I Am the Crown Prince in France

Chapter 699 This is our mine! (Please ask for monthly tickets at the end of the month)

"You bastards, don't try to take away our mines!"

Beside the stone water tank on the east side of the town of Chebinia, the miner Old Vicha raised his gun and shot at the Austrian soldiers wearing gray and white military uniforms in the distance.

He has been a miner for more than 20 years, and he never thought that one day he would go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

But he and his fellow workers did an outstanding job.

More than half a month has passed since the Austrian army entered Krakow, and a small part of the town of Chebinia is still in the hands of the Umyan Mining Company.

If anyone has any doubts about the fighting will of these armed miners, reality will definitely give him a few hard slaps.

In fact, these miners were even more determined than the army to defend Krakow.

In the past, they could barely survive on food and clothing. Once they got sick or injured, their families would go hungry.

After French investors brought the most advanced steam engines, the output of silver mines doubled, their wages also increased significantly, and the mines also provided good benefits.

Now not only do they not have to worry about food and drink, but they can also eat two or three meals of meat every week. New clothes, new furniture and the like are no longer a fantasy.

It's okay if you have to suffer all the time. Once a person experiences the taste of a good life, he is unwilling to go back to the past.

Yes, I don’t even want to “die” in the physical sense.

When they knew that the Austrians were coming to rob the silver mine, they immediately gathered spontaneously without anyone's call, holding the flintlock guns they had been issued when dealing with the "gangsters", saying that they would defend the silver mine to the death.

The more than 200 Austrian soldiers in front of them were still more than 90 steps away, basically not within the range of the flintlock.

But after a burst of gunfire, they all turned around and fled in panic, as if they had been hit by a cannon. Some even threw away their guns. 【Note 1】

It's not that the miners are very skilled in shooting, it's just that the morale of the Austrian army is too low, and no one wants to be shot for this meaningless war.

The miner captain shouted: "The enemy has retreated, stop shooting!"

The position next to the sink immediately fell silent.

These miners have a very big advantage, that is, they are very obedient to orders. For such extremely dangerous work as mining, those who disobey management usually do not live long.

"These cowards!" Old Vicha's son put away his note and cursed with a smile.

The voices of co-workers came from the side:

"No, they didn't even get far enough last time."

"The bush in front is probably a place they will never reach..."

Suddenly, the captain shouted: "Be careful! They are back again!"

Old Vicha looked around with a relaxed expression, and saw more than 300 Austrian soldiers lined up in a tight line, pressing towards them with the sound of drums.

Behind them, there were dozens of officers in white and green military uniforms.

Farther away were Wilmser and his staff.

The Austrian general had been forced to personally come to the front to oversee the battalion-sized offensive.

And he also used extreme caution to attack with nearly ten times the force - there were only more than 40 miners on the water tank side.

The Austrian soldiers were forced to advance until they were less than 40 steps away from the miners, and then raised their guns amid the officers' angry curses.

The miners fired as fast as they could, but their numbers were too small to cause serious damage to the enemy.

The previous situation where the Austrian army collapsed at the first touch was not at all due to their superb shooting skills.

"Shoot—" an Austrian major shouted.

Under the surveillance of the supervising team, the soldiers of the three companies reluctantly pulled the trigger.

A burst of intense gunfire passed through the town, and nearly half of the miners groaned and were knocked to the ground by the bullets.

The Austrian army's numerical advantage was too great. If a firefight actually started, the miners would be unable to resist.

The miner captain covered his arm that was shot and shouted hoarsely:

"Retreat! Retreat to the jewelry store!"

Old Vicha hurriedly picked up his son and ran north with his co-workers.

There was another burst of gunfire behind him, and when he looked back, the captain was still holding a flintlock gun in one hand, standing motionless in front of the sink.

He lowered his head and ran with his companions to the jewelry store, only to find that the mercenary positions here were also fiercely shooting at the Austrian army.

The enemy is obviously several times more numerous than our own people.

Yes, although the morale of the Austrian army was low, Wilmser was also a battle-hardened professional officer. After discovering that his soldiers were passive and idle, he immediately carried out a targeted deployment for half a month.

He dispersed all the soldiers around the town of Chebiniya, all fighting in battalion-sized units. He sent his own guards to supervise the battle together with the battalion commander, and authorized the shooting of any soldier who dared to retreat.

At the same time, he himself patrolled the battlefield.

Under such strict orders, after five days of fierce fighting, 20,000 Austrian troops finally drove the mining company's defenders out of the town of Chebinia.

With the sound of gunfire everywhere, Old Vicha ventured to the top of a two-story building and finally saw the flag of the company patrol.

He jumped from the window and greeted the nearly 100 miners gathered together:

"Over there at Mrs. Mariush's flower shop, hurry up!"

When they arrived at the flower shop, they heard the patrol captain Makawski saying to a mercenary officer:

"There are too many enemies. We have to retreat to the Tarnovsk mountains."

Then, Old Vicha led his son and followed the patrol team to retreat to the northwest.

Soon, gunshots were heard in front.

Makavsky rode over on horseback and shouted to everyone:

"There are Austrian troops blocking the way ahead, everyone go east."

Old Vicha nodded nervously and said to his son:

"He must be referring to the path next to the ore washing pool, where you can also enter the mountain."

In fact, the mine was bare and not very suitable for defense.

But at the moment, they only had this choice.

A team of mercenaries was left behind, and the rebels of the mining company had just seen the ore washing pool from a distance when the roar of cannons came from the front.

"Chi--" The sound of breaking through the air passed by, and a tree more than ten steps away from Old Vicha was broken in half by the shells, and wood chips flew everywhere.

Makavsky's face suddenly turned pale: "There are also enemies in front!"

However, the main force of the Austrian army was on the flank, and there were enemies behind them. If they could not go up the mountain, they would be surrounded and killed here.

The locals that Wurmser had captured through interrogation had already figured out the terrain near the mine and blocked all roads in advance.

Although the morale of the Austrian soldiers was low, they had to shoot to protect themselves in the face of the Poles rushing over.

Makovsky drew his sword and shouted: "Follow me!"

The miners immediately shouted:

"Don't be afraid of them! This is our mine!"

"No one can stop us, everyone go!"

Old Vicha followed the drumbeats and walked towards the Austrian infantry line in front of the ore washing pool, and pulled his son who was rushing in front back and blocked him behind him.

Blood spurted out from time to time, and his co-workers fell one by one, but the drumbeats did not stop, and they all continued to move forward until they could clearly see the flames spewing from the Austrians' guns.