Empire of the Ring

The agreement was reached on the condition that the Pamir buffer zone of 1,100 square kilometers would be yielded to China, and that China would give up its stake in Tajikistan’s facilities.

The negotiation process was never smooth, but it relieved stress when the agreement was finally reached. There would be little less of a mental burden from now on because there would be no accidental clashes on the border.

If there was a provocation, Kazakhstan could fight back with its full force, but Kazakhstan would suffer a huge economic damage if that happened as China still had much bigger army forces.

That was why Youngho was growing the royal forces, an asymmetric force, to counter China’s powerful regular forces.

China was also very sensitive about the existence of the royal forces.

When it was mentioned by Ambassador Murad, the Kazakh ambassador to China, who returned from negotiations, Youngho smiled.

This was because he had a rough idea of what China’s concerns were.

“The Chinese side expressed interest in the royal guards?”

“Yes, they already had a pretty good idea about the royal forces.”

“China has about 50,000 special forces, and we’re nothing compared to that.”

The number of special forces of the royal family was way smaller than that of China, but it was a very high number when compared to the total size of regular soldiers.

Of the two million Chinese troops, there were 50,000 special forces, but Kazakhstan had 15,000 royal special forces out of its 120,000 troops. In addition, there were 20,000 special forces in the Army. It was naturally a bothersome number to the Chinese military.

“I told them that the royal guards are mainly used as peacekeepers, and they were only half convinced.”

“That means asymmetric power is fearsome. It’s a power that can instantly paralyze the city’s functions if it’s dropped to a city.”

“The Chinese side seems to be concerned about that, too. I think it’s going to propose a trilateral disarmament agreement with Russia soon.”

“Hahaha... Suggesting a disarmament consultation?”

“They are probably worried about long-range ballistic missiles and the royal forces.”

“Was that all?”

“They also mentioned that they would also adjust the quantity of nuclear weapons with Russia.”

It was proof that China was in a great hurry.

This revealed China’s intention to hold a disarmament consultation.

They must be suspecting that Russia had deployed nuclear weapons to Kazakhstan to check China’s advance policy. They seem to expect that the disarmament consultation would lead to the withdrawal of nuclear weapons deployed in Kazakhstan, which was far off the mark.

“Your efforts have been great.”

“No, Your Highness. The intelligence service has already provided us with a platform, so it wasn’t that difficult.”

“The Chinese side even gave you a nickname this time.”

“Because I have a loud voice... I hope I didn’t harm the grace of the royal family.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that. Thanks to your brilliant performance, the negotiations went well. The Queen was also very happy to hear your performance. She said she is going to give us a big award.”

Since Ambassador Murad was so stubborn, those who appeared on the negotiating table called him a hard head, but Youngho was very proud of Murad who boldly pushed China without budging an inch.

“Oh, I don’t know what to say. I’m very grateful.”

“You did an amazing job, but ambassador, you will have to work hard again.”

Now that the border issue had been resolved, it was time to reduce raw material exports.

“Are you trying to reduce oil exports right now?”

“The quota system for export volume must be implemented. Do you think October is a good time to start?”

“Wouldn’t it be too early?”

“By then, we’ll be all set.”

New ships, from nuclear-powered submarines from Russia to a multipurpose landing ship from Denmark to frigates from Britain were getting ready to be brought in.

The multi-purpose landing ship and frigates were planned to be deployed in the Indian Ocean to operate the task forces in two groups.

“I don’t want our country to intervene in the Indian Ocean dispute as much as possible, but would that be possible?”

“We intend to refrain from aggressive intervention as much as possible, but if the U.S. intervenes, it’s hard to fall back.”

Murad’s expression was very dark as the naval battle in the Indian Ocean was fully anticipated.

If there was an armed conflict, the ambassadors of the parties should be called around.

It would be encouraging if they were winning, but it would be frustrating if their troops were being beaten badly.

“Your Highness, our armed forces are not yet to overwhelm China. Do you have any intention of reconsidering the export quota system which will definitely have a butterfly effect?”

“We will lose our place if we continue to be dragged away for fear of China. Do you think China will be satisfied no matter how much we give? That’s why I’m trying to confront it, even though it’s a small force. If we fight back aggressively, it will definitely shake China. As I said before, Kazakhstan is not as weak as it used to be, so don’t worry about anything and push the export quota.”

***

After the meeting with Ambassador Murad, Youngho thought for a long time.

No matter how hard he thought about it, it was right to restrict exports of crude oil and other resources.

It was not his fault even if the butterfly effect blows blood and wind in the Indian Ocean. It was only a situation that would be triggered by China’s endless desire for resources.

