came to the map a little nervously and pointed to the northwest: "We can pose to besiege the city of Annaba, or show that we are going to attack Constantine in the south. The Algiers Guards are impossible. Indifferent to it.”

Constantine is an ancient city that belongs to the southeast gate of Algiers and has nothing to do with Constantinople.

Joseph's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Surround the area to call for reinforcements? What a good idea!"

He said to himself: It's not in vain that I gave you an exceptional promotion to major.

Berthier frowned slightly: "Your Highness, if we go north or south, we will make way to Tunisia. If the Algiers invade Tunisia..."

Joseph smiled: "We have to put on such a posture - we are French, what does it have to do with me if you attack Tunisia?"

Andre thought: "I also think it's worth a try. If the enemy comes to save Annaba City, we can turn around and attack.

"Even if they don't fall for the trick, the most they can do is start a head-on confrontation again."

In the end, Berthier also agreed to the strategy of "encirclement and reinforcements". After discussing the specific deployment, the officers immediately left the military tent and took charge of their respective armies.

More than half an hour later, the Guards Corps had formed its team and began to march north. As for breakfast, a few bites of dried meat and bread during the march would be enough.

The Mulan Army followed closely this time - in order to improve their reaction speed, they didn't even take off their coats when they slept last night.

Kehel, the commander of the Algiers Guards, quickly received the news from the scouts and frowned immediately.

According to the Albanian mercenaries who retreated yesterday, the French are very powerful and must be dealt with cautiously.

He had already ordered the entire army to deploy, preparing to take advantage of the numerical advantage to fight a decisive battle with the French army in the open field. Unexpectedly, the other side turned north.

The attendant on the side said: "General, the French are probably going to plunder the city of Annaba."

Kehle was silent.

He could just pretend he didn't see it and head straight east into Bizerte. But if the city of Annaba is really robbed by the French army, Day will definitely blame this account on himself.

He hesitated again and again, and finally gave the order: "Turn the entire army north to save the city of Annaba."

The Algiers Army finally saw the shadow of the French army at noon on the third day, which was the rear of the Moulins Army.

After learning that the French army had only 3,000 troops, Keheler immediately ordered an attack. This was basically consistent with the number of enemy troops reported by the Albanian troops, and he could completely use his strength to attack.

Unsurprisingly, after his army and the infantry line set up by the Mulan Army exchanged fire, the cannons of the Guards Corps roared at the side and rear of the Algiers Army.

Then, two regiments of the Guards appeared on the wasteland to the south.

The Algiers Guards suddenly fell into panic. Keheler personally turned around with his reserves and part of the artillery, and at the same time concentrated all his forces to attack the Mulan Army in the north, in an attempt to hold back the French army behind him, quickly open the northern passage, and avoid being attacked from both sides.

On the northern slope, Andrei personally came to the infantry line and directed the soldiers to fight. On both sides of them, there was also a battalion of Guards regiment infantry to assist in the battle.

Soon, the Algiers Guards came roaring like crazy - Keheler's order to them was that the French army on the north side must be eliminated within half an hour.

Behind a narrow trench, the soldiers of the Mulan Legion began to fire volleys in an orderly manner, loading, and firing again...

Although their combat effectiveness is not as good as that of the Guards Corps, after Andre's careful training over the past year, they are definitely very good in the old army, with fast loading and stable shooting. More than 2,000 Charleville 1763s poured out amazing firepower.

When the Algiers' first attack was still more than 60 steps away from the Mullan Army, they could not bear the casualties and retreated dejectedly. In fact, they only left about 100 corpses, but this was the limit of their morale.

After the Algiers officer who directed the frontal assault beheaded several soldiers who were leading the retreat, he was about to regroup and charge again when he vaguely heard noisy shouts from behind, mixed with gunshots.

He hurriedly raised his telescope and looked south, and saw that more than 3,500 people under General Keheler's personal command had been defeated and were fleeing in this direction in a mess. Behind them was a white infantry line.

His heart suddenly twitched. More than ten minutes had passed since Kehler organized the defense. As soon as his side launched an attack, the French had already broken through the defense!

He looked at his men who had not finished gathering, suddenly took off his military uniform quickly, called his personal guards and fled towards the mountains to the west.

Andre waited for a long time, but did not see the second attack from the Algiers. Instead, the sound of artillery from the south seemed to be getting closer.

He sent the cavalry to confirm again, and decisively ordered the infantry line to advance forward.