Empire of the Ring

Information gathering equipment from London had been delivered and installed in the autonomous state.

The data from Britain’s military satellite was also available, so the state’s ability to collect information increased by dozens.

Naturally, the state gained the ability to monitor Astana’s Presidential Palace and the residence of the deputy prime minister—President’s eldest daughter, in real-time. As the equipment was reinforced, Park Jong-il now mobilized agents to monitor the presidential family.

Youngho was finally able to take a breath of relief now that he could monitor the president.

He also received an agreement from the U.S. to support the state, and there was nothing to worry about Russia’s involvement. It can be inferred that the U.S. and Russia had some behind-the-scenes agreements.

Victor Jun of the Navy visited Youngho’s office. Today was a holiday, so he called him for a cup of tea.

“I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to congratulate you on your recent promotion, so I called you today. I hope your wife doesn’t hate me for calling you on your day off.”

“Hahaha… my wife is not at home right now. She went to Arirang River with the children to play on the ice.”

“Oh, I’m glad to hear that. It’s a little early, but could you rate the taste of the wine produced this year? You’d be the first outsider to taste it.”

“Oh, I’m honored to be the first one to test this year’s wine, prince consort.”

The wine produced in the year would not be so great, but it was still an honor for Victor Jun since he was the first one to taste it as an outsider. This was proof of their friendship.

“You know you can’t say it’s bad, right?”

“Well, if the resident of the autonomous state disparages Zeynep Wine, he is disqualified to be a resident.”

“Oops, I almost didn’t trust a loyal resident.”

As the alcohol went around, they started talking about anti-government protests.

Victor said that it was a pity that the power of the government had fallen to the ground.

“I don’t think it would be weird if Kazakhstan were to be torn apart into a few pieces, so soon at this rate. I’m very concerned because there had been a precedent where each military authority had been divided into several republics after the collapse of the Soviet Union. If the country is divided, especially the Navy won’t have anywhere to turn.”

“In the worst-case scenario, Atyrau should take the Navy.”

“What about the cost to maintain the Navy? The politicians are busy filling their stomachs. They won’t pay for it.”

“If there’s no one else to handle, I’ll take it myself. The Caspian Sea must be protected.”

“You’d cover the cost of maintaining the Navy yourself?”

“The Arirang Autonomous State is isolated without the Ural River and the Caspian Sea. I can’t just watch it being taken by outside forces.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have to worry if everyone feels the same as you.”

“I’m not saying this to make you feel good. There’s no reason to begrudging the cost of maintaining the Navy or the Maritime Police.”

“Would you really be able to afford to keep the Navy in the worst case?”

“Yes, I just signed a document to bring in ten 500-ton old patrol boats from the United States. In times like this, we want to strengthen our power.”

Victor seemed to have been moved by the news that Youngho would be bringing in ten 500-ton patrol ships. The president was busy with his private problems, but Youngho who was not even a Kazakh native was contributing to the national defense.

“I’m so proud to be a Koryoin today. Just hearing your words gives me strength.”

“Oh, I’m not doing this for a great cause or anything. It’s just for the safety of our state. Don’t think too big.”

“If there’s anything you want from me, feel free to speak up. I’ll do whatever I can to assist you.”

“I’m just thankful that the Navy was doing its job well, despite the chaotic political situation. Again, if the Navy or the Army needs maintenance costs, I’ll be happy to support them.”

“Not only will I, but also the entire Navy family will join your will. I will form a public opinion in the naval community.”

“That could be misleading. In times like this, you have to be more careful.”

“Don’t be afraid. Not only mine, but their future depends on this. They’ll be glad to be on your side.”

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many troops and weapons were once vested into independent states because soldiers were not paid properly. That was what Youngho was after. If it was rumored that the autonomous state would provide assistance to the naval soldiers who defended the Caspian Sea in the chaotic period, the Army or Air Force would be intrigued by the story too. If done well, the military can be drawn into the state without any bloodshed.

***

“Listen to this. You’d be shocked.”

Park Jong-il brought the eavesdropping record from the presidential office. Youngho, Cho Chul-hwan, and Cha In-soo were gathered at the office.

“These people are still out of their minds. They never mention anything about working for the country.”

“Who the hell is the one who just spoke?”

“How should I know by just listening to the voice? My best guess is that he is the chief of the National Police.”

One of the wiretaps strongly suggested firing at protesters.

When he spoke, the crowd temporarily quieted down and there were a lot of sympathetic voices. There were even mixed remarks about declaring martial law.

“The president didn’t even clear the speculations surrounding him to the public, and now he’s trying to declare martial law. That means he’ll send in soldiers. That’s just insane.”

When Park Jong-il played another wiretap, the room became even more boisterous.

“Hey, can you go back a little? I didn’t catch the detail.”

“Hey, I have the transcript here. You can look at it.”

“Man, they’re trying to steal the national budget. Who’s this guy?”

