Empire of the Ring

The construction works that were temporarily stopped before resumed. It was because the president was no longer a threat to the state.

From small-size compound development building to the armored vehicle assembly plant, and even to the dock construction at the Ural River were being done at the same time.

Although the soil was frozen and it was the rainy season—as it was getting close to April, bed excavation was still at work.

In addition, bunkers were being made at different locations around the new state borders.

Evacuation facilities were also well prepared since the early days of the autonomous state. They would endure even if there was an atomic bomb attack.

The daily necessities that were stored in the warehouse of the state could last several years even if there were no outside supplies. When the expiration dates were near, those supplies were given to the residents. This time, they were given to the Kazakh people of the newly incorporated land. They were immensely thankful to receive such supplies since the price of industrial goods from China had skyrocketed due to the recent border dispute.

“How’s their reaction?”

“They are very grateful. It’d be weird if they’re not happy upon receiving the commodities that they usually can’t afford to buy.”

“I’m a little ashamed that we’re taking credit for giving them supplies that will be disposed of soon.”

Youngho did not wish to be proud to distribute supplies that were close to expiration. He only gave them away since it would be a waste to throw them away. He was worried that people would get upset, but it was the opposite.

“What are you talking about? Even our residents love to get free stuff. In fact, there are not many Kazakhs who would be picky about expiration dates.”

“Commissioner Kim, they’re our residents now. Please take care of them well, so they don’t complain about anything.”

“Don’t worry, prince consort. There’s no government that will pay them for their farmland at a high cost and buys their house construction materials for free. They’re rather scared that they might get removed from our state.”

“Did you make everyone the passport and the residential card?”

“Yes, I gave them to everyone. They’re at least not shaken because they’re given such proof.”

“That’s great. Show them that the Kazakh government and our government are completely different.”

“They should know that already.”

“We have to emphasize that our state was not this well-off from the start. The Kazakh government had been strong about welfare policy, so they might think that the autonomous state is doing the same.”

“There’s not much to the Kazakh welfare policy. Only the people in big cities got to receive benefits from it, and the majority doesn’t even know what it looks like. The administrative power couldn’t even reach to the remote regions. Even if they had sent support, corrupt officials would’ve taken it for themselves in the halfway.”

“So, the people here did not receive such privileges, too?”

“Of course not. This was the region where the supply of electricity was terrible. There’s no wonder. It was fortunate that they could use electricity made from their own generator because they’re well-off than other regions since they had the Ural River near them.”

There was a need to make the new residents of the autonomous state from newly incorporated land loyal to the state. Except for a small percentage of the Kazakh people, people had no pride in their country or even a sense of belongingness. Once these people would make up their minds, they would become a quite sincere and loyal group to the autonomous state.

They had not been taken care of by their own government, so they had been surviving on their own. Thus, they would appreciate any little favor done by the state administration.

What was fortunate was that Central Asian people were not exclusive to other ethnic minorities since they had been living in multi-ethnic surroundings for so many years. That was why they took care of the Koryoins who came to Kazakhstan in such poor shape 80 years ago. Youngho liked to think that he was repaying Kazakh people’s favor by taking care of the new residents.

***

Eriksson came to visit the autonomous state unexpectedly.

Youngho was not eager to meet Eriksson anymore since he did not expect to hear new information from him anymore. It was because the state now had better equipment and had a better information network than the Information Agency. Moreover, Youngho was also receiving information from the British intelligence service and the CIA. He was well aware of the situations of the neighboring nations as well.

“I thought you’d be happier to see me, but you look so calm. I assume that someone’s helping you already, Lee.”

“Oh yeah? In the future, I’ll welcome you to the airfield with a banner that has ‘welcome’ written on it and a brass band behind me.”

“Who welcomes people like that?”

“Oh, this used to be a way of welcoming a high official or politician in Korea.”

“I thought that sort of things only happened in an imperialistic of the socialistic country a long time ago.”

“Anywhere around the world where there’s a corrupt bureaucracy is the same.”

“Well, you look very relaxed today.”

Eriksson found a sense of calmness from Youngho’s face in a short moment.

“The situation has changed a lot. I can say that we’re not being chased anymore. We’re rather chasing now.”

“Well, that’s great to hear. If you have more time to spend to prepare, you’ll have a greater chance to take an advantageous position.”

