August 5, 1856, Libreville Free Trade Zone, Gabon Region.
Since August began, Libreville, which is under a tropical rainforest climate, has been experiencing alternating extre weather of high temperatures and heavy rain.
In such extre weather, so mbers of the Croatian Foreign Legion who arrived here not long ago with Governor Jero Patterson imdiately found themselves unaccustod to the environnt.
Many soldiers started to suffer from diarrhea and vomiting, unable to work, and so couldn’t even stand up to walk.
Seeing this situation, Mirabeau Pulekovic, one of the two major commanders of the French Foreign Legion at the ti, imdiately rode to Libreville city. He wanted to personally report this matter to Governor Jero Patterson.
Galloping all the way on horseback, Mirabeau Pulekovic soon stopped at the gate of a mansion with a garden located in the city center.
Indeed, this mansion was the place where Governor Jero Patterson worked and rested.
A little over a month ago, this was the residence of the largest local rchant in Libreville. Upon the arrival of Governor Jero Patterson, this rchant volunteered to donate his mansion free of charge for Governor Jero Patterson to use as the Governor’s Mansion.
Governor Jero Patterson gained a foothold, and the rchant received the friendship of Governor Jero Patterson.
...
After dismounting, Mirabeau Pulekovic handed his horse to the soldiers guarding outside the Governor’s Mansion and walked straight in until he reached the lobby of a four-story building, where he stopped.
In the lobby, Mirabeau Pulekovic, led by an administrative officer of the Governor’s Mansion, went to Governor Jero Patterson’s office and reported on the situation of the Croatian Foreign Legion.
After listening to Mirabeau Pulekovic’s report, Governor Jero Patterson frowned and asked, "How many people have these symptoms now?"
"According to our statistics, nearly 100 people in the entire camp need assistance to stand up, and about 300 cannot work normally!" Mirabeau Pulekovic replied to Governor Jero Patterson with a heavy tone.
"So, nearly one-tenth of the people cannot work normally!" Governor Jero Patterson’s frown deepened.
"Yes!" Mirabeau Pulekovic responded to Governor Jero Patterson with concern: "If it were only acclimatization, it would be fine. I’ve heard from rchants staying here (in Libreville) that this ti of year is the peak season for malaria and cholera!
I’m afraid malaria and cholera might spread into the camp, causing incalculable damage!"
"I understand! You should return to the camp to stabilize the morale first. In a while, I will go there with the doctor!" Governor Jero Patterson said to Mirabeau Pulekovic.
"Yes!" Mirabeau Pulekovic saluted Governor Jero Patterson and then turned to leave the Governor’s office.
"Wait a mont!" Before Mirabeau Pulekovic could exit the office, Governor Jero Patterson called him back.
Mirabeau Pulekovic turned and asked if Governor Jero Patterson had any other instructions.
"When you go back, be sure to tell them not to be afraid! The Imperial Governnt will not abandon them!" Governor Jero Patterson reminded Mirabeau Pulekovic once again.
Mirabeau Pulekovic also understood the importance of confidence, and he quickly replied to Governor Jero Patterson: "Understood! I will do my best to stabilize the morale!"
"Thank you for your efforts!" Jero Bonaparte nodded, seeing Mirabeau Pulekovic off.
Imdiately after, Governor Jero Patterson put aside the work of selecting personnel for the expedition team he was doing and called out loudly, "Rastigne, Rastigne!"
No one seed to respond from outside, and after a while, Governor Jero Patterson muttered softly, "Strange, where has Rastigne gone!"
Saying this, Governor Jero Patterson pushed back his chair and left the office.
Walking through the corridor of the mansion, he searched everywhere for Rastigne’s whereabouts and finally encountered Secretary of State Rastigne at a corner at the end of the corridor. Rastigne was carrying several docunts that had been screened by the Governor’s Secretariat and heading in the direction of Governor Jero Patterson’s office, which was his destination.
"Rastigne, you ca just in ti! I was looking for you!" Governor Jero Patterson said to Rastigne with a smile.
"Governor, may I ask what orders you have?" Rastigne, holding the docunts, asked Governor Jero Patterson.
"I hope you can go to the hospital in the north of the city and bring the dean over!" Governor Jero Patterson ordered Rastigne.
