Consider the rational numbers $\mathbb{Q}$ as a totally ordered field. We can add an indeterminate $T_0$ and make it positive but infinitely small (i.e., smaller than positive any element of $\mathbb{Q}$), that is, order $\mathbb{Q}(T_0)$ by lexicographic order of the Laurent series expansion at $0$. Then we can add another indeterminate $T_1$ and make it positive but infinitely small (i.e., smaller than any positive element of $\mathbb{Q}(T_0)$). This process can be iterated transfinitely and we can add $\aleph_1$ indeterminates $T_\iota$ for $\iota<\omega_1$, each infinitely smaller than all the previous ones. The resulting field $K = \mathbb{Q}(T_\iota)$ has cardinality $\aleph_1$ as is easy to show. Now any positive sequence converging to $0$ in $K$ must be eventually constant because it has to cross uncountably many $T_\iota$. So any Cauchy sequence in $K$ is eventually constant. So any Cauchy sequence in $K$ is convergent. So $K$ is complete. But since $K$ contains $\mathbb{Q}$, it contains $\mathbb{R}$. So we have a set of cardinality $\aleph_1$ containing $\mathbb{R}$, which proves the continuum hypothesis.