Empire of the Ring

The Tian Shan Mountains were one of the greatest mountain ranges around the world, spanning 2,900 kilometers in length. It started in Xinjiang Uyghur and was stretched toward the border of Kazakhstan until it was turned in Kyrgyzstan. It was also a place where the natural scenery was so beautiful that it was called the Alps of Central Asia.

It consisted of high mountains with the highest peak reaching about 7,439 meters tall. Despite the rugged terrain, Chinese people were nesting all over the valley. They were also living in Kazakh territory.

If it was the Chinese government’s intended provocation, a war would be a matter of course, but if this was done for political reasons, it would be a little more complicated than the former case.

Youngho, who visited the government building in Astana, was discussing the issue with the prime minister and other cabinet members.

“We need to drive out the Chinese who have entered the border area this time. If you have any good idea, please give us your opinion.”

When Youngho announced, the conference room became noisy with chatters. It was the most sensitive issue in Kazakhstan at the moment.

“Your Highness, we must protest strongly against the Chinese government. The Chinese government is responsible for its citizens crossing our border.”

“However, we’re also responsible for neglecting Chinese people in our border. Will those who have reclaimed farmland and built houses leave easily? If they asked for political asylum, we will have to comply with international law.”

“What do you mean? What international law applies to people who occupied our land illegally? We need to force them out of Kazakhstan.”

“Political refugees should be treated accordingly. You can’t become a member of the international community if you only react according to your emotions.”

“We’ll have to look at how many Han people and Uyghur people are in our territory first and come up with measures. It won’t be an easy task to investigate the rough mountains, but if we don’t fix the border right now, it will be a seed for conflict in the future.”

“In some situations, we should consider accepting the Chinese as our citizens. There is also a problem with the exclusion of Chinese nationals unconditionally.”

Since the government had no idea how many illegal immigrants were living inside the border, it was hard to come up with any measure for now. Since the area was so rough and extensive, the priority was to conduct a survey first.

Although there was only a little part of the Tian Shan Mountains that was stretched into Kazakhstan, it could not be neglected since it was a strategically valuable place for Kazakhstan. It was also a place that boasted a very dense forest and a beautiful natural landscape, so it was a place not to be missed.

There was a chance that the Chinese mountain troops were in the mountains if the Han people were already living in the border. A survey force should be thoroughly prepared in case there were Chinese forces.

“Prime Minister, it would be more effective to send the Royal Guard Corps while leaving border troops alone. What do you think?”

“Your Highness, I have a rough idea about your concerns. I heard that the Royal Armored Division has been harshly trained by the Royal Body Guards.”

The training was not just harsh; it was brutal and extreme. With two months of extreme training, the soldiers of the Royal Armored Division had now better capabilities.

“I’ll also send a battalion of the Royal Body Guards along with the Royal Armored Division soldiers. They’re going to be great out in the mountains.”

“You seem to expect a battle.”

“I’m only preparing for the worst-case scenario possible.”

Since the border was too long, the mountainous area was only marked with a few signs along the line. There was no reason to put up barbed wire tightly along the mountain range since China was not a hostile country. So the border must be unclear.

The Kazakh government planned to take this opportunity to properly finalize the border and notify the Chinese side. If so, it was inevitable to meet the issue of illegal aliens. If an illegal immigrant would refuse to return to China, he could be naturalized as a Kazakh citizen. Since it was the illegal alien who wanted asylum, the Chinese government would not be able to have a say in it.

***

“Our troops are in this operation?”

When Cho Chul-hwan heard that the Royal Guards would join in the operation of the Tian Shan Mountains border, he was exuberated.

“The Royal Armored Division will only provide outside support. I’m afraid that the soldiers are not up to the level we want them to be yet. I think it’d be better for the Royal Guards to enter the mountains.”

“Of course. Two months of training is not enough. Tell the guards to give us only lateral support. We’ll be in the front. But it’s going to be winter soon. I’m afraid it’ll be harsh on our soldiers.”

It was the jinx that every winter, they were involved in some kind of operation. This time, the border operation would be held in winter too. It would be advantageous to operate in winter when Chinese troops might fall back, but the severe winter weather in Kazakhstan should not be ignored.

“Just know that the Tian Shan Mountains are minus 20 degrees in Celsius usually in the winter, we won’t last with the supplies we have now. You know the Kazakh Army’s winter uniform is just terrible.”

“I already placed an order for winter uniforms from Switzerland. It’s the best company picked by the mountain troops in the Alps, so it should be good in the Tian Shan Mountains.”

“If it’s suitable for the Swiss mountain troops, it will be more than enough for us. ”

The Kazakh military had poor supplies because of the short defense budget. However, it would change drastically from next year. The revenue from the nationalization of gold mines reached six billion dollars a year, and it was agreed that all of them would be used for national defense. Military supplies would be advanced by next year.