“I haven’t figured out who it is yet. What’s clear is that the president is even trying to touch the national budget.”

“It’s not acceptable to take the money from a state-run business, and now he wants to touch the national budget? And the welfare budget too? Don’t they know that the poor are flocking to the kitchen soup because the basic living expenses are not being supported?”

“I should notify the British intelligence service about this.”

“What about the US CIA?”

“If the CIA finds out that we have this equipment, it might cause misunderstandings. We’d better keep it quiet from the CIA.”

The power of monitoring equipment was huge. The intelligence department of the state could hear every inch of what was happening in the president’s office.

“How’s the first daughter, the so-called deputy prime minister, doing?”

“We should wait a few more days until we can hear from her house. But, I don’t expect any better from her.”

“Okay. Monitor the second daughter’s house too. We should find out where they’re hiding the money. As soon as we find out, we’ll act and take the money.”

“What? You’re going to take their slush fund?”

Cho Chul-hwan freaked out to hear that Youngho would be stealing the president family’s slush fund. It was because Youngho and Jong-il did not tell their friends about the money from the president’s villa.

“The money belongs to Kazakh people anyway. We’ll find it and give it back to the people.”

“Hey! What are you going to do when you get caught?”

“If the president flees from the country with his money, there’s no way we’ll be able to retrieve it.”

“That’s impossible. How are you going to fight against their security?”

“Oh, we’re not fighting. We’ll sneak in quietly and steal the money. We know some guys who are perfect for the job.”

Youngho and Jong-il secretly smiled since they were the ‘guys’ who were perfect for the job, and his friends had no idea.

“Alright! Listen. The Navy should be on our side now. Victor Jun said that he would talk to senior officers in the Army or Air Force too. So, maybe their view of our state will be changed soon. The problem is the generals. We should find a way to contact them. We can’t rely only on Victor.”

“Why don’t we ask help from Agent Smith at the embassy? It looked like he has frequent interaction with army headquarters and the Air Force headquarters in Astana.”

“That would be a good way. Is there any other suggestion?”

“I will take the local unit at the Russian border near the city of Oral? We did an operation together last time for the Kyrgyzstan border area. The general there had quite a great reputation by the soldiers.”

“Don’t ever bring incompetent or corrupt generals to us. This one should have the respect of young officers and field officers. ”

“Don’t worry about it. As far as I know, he’s a person without a huge flaw.”

“Okay, then Chul-hwan will take care of the local unit at the border area in Oral. I don’t care what you do, get him on our side. Jong-il’s way works quite well.”

“Jeez, I should make a patient out of his family member or something?”

“Cha In-soo, have you got any?”

“I meet some police executives for the security service company’s work but they’re all corrupt. I don’t think there will be any benefits for associating with them.”

“Huh, is there any normal government official in this country? ”

***

Soon, there was a huge social turmoil in Kazakhstan because of the recordings of the presidential office uploaded on YouTube.

This time, the poor people who were beneficiary of national basic livelihood protested against the government. The video of people destroying kitchen soups and making a mess in government offices filled TV screens. Some drunken people even attacked police officers who were flustered by them. Of course, this kind of thing only took place in big cities. It was quite weird that the northern cities near the Russian border were unexpectedly keeping quiet at this moment.

“What did the agents there say about the northern cities?”

“They said that the Russians don’t really care about what’s happening in the country. They’re weirdly quiet these days, when it should be crowded in bars with people who came to drink in this winter.”

“That’s strange. A few months ago, they demanded their independence from Kazakhstan. Does it make sense that they don’t use this opportunity? What about the Russian Army near the border?”

“They don’t show any special movement according to the satellite images.”

“What’s up with them?”

“They must be keeping a low profile because of the attention from all over the world. Freelance journalists are already all over in the cities like Petropavl, Semey, and Pavlodar, waiting for something to happen.”

It was fortunate that the northern cities were unexpectedly still at this time. But, those areas would be absorbed by Russia when the people revolted against the Kazakh government since they were mostly occupied by Russians. Even President Nazarbayev had almost given up those areas before.

“The CIA will give up the northern and northeastern region in the worst situation.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I got that feeling while talking to Michael.”

“That means we’ll be giving away the whole Russian border area.”

“I don’t want to get ahead, but there might have been a deal between the two countries.”

“What’s the problem with that? As long as we can secure the autonomous state and other regions, we’ll be fine.”

“Just like how it happened in the Balkan Peninsula when the country is broken up into pieces, only minorities will suffer.”

“Let’s see. Don’t most of the Koryoins live in the central and eastern areas?”

“They’re scattered, so they don’t have power. The only alternative power is our state, but the problem is that we are in the far west.”

“Oh, poor Koryoins will suffer because of this.”

“Is there any clever idea to draw them to the state?”

“Most of them are middle class and it is their home. Do you think they’ll want to move?”

“Do you think they’ll still want to live there when Kazakhstan is turned upside down?”

“Jeez, it’s like we made it hard for them.”