"The hospital in the north of the city?" Rastigne muttered under his breath, then nodded and said to Governor Jero Patterson, pointing to the docunts in his hand, "Please wait a mont, I will deliver these docunts to your office and then head over!"
"I can take these docunts myself!" Jero Patterson took the docunts from Rastigne’s hand and gestured to Rastigne, saying, "You go quickly!"
"Yes!" Rastigne imdiately jogged away upon hearing this.
Hugging the docunts, Jero Patterson lowered his head, flipping through the docunts Rastigne had handed him, while slowly returning to the office.
When Jero Patterson was seated again in the Governor’s Office chair, he had roughly gone through all the docunts.
Apart from the demographic proportions of the Libreville region (Black, Arab, White), the docunts also included the financial inco and expenditure of the Libreville region, religious categories, and other information, all collected by the Secretariat over a month.
Through the docunts, Jero Patterson clearly saw the developnt prospects of Libreville. Besides exporting timber and slave trading (although France has officially abolished slavery, undercover trading continues), establishing a rubber plantation or expanding land seems to be the only viable leasing options.
Establishing a rubber plantation to increase fiscal revenue goes without saying, while the purpose of expanding land is better taxation of the inland tribes to et expenditures.
Of course, Jero Patterson was unaware that beneath him, the land not only had abundant timber resources but also vast manganese ore and small gold mines waiting for him in the inland areas.
At this mont, Jero Bonaparte looked at the pitifully small number of francs on the financial statent and thought of the nearly 5000 more mouths under his managent, suddenly feeling a headache, and whispered softly: "Expansion of power must happen quickly."
After speaking, Jero Patterson took out the list of selected expedition mbers buried under the docunts and continued to select nas.
Approximately 10 minutes later, Rastigne and a doctor dressed in a white coat with a cotton mask on his mouth appeared in front of Jero Patterson.
Upon seeing this, Jero Patterson imdiately put down his work, got up, and shook hands with the doctor, saying, "Dean Oster, you’re finally here!"
"Your Excellency Governor, what happened?" Dean Oster asked Jero Patterson, puzzled.
Jero Patterson recounted to Dean Oster what Mirabeau Pulinkovic had just told him.
"Captain Pulinkovic has thought it through thoroughly! If it’s just acclimatization, it’s relatively easy to overco. Just quietly lie down and rest, but what’s worrying is malaria! This is the peak ti for malaria and cholera outbreaks; a little carelessness can lead to issues!" Dean Oster said thodically.
"What should we do now?" Jero Patterson pressed Dean Oster.
After thinking for a mont, Dean Oster replied to Jero Patterson, "Let’s do this! Transport those who cannot care for themselves to the hospital, where they will be looked after by our nurses!
Those who can take care of themselves should be quarantined separately in the barracks!
Select a group of people to take care of their daily needs!
This reduces their contact with the outside world, even if infected!
It won’t spread quickly to others!"
"Didn’t we just set up a hospital? Do we really have enough beds for them to use?" Jero Patterson asked again.
"Currently, the hospital has nearly 200 beds and more than 10 nurses! As long as malaria and cholera do not break out on a large scale, caring for them can be said to be more than adequate!" Dean Oster confidently answered Jero Patterson, "Moreover, a batch of dical equipnt and intern nurses will arrive soon!
There’s no need to worry about these issues at all!"
"That’s good!" Jero Patterson’s heart was slightly eased.
"However, Your Excellency Governor, I must remind you!" Dean Oster said sternly to Jero Patterson.
"Please speak!" Jero Patterson also replied solemnly to Oster.
"I previously conducted street visits in Libreville and discovered a serious problem!" Dean Oster told Jero Patterson, "The people here generally dislike drinking boiled water when they drink!"
Jero Patterson imdiately recalled during the Cria Peninsula tis, the French Army repeatedly ordered boiled water (mostly coffee) consumption, claiming it could prevent cholera.
Initially, no one rigorously enforced this command, and many held opposing views.
Until a small cholera outbreak occurred in Britain, frightening the French Army into implenting the order strictly.
It was precisely because of this order that the scale of cholera outbreaks during the Crian War was much smaller in France compared to Britain and Ossman, with more affected individuals receiving treatnt than in Britain.
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