“I don’t like the fact that many events like the border dispute are caused by the intentions of other powers, but at least I’m positive that we will maintain our state.”

“Is the US CIA involved in this?”

“I’m getting some help from it. And, it seems like Russia and the United States are in contact behind the scenes.”

Eriksson paused to speak for a moment.

It seemed that the Information Agency had no idea about that.

“I see. So, Kazakhstan is in a position to be divided?”

“It’s too early to jump to conclusions. There should be so many variables to it. It’s just that Russia is refraining from dogmatic behavior. I think the U.S. has played a big role, but I don’t know what’s going on with it yet.”

“If the U.S. were to step up, that would be a great harvest.”

“I’m afraid the U.S. will interfere with domestic matters in the future.”

“I hope you will. When a new country is born, having a great power to support it will be the most helpful thing.”

“I see. Well, thanks for your insight.”

“I came here to see if there’s anything I can help you with, but it looks like you’re in good hands.”

“Of course, I need any help I can get. Why do you think I even called in mercenary soldiers? We can’t defend ourselves with our weak force.”

“Mercenary?”

“We’ve invited about 300 Korean former special forces members.”

“…”

Eriksson seemed a little nervous when he said that even former members of the special force were brought in. It was because the situation of the autonomous state was worse than he had thought according to Youngho.

“I had to do it since I was in a hurry.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

“I’d like to buy Gripen from Saab. Can you help me?”

“The Swedish fighter?”

Sweden’s Saab AB was an 80-year-old aerospace and defense company. The fighter jets made by the company reportedly performed better than any other fighter of its class. The Gripen was equipped with a reverse thrust engine, which had a take-off and landing distance of only 700 meters and boasted a Mach 2.0.

The ultimate selling point was that it could be purchased at 70 million dollars which were only 40 percent of U.S. or French fighter jets.

It was also a mid-range fighter, which some European countries, South Africa, and Brazil have adopted as their main fighters since their technical transfer was not so hard to get.

“If your company helps me, wouldn’t it be possible to buy it at a lower price?”

“Did you know that we have shares of Saab?”

“Is that so? I had no idea. I just thought that the Information Agency would be able to get it for a cheap price.”

“It’s great to hear that you’re buying a fighter jet from Sweden. How many do you need?”

“I think we need about ten right now. And we want another ten additional orders.”

“I guess they’ll have to operate their production line in full.”

“If it takes time, it doesn’t matter if you get me used ones from the Swedish Air Force. They would not be behind the main fighters of Russia or China.”

“Do you want to get used ones?”

“Well, we’re in a hurry since we will have to train pilots with those jets as soon as possible.”

“All right. I’ll make this my priority. I’ll also find ways to reduce its cost.”

“The words you just said are the most exciting words from you today.”

“Hahaha… Are we not on the same side? Of course, you have to think about saving money. Even a second-hand airplane will be like new once they go through the reassembly process. We’ll cover some of the costs for you.”

“You continue to impress me.”

“Well, just be sure to include us when you take over Kazakhstan.”

“Let me ask you out of personal curiosity. What were you going to do with the funding for the fighter jets?”

“I thought you’d come up with a plan if I told you.”

“What?”

“Hahaha… I’m kidding. I’ll just tell you that the legacy of the Archduke family is quite great. Why are you so curious about it?”

“It’s well over two billion dollars to arm a new jet. I didn’t think that will be possible even if you used all of your money. So I wondered that you were so confident about buying 20 jets.”

“To be honest, I’ve also expected some of your role.”

“Then you made an excellent choice. Thank you for giving us the opportunity. My supervisors will be happy, too.”

The price of a fighter jet was quite expensive, whether it was used or new.

The reason why Youngho asked for Eriksson’s help was that it would be a good business for both sides. Youngho would be able to buy it at a cheap price and the Information Agency would be able to make money and save its face as a major shareholder of Saab.

If used airplanes that were active in the Danish Air Force were acquired, the Air Force would have the opportunity to acquire new models after selling old models, and Saab would make profits from the performance improvement project.

But if the company found out that they could not sell jets because the autonomous state did not have trained pilots, it would have to pay to train pilots to sell the jets.

That way, Youngho could also reduce the cost of training pilots. He hoped that Eriksson would negotiate this well with his superiors and bring good news soon.