The World's First Battlefield Hospital

Lefebvre, standing in front of a thin, narrow Infantry Line, watched as Albanian Mercenaries in khaki robes slowly swarmed across the hillsides like ants, and nervously wiped the sweat from his palms on the hem of his robe.

The second company commander whispered, "Lieutenant, there are about three or four thousand men..."

"I saw it," Lefebvre replied with a grim face. At this moment, he was already beginning to regret it. He had indeed circled around to the enemy's rear beforehand, but his side only had 220 men.

The Infantry behind them were spaced a full 1.5 meters apart, whereas normally this distance should be 0.5 to 0.7 meters. There were only two ranks in front and behind. If the enemy launched a strong attack, it would be easy to break through the line of fire.

"Hold on!" He glanced behind him and shouted to boost morale, "Grip your guns tight. The enemy is no match for you!" In reality, his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Soon, the yellowish-brown "ant colony" approached the Infantry Line.

As Lefebvre shouted "Fire!", the first rank of soldiers opened fire, and flashes of light and thick smoke erupted simultaneously.

Because of the distance, only seven or eight Albanian Mercenaries were shot down. However, the Albanians seemed to have been stung by a scorpion, instantly splitting to both sides as if the slender French Army line in front of them was a stone wall.

"Shooting!"

When the second rank of the French Army soldiers opened fire, the thousands of mercenaries who had been surging forward in a great throng began to panic and turn to flee.

Their morale had been completely shattered. Like frightened birds, they reacted instinctively to the sound of gunfire, without even looking up to see how many enemy soldiers there were.

A look of surprise flashed in Lefebvre's eyes, and his voice rose a few decibels. "Load!"

"..."

"Shooting!"

As the Royal Guard Legion soldiers continued to fire, the Albania routs became increasingly chaotic, with widespread stampedes occurring. Thousands were held back by these 200 soldiers for nearly 20 minutes, during which time only some mercenaries escaped from the sides of the Infantry Line — Lefebvre's forces were simply too few, the line only able to block a quarter of the flat road.

Finally, the first group of the Police Academy appeared behind the Albanian Army. The latter quickly went from fleeing everywhere to dropping their weapons and kneeling down to beg for mercy.

Four hours later.

Joseph and Berthier, along with other officers, walked through the heart of the battlefield, watching soldiers carefully carry away the wounded or loudly reprimand groups of captured Albanian Mercenaries as they passed by.

The battle went more smoothly than Joseph had anticipated— the Royal Guard Legion and the Police Academy cadets displayed high morale and excellent combat skills. Of course, a large part of the reason was that the enemy's troops were out of formation. Otherwise, Berthier would have had to wait for the Moulins Legion to arrive and then engage in a head-on battle with more than 20,000 Algiers Army.

Soldiers around them would occasionally spot them and snap to attention, saluting. Joseph would also frequently nod to the soldiers.

Berthier took a slip of paper from his staff, glanced at it quickly, and turned to Joseph with a smile, "Your Highness, the news just came back that we have captured more than 3,000 enemy soldiers on the west side. It seems that there are several high-ranking officers among them."

"Oh? They actually caught up with them?"

Joseph was somewhat surprised. After the enemy army collapsed, some fled north, while others retreated to the west. Berthier had ordered his cavalry to pursue them to the north, thinking that the enemy on the west side would likely escape.

Berthier said, "Two Skirmishers quickly advanced to the enemy's western flank, cutting off their retreat."

The staff officer standing nearby quickly gave a brief account of the blocking battle on the west side.

"François Lefebvre?" Joseph felt the name sounded familiar. He suddenly slapped his forehead—wasn't that the Duke of Danzig?

One of Napoleon's 26 Marshal, he participated in major battles such as the Battle of Fleurus and the Battle of Jena, and accompanied Napoleon his expedition to Russia, where he distinguished himself in battle.

Joseph immediately remembered that Lefebvre was of commoner origin and had served in the French Guard. It seemed that Berthier had recruited him when he took over the French Guard last time.

No wonder he acted so fiercely, holding off more than three thousand Albanian Mercenaries with just two companies. Had I stumbled upon a hidden gem?

He looked at Berthier: "Lieutenant Colonel, how do you intend to reward Lieutenant Lefebvre?"

The latter pondered, "He is brave in battle and has good command skills, and he performed exceptionally well in previous exercises."

