Empire of the Ring

“According to satellite reading, they have 26 tanks and 52 armored vehicles. I think they’re doing a proper show of force, so why don’t we do the same in response?”

“Let’s make them suffer in the cold for a while. As soon as they approach the plateau, half of their equipment will stop working because of the severe cold. By the way, what is the result of the Tajik government’s protest against the Chinese government?”

“The Chinese government played innocent by saying that it’s only a normal military training.”

“I knew it. China wouldn’t have even sniffed.”

It was spotted by military satellites provided by the United States and Britain that Chinese troops in Xinjiang Uyghur that were stationed along the border had been moving along since several days ago.

Since there were too many tanks and armored vehicles for a routine training, Park Jong-il suspected if the Chinese force was planning to immediately push in.

“What if they push in without notice?”

“Of course, we launch an attack if they crossed the border.”

“Are you really going to fight against China?”

China may be judging that the Tajikistan coalition would not respond immediately by its intimidating armed protest.

“I’m so ready for it.”

“There is no guarantee that it will end in a local battle. Why are you so relaxed?”

“Oh, don`t worry, even China will not do anything thoughtlessly. It’ll be foolish of it to make a border dispute of a full-scale war. It’ll be an international problem for China to have provoked a weak country. And what about its One Belt One Road business?”

“I’m concerned that the border conflict in the Pamir area is not just going to be today’s problem.”

“You’re afraid it’s going to be a prolonged conflict?”

“Yes. If the boring battle continues in the middle of nowhere, it only adds to our fatigue. China is not going to get damaged by a lot because of its size, but not us.”

“You’re not thinking to give up some of the borders, do you?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to make a compromise than to take a pristine wasteland and waste our time and resources?”

“I don’t intend to continue the tedious battle there. When we make a compromise, we have to act strong. That will make our negotiation easy.”

It was easier to find a compromise when both parties confronted each other strongly.

A boring war of attrition only deepened the emotional bonds of each other.

Rather, it was necessary to take an aggressive action to surprise the world. Then someone would come forward and mediate, and the best scenario was to pretend that you could not help but comply and come up with an appropriate agreement.

The reason why Youngho insisted on even fighting against China was to take Tajikistan.

The royal family would stand out only when battles, big or small, took place in the Pamir Plateau.

It was important to be seen that Kazakhstan had tried its best to protect Tajikistan even at a time when Russia, which was a blood ally of Tajikistan, was withdrawing. It was a good promotion of Kazakhstan when it was known to have poured huge amounts of money into protecting Tajikistan, as it would appeal to the people of Tajikistan that Kazakhstan protected it at the expense of an economic loss.

The issue of incorporation into a federal state would naturally arise only when the situation was led to a turmoil in which Tajikistan could not support the country with its own ability.

If the public accepted the reality that there was no choice but to rely on Kazakhstan economically and militarily, the Tajikistan government’s raison d’etre would disappear.

Relying on foreign powers for national defense would be the government itself admitting to being incompetent. It would be sorry for the Tajik people, but it was the reality.

***

“Eriksson, are gold coins that valuable?”

“If it’s well-preserved, it’ll cost higher.”

“Wouldn’t it be worth less if it were to be released in bulk?”

“There is a scarcity value, so no matter how many are released in the market, that won’t happen.”

The gold coins found on the Arirang Island in the Aegean Sea of Greece had been common in Europe since the 15th century.

The gold coins, which have been minted and circulated many times, were not as clear as new, but collectors were turning their eyes over to possess them.

It was the power of time that raised the coins’ value.

Since limited supplies and fictitious demands were added, it was natural for prices to go up.

Youngho could not help but be pleased that the auction price was set at 20 times more than the current value of pure gold. The high price was caused by the collectors’ competition.

“But we will not be releasing more coins in the open market. Since it’s already known that we possess gold coins of the Age of Exploration, collectors who want to buy them themselves will come to us.”

“You said that the prices will go up through competition, but you want to do direct sales now?”

“Among the collectors, there are bankers and entrepreneurs. Arab royal families are also there, too. They want to keep the artifacts regardless of price since it also makes a very useful business gift.”

“I see. So, they’ll pay whatever the price is.”

“They’ll come to buy so as to show off their high social position.”

Royal families in oil-producing countries in the Middle East were big hands with enormous purchasing power.

They would purchase yachts that cost hundreds of millions of dollars if they wanted and even professional sports clubs that would easily cost them billions of dollars to make money.

Likewise, vanity to show-off their purchasing power of the billionaires of India and other developing countries could not be ignored.

Any wealthy people who had acquired global corporations after starting from nothing would want to show off their economic power.

***

Prince Al-Sarki of the United Arab Emirates visited the royal territory, as Eriksson predicted.

Prince Al-Sarki was the man who controlled the intelligence department due to the influence of his father, one of the seven UAE rulers.

Royal family members of the United Arab Emirates usually had a luxurious home and several wives around the world, but Crown Prince Al-Sarki was living as if he had built a wall with such things. To put it simply, he was the most sensible Arab monarchy among others.

Such a figure made a surprise visit through the Kazakh Intelligence Service to inform his intent to visit and made a move in less than two days.

No matter how greedy for the gold coins he was, Youngho was curious why he moved such urgently.

Youngho would be facing the prince and his family, who entered the royal palace in the morning, at the dinner table this evening.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince Al-Sarki wants to have intelligence exchange with us.”

“To buy a gold coin was only to show to the outside world.”

“That is most likely. Of course, he won’t hide his desire for gold coins, but the purpose is to have an exchange with our royal family. For your information, Crown Prince is also a major customer of the Swedish Information Agency.”

“It looks like he has a wide circle of acquaintance.”

“He’s also personally quite close to Mr. Basten.”

“But I don’t understand why they’re trying to share information with us because we don’t have much contact with the United Arab Emirates.”

“They already know that we’ll be making a foray into the Persian Gulf through Iran. He probably has military exchanges in mind.”

The Southern railroad construction which started in Baku was nearing its end and would be in operation next year.

Then, Kazakhstan would be able to advance directly to the Indian Ocean without having to use the Suez Canal through the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

So far, Kazakhstan could only deal with the European and North American markets but the Indian and Southeast Asian markets would also be pioneered, allowing the market to be diversified.

“Great. We’ve been looking for a safe harbor for our ships in the Persian Gulf. Iran’s port alone is not enough to cover the volume.”

“Director Park said he would discuss the port issue with the prince. He’s looking around at the helicopter assembly plant with the Crown Prince and his company, so we should have some good news by evening.”

“But is there an oceanic navy in the United Arab Emirates?”

“There are about ten coast guard ships, two corvettes, and two minelayers. That’s why they’re paying attention to our navy.”

“They’re interested in our naval power, which consists of only three frigates and two Aegis destroyers?”

“Will you be satisfied with that amount of power?”

“Of course, we need to increase it further, but it’s a childlike force compared to other powerful nations.”

“He must be expecting our naval power to be stronger in the future. He wants to join hands with us to influence the Persian Gulf.”

“I know they’re in a territorial dispute with Iran. Wouldn’t it be getting into trouble if we joined hands?”

“It won’t happen unless we turn Iran into an enemy ourselves. There are no countries in the Middle East that don’t have conflicts on their borders or territories, and they are eager to attract each other as allies.”

“At any rate, it’s a matter of careful attention.”

“But his interest in us is a good opportunity for us because Abu Dhabi and Dubai are Middle East financial hubs. And because it’s a pro-Western country, it’s going to be a strong ally.”

“I guess I’ll have an answer when I meet him for dinner in person tonight.”