After thinking for a while, he got up from his seat, sweeping down his face.

If the problem was solved by pondering, he would wrap his head around it, but this was not a problem that would be solved by sitting on his desk contemplating.

The answer was always there. It was something that could be known only when faced with the situation.

Long nights would only bring more dreams. When complicated by useless worries, drinking with friends could be the best way to cool down.

When Youngho said that he had not drunk in a long time, it was not just Park Jong-il, but Kim Chun and Dr. Kim Dong-sung joined the gang too.

There was a reason why Kim Dong-sung joined the drinking party.

Kim Dong-sung, who had complained about getting too many medical volunteers for Zeynep’s hospital ship, now wanted to board the hospital ship.

The first reason was that he was free because he was away from the medical care line, and the second reason was that an experienced person should be in charge of the medical staff of the hospital ship in the beginning.

He complained that the position of the head of the Royal Medical School was not suitable for him as it was only an honorary position. Since he was a surgeon, he wanted to work in the field.

“Dr. Kim. I know you’ve been cutting back on your drinks lately. Are you starting over?”

“I’m going to have to get used to drinking again if I want to have a rough sea life. And now I’ll be back in the front line as a surgeon, so I’m going to have to go back to the old days. If you refuse to drink, you’re not a surgeon.”

“At that age, life on board can be overwhelming. Why don’t you stay here and foster the next generations of medical experts?”

“Your Highness, there are many great doctors who will teach juniors. I want to spend the rest of my life volunteering, so please allow me.”

No amount of persuasion could have been made.

He always had a serving heart for others, and that was what brought him to Kazakhstan. If it were not for his sense of service, he would not have come even if he was given a million dollars.

During the time of Arirang Autonomous State, Kim Dong-sung and his medical team were able to do medical service in remote villages of Kazakhstan, but as the hospital grew bigger and the number of outside customers continued to flock to the royal territory, he had to settle down.

Now that medical schools and hospitals had been established, he intended to resume volunteer work.

Youngho could not beat his stubbornness, so he made a compromise.

“Let’s say you only travel for a year or so. If you could just take care of it for a year, wouldn’t the hospital line be in place?”

When Youngho yielded, Kim Dong-sung’s face lit up.

It was important that he received the consent because it was hard to get on the ship in the beginning, but once he was on board, he could increase his service period with excuses.

However, there was no way Youngho could not read it from Kim Dong-sung’s expression. So I drove a wedge in firmly.

“Only for a year. No more. Even the sailors who live on the sea find it hard to live on board. I can’t yield any more for your health.”

No matter how big a ship was, it was just a leaf in front of the waves of the Indian Ocean.

It was hard even for young people to work under such waves. Of course, the ship would work at the harbor more, but it would be exhausting to live on-board for an extensive time.

Youngho also had a short shipboard life during his naval life, but he was not able to withstand waves, so he decided to go to the special forces unit, UDT, instead of having to suffer the sea life.

“Your Highness, if you’re sending the ship to Madagascar for volunteer work, why don’t you build a small hospital there? It’s a very underdeveloped place, so they’d be very happy to have a hospital.”

Kim Chun suddenly asked to build a hospital in Madagascar, and everyone looked puzzled. It was because the hospital ship was being deployed in Madagascar for that very reason.

“The hospital ship is there only for a short period time to time, but I’m saying this because the hospital can continue to take care of its residents. It’s a very attractive country from our point of view since we are an inland country.”

Madagascar was the fourth largest island in the world and its landmass was twice the size of the Korean Peninsula. It was as desolate and barren as Kazakhstan.

“Well, if Kazakhstan made its foray into Africa, it’s in a position to be a great bridgehead.”

“Since this is the first volunteer area of a hospital ship, why don’t we do a preliminary survey?”

Thinking it was an opportunity, Park Jong-il also added to Kim Chun’s suggestion.

“Please leave it to our intelligence service. We’ll send a team of investigators to find a port for the hospital ship to dock, and to look for areas to build a hospital. It’s great since I thought we lacked preparation before Princess Zeynep visited the area.”

It was not a civil war zone or a place where terrorists were prevalent, but for the safety of medical personnel, security conditions and regional atmosphere should be checked beforehand.

Youngho readily agreed as he had already intended to have the investigation conducted in advance in worry of Zeynep.

It was an opportunity to secure a bridgehead to advance into Africa.

“Let’s send an investigation team because we need to coordinate with the Madagascar government in advance and understand the security situation. Please set up an investigation team under the guidance of the Intelligence Department.”