"Your Highness, he is eligible for the Silver Iris Medal and will be promoted to Captain."

According to the combat merit system set up by Joseph, the medals are divided into three levels from highest to lowest: Gold Iris Medal, Silver Iris Medal, Copper Iris Medal. These medals are awarded based on specific combat achievements. For example, Golden Iris requires playing a significant role in a battle that can influence the outcome of the war. Silver Iris requires having a significant impact on the result of the battle. Copper Iris Medal requires making a significant contribution to a specific part of the battle.

This system is far ahead of its time!

In modern Europe armies, even if there are medals, they are only awarded to Nobility. But in the Crown Prince Guard Legion, even if you are a beggar or a menial soldier, as long as you contribute to the war, you can receive corresponding merits.

At the same time, each level of merit comes with specific rewards and benefits. These rewards are paid out immediately upon merit, including cash, promotions, and even benefits to family members.

Under such a merit-based system, which soldier wouldn't be eager to fight? How could morale not be high?

Joseph hesitated for a moment, then said, "I think we can promote Lefebvre to Major, as an exception. The Royal Guard Legion is currently short of personnel; we should give more opportunities to officers with potential."

What he said was true. Because the Royal Guard Legion initially controlled its recruitment from commoners and Lesser Nobility, there was a severe shortage of mid- to high-ranking officers. In France at that time, only wealthy Nobility could afford to attend military academies and study the specialties that could lead to becoming a high-ranking officer. Without money or connections, even if you got into military academy, you could only study unpopular subjects like surveying and engineering, and your promotion would be extremely slow.

Therefore, many Lieutenant in the Royal Guard Legion are currently serving as company commanders, mainly because there is a severe shortage of Captain.

Most importantly, Joseph was certain that Lefebvre was absolutely capable of the position of Major. He was Marshal personally vetted by Napoleon through a series of wars!

Berthier immediately smiled and nodded, "As you command, Your Highness."

Within the Royal Guard Legion, the Crown Prince's orders held absolute authority and were not to be questioned. Of course, Joseph would never overestimate his abilities and give reckless commands, as this was the foundation of his livelihood.

The staff officer standing nearby chuckled, "Now Captain Davout's brilliance is about to be overshadowed."

Berthier smiled and said, "He's still young. If someone can surpass him, it might motivate him to grow faster."

The future Marshal Davout is only 18 years old and has been out of military academy for less than half a year. He first performed well in the exercise and was promoted to Lieutenant, becoming an Infantry company commander. In today's battle, he bravely took the lead and led his company through heavy enemy fire, breaking through the enemy's formation with hand-to-hand combat, and was promoted to Captain.

Joseph thought to himself that Napoleon's Marshal were indeed not to be underestimated; given even the slightest opportunity, they would immediately rise to prominence.

By the afternoon, the Royal Guard Legion had largely cleared the battlefield, and Joseph personally presided over the burial ceremony for the fallen soldiers. Of course, the specific religious procedures were handled by the accompanying priest.

In this battle, the Royal Guard Legion and Police Academy students suffered a total of 89 casualties and 70 serious injuries.

While the casualty figures aren't high, given today's one-sided battle, they could certainly be lowered further.

Of course, this was only their first time participating in actual combat. Joseph believed that as their combat experience grew, they would do better and better in the future.

As they watched their comrades' bodies being carefully prepared for burial, and then as His Crown Prince bowed to each of them in farewell, a new feeling began to stir within the hearts of the Royal Guard Legion soldiers.

Previously, they felt more gratitude and reliance on the Crown Prince, but after His Highness went to the battlefield with them and fought side by side, it has now turned into love and respect.

At 5 p. m. the next day, the Royal Guard Legion, which had been resting in place, finally received the long-awaited arrival of the Moulins Legion.

It was almost half a day later than scheduled.

Inside the officer's tent, Andre, looking remorseful, saluted Joseph: "Your Highness, I am so sorry, I am late."

Joseph gestured for him to sit down and asked, "Has something happened?"

Andre nodded awkwardly. "Your Highness, our Wine supplies didn't arrive after we left Tunisia City. The next day, a large-scale outbreak of Dysentery occurred."

He glanced outside the tent. "Actually, less than 2,600 men from the Moulins Legion arrived. The rest were stranded on the way due to serious illness."