And now the police and soldiers’ paychecks had been actualized. It was to prevent corruption from occurring, and it was directly related to fraud, so the correction of payments was rushed.

“We need at least 200,000 soldiers to protect the border well. Is there any way we can increase soldiers dramatically?”

“We should adopt the unconditional mandatory conscription system and the soldiers should serve at least for three years. That way, we’ll secure decent combat capability.”

Kazakhstan’s conscription system was quite sloppy. People were exempt for so many reasons such as having kids or having been employed. All people had to do in order to avoid military service was to make a child or get a job anywhere. It was amazing that the Kazakh military had been maintaining its current number of troops with such a lame system. In order to increase the number of troops with a limited number of people, an unconditional mandatory conscription system was necessary. Since soldiers were paid properly and well now, people would volunteer to serve in the military without much resistance.

***

Greece had more than 6,000 islands, of which only 227 were inhabited. Among them, only 78 were residents of more than 100. And about ten percent of the islands were privately owned, including the uninhabited islands. Among them, an inhabited island near Santorini Island of Cyclades which was the coastal waters of Athens was out in the market. It was an island with only nine households with 42 residents, which Kaya, the chairman of Koç Holding quickly found. He called to inform Youngho.

“Your Highness, this is a privately owned island, but it’s got a lot of areas and a small bay. I think you’ll be able to moor a decent-sized ship. I’ve sent you pictures of the island, so take a good look.”

“Have you found it already? I guess there’s a lot on the market.”

“You can buy as many as you want.”

“How much are they?”

“It ranges from a few million dollars to tens of millions of dollars. The new island on sale is less expensive than 20 million dollars.”

“It’s surprisingly cheap. Does the Greek government allow foreigners to own it?”

“Yes. There would not be a problem for you to own it. Rather, the government wants foreigners to develop the islands for it to become a tourist destination.”

“The one you talked about must be quite a big island if there’s a small bay. How big is it?”

“The area is 40 km2. It is five kilometers long from east to west and eight kilometers long from north to south.”

“I’ll sign the contract right away. Can you see if other islands near it are also in the market for purchase?”

“There are no islands nearby. There are a few rocky islets nearby, and if you buy the island, they’ll also be included with your purchase. Should I talk about the Royal Guards fleet? I have some acquaintances in the Greek government. I was thinking to consult them.”

“Don’t open it yet because it’s too sensitive. You can buy the island first and discuss it later.”

“Okay. Would you like to come and see the island some other day?”

“I’d like to see it tomorrow and sign it. If it had caught your eye, wouldn’t someone else be also watching it?”

“Hahaha… Don’t worry. I’ve already arranged something ahead of time.”

Youngho was going to buy the island first and build an annex. He would then create a port and then persuade the Greek government about having warships. If a foreign warship was not allowed, he would disguise ships as merchant ships.

Youngho flew to Athens, Greece, with Eriksson immediately. Youngho loved the island only by looking at its photos. He did not expose his identity, so there were a few inconveniences in the entry process, but it felt more comfortable to go about it secretly. This was because when Youngho visited as a royalty of Kazakhstan, there would be many officials waiting to greet him upon his arrival. Kaya was waiting for him.

“You must’ve really liked the island because you came here in such a hurry.”

“It’s because you took pictures so artistically.”

“It’s much better than as shown in pictures. I’m going to have to get a good introductory fee from the queen this time.”

“If we like the island, I promise you one thing. Koç Holding’s ships will be protected by our military.”

“Now that we’re going to be a company of Kazakhstan soon, isn’t that a natural step?”

“Hahaha… You’re right. Is there anything you’d like from me?”

“I’d like our company to build a Royal Navy warship that would cross the oceans. How about that?”

“You know there’s a shipyard in Denmark owned by our royal family, right?”

“I do. As you know, your shipyard has been specialized for icebreakers and car ferry submarines, but we’ve made mostly combat ships. We’re specialized in that area.”

“You mean Aegis.”

“Yes, we have one that’s already been designed and is in the process of building. I thought this could be used as the royal warship.”

The anti-ship and anti-aircraft defense was basic. The name of the Aegis destroyer armed with all kinds of electronic equipment literally meant ‘shield’.

At the same time, it was the best existing warship that could detect and track 200 targets and attack 24 of them simultaneously. Koç Holding shipyard had the ability to build a 5,600-ton mid-size Aegis destroyer with stealth capabilities.

“How many ships did the Turkish government order and then cancel?”

“Three. Your Highness.”

“Alright. The Kazakh royal family will buy them all.”

“Are you sure? All three ships?”