The Moulins Legion that arrived in Tunisia numbered 3,000, meaning that in just four or five days, 13% of its men were lost due to Dysentery!

Joseph frowned slightly. He knew that most of Tunisia's population was Islam and did not drink alcohol, making Wine difficult to obtain. This also confirmed his doubts about Tunisia's logistical capabilities.

Wine was an important military supply in this era, mainly because the fermentation process killed off most harmful bacteria, making it the safest way for the army to replenish fluids.

After leaving the Tunisia City, the Moulins Legion had no alcohol and could only find water to drink in the wild. This is likely the reason for the large-scale outbreak of Dysentery among them.

Joseph comforted Andre and told him to go and settle the troops first, as battle might begin tomorrow—according to the confessions of captured Albanian Mercenaries, the main force of the Algiers Guard Corps was following them for about ten kilometers, a day's journey.

After Andre left, Joseph suddenly thought of a question and looked at Berthier, asking, "Has the Royal Guard Legion ' Wine supply been interrupted?"

"No, Your Highness, like the Moulins Legion, we ran out of Wine after leaving Tunisia City."

"Oh? Then why didn't the Royal Guard Legion experience Dysentery outbreak?"

The staff officer beside him hurriedly replied admiringly, "Your Highness, this is all thanks to Dr. Perne. Previously, the troops had a serious Dysentery, but he strictly required the soldiers to drink hot water, and the situation improved. He even saved the battle."

Joseph blinked. "Perne?"

Berthier whispered, "It's Doctor Perna's male name."

"It's her?"

A moment later, Perna, dressed in a white Military Uniform with her long hair tied up in her Tricorn Hat, entered the officers' tent and gave Joseph and the others a standard male salute.

Joseph adjusted his hat and asked her curiously, "How did you come up with the idea of giving the Royal Guard Legion hot water?"

Perna said earnestly, "Your Highness, you taught me this."

"I?"

"You once told my father that illness is caused by Bacteria entering the body. Later in Bordeaux, you told Mr. Venio that Bacteria die after being in hot water for half an hour."

The young female doctor took a breath and continued, "Some soldiers in the legion had Dysentery before. When I was treating them, I remembered this and told them to boil the water for half an hour before drinking it. Many people gradually recovered, while those disobedient soldiers even had diarrhea for more than a month."

"Therefore, I concluded that your method was effective, and I ordered all the soldiers to drink hot water."

Joseph was greatly impressed by the female doctor's ability to apply what she had learned to other situations, but he was also somewhat amused and exasperated—you only need to boil the water, there's no need to keep it boiling for half an hour.

However, it must be acknowledged that she made a great contribution this time. If 13% of the Royal Guard Legion soldiers had also contracted Dysentery, the battle against the Albanian Mercenaries would have been much more difficult.

At the same time, Joseph also felt somewhat guilty; he should have taught these basic facts to the military beforehand. Ah, people are so prone to being blind to what they're looking for.

He nodded in approval to Perna: "You did a very good job. I think you should even be awarded a medal."

Perna quickly waved her hands, "I was just doing what a doctor should do, Your Highness, you don't need to reward me like this. Actually, I'm already very happy to be able to treat the soldiers in the legion these days."

Joseph then remembered that Perna was often scolded by her patients when she treated them, and some patients even believed that female doctors would bring them bad luck.

The soldiers of the Royal Guard Legion weren't oblivious to her disguise as a man, but there were few medics to begin with, and even fewer who could cure their illnesses, so they all pretended not to know. And that alone was enough to make her incredibly happy.

Joseph suddenly remembered something. "Doctor Perna, I would like to ask you for help in establishing Battlefield Hospital for the Royal Guard Legion."

It's important to understand that the vast majority of soldiers in this era did not die on the battlefield, but rather from injuries sustained due to poor medical care.

Although Antibiotics have not yet been developed, a clean and tidy medical environment, coupled with frequent disinfection of medical equipment, can at least reduce the chances of wounded soldiers becoming infected by half.

Perna, with her superb medical skills, meticulousness, and eagerness to learn, was the best person to do this.

At the same time, she can continue to devote herself to her beloved medical career without having to worry too much about her gender.

"Battlefield Hospital?" Perna had never heard of this new term before.

"Yes!" Joseph nodded. "And the nursing profession, you can do that too."