Empire of the Ring

Dr. Hanson offered a variety of opinions.

He said that Youngho would have to renovate a cargo ship of at least 30,000 tons to serve as a command ship and supply ship to lead the leaflets.

“Wouldn’t a 30,000-ton ship be too big?”

“It’s not too big if it’s the command ship to sail a long-distance and also the supply ship that supplies food and fuel ammunition for the entire fleet. It can be a bit inefficient because we’re renovating a cargo ship, but it can be a big advantage to have space for cargo and for large-scale personnel.”

“How many troops can be on board?”

“At least 1500 people. It can carry quite a lot of materials and supplies, so if a multipurpose landing ship is added, you can go anywhere in the world without any additional reinforcements.”

At Hanson’s remarks, Youngho was intrigued. It would be a huge vessel, but it would have its own advantages as Hanson described. Such a level of capability was necessary to sail around the ocean.

“Dr. Hanson, you seem to know a lot about military vessels and insights. What’s your view on opening an Arctic route and developing the Arctic Ocean? I’d like to hear from you, would you?”

Then he took a sip of cold coffee and narrowed his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he brought up a surprising story.

“Your Highness. Do you think this is the first time global warming has occurred?”

“Well, I don’t know that much.”

“The glacial epoch and interglacial epoch have been there for tens of millions of years. But the Earth is still in a little ice age.”

“What does that have to do with the Arctic Ocean development?”

“Every time the earth was in the little ice age, there’s been a lot of chaos in the global community. This is what I’ve studied from old literature while majoring in shipbuilding engineering. Even if there is a slight difference in timing, it should be almost accurate.”

“People were worried that the Earth is warming and the water level is rising…”

“The warming caused by industrialization is only temporary. When a volcanic eruption covers the stratosphere, the Earth’s temperature will go down in no time. Remember that the recent winter was very cold, with no such cause.”

“We’re going to have to suffer from hunger due to abnormal temperatures.”

“It’s inevitable. It’s important that small and large war could occur because of that.”

The little ice that lasted nearly 500 years had a tremendous impact on mankind.

During this period between modern times and the Middle Ages, food production declined, and in Europe, many people starved to death or died of infectious diseases.

As the famous plague, the Black Death, swept through Europe, Europe’s population shrank by a quarter from before.

Many people died causing a labor shortage, which prompted industrialization to kick-start.

But the industrialized scientific civilization fueled each country’s greed to the end of World War II, and to this day, the world was still experiencing the most conflict ever.

Dr. Hanson was concerned that the Arctic Ocean, when opened, would become a venue for major powers, and that rational compromise would be easily reached where each country’s interests were at stake.

He said that he even got goosebumps because the current situation, where the global community was suffering from abnormal temperatures, was so similar to the 1900s.

Saying that historical facts suggested that there could be another war because of the Arctic Ocean, he strongly suggested that Denmark should follow Youngho’s readiness to deal with the situation ahead of time.

***

After meeting Hanson, Youngho stopped thinking of stirring up the Arctic Ocean with the imperfect naval power.

If there was no power that no one could touch, it was desirable to prepare for commercial operation quietly.

He intended to station the navy’s main fleet at Copenhagen as a parent port and project only a covert force that was not noticeable in Greenland.

There was no reason to bother to step up and create tension.

“Hyung, I think you are more interested in Greenland than the Arctic route.”

“They’re both my concerns. They’re places where a lot of resources are buried. If we want to save Kazakhstan’s resources, we need to find untapped resources overseas from now on. These places are the last unexplored lands on Earth.”

“And since Greenland has an independent country status other than foreign affairs and defense, will it be easy to meet our demands when we have to consult with the local government about resource development?”

“It’s not like the Danish government’s influence won’t work at all. We have to force them to listen.”

“Why would you do that?”

“China is already getting involved. They didn’t go in there themselves, but they’re putting the British company in front of them, so everyone just doesn’t know about it yet.”

“Where there are resources, there are Chinese people.”

“Well, it’s going to get noisy in the Arctic Ocean, but it could come as an opportunity for us.”

“….”

“Have you ever seen China develop resources around the world and care about the environment? Sooner or later, it will be kicked out of Greenland for environmental problems. We intend to take on that role.”

“How are you going to make that happen?”

“I’ll make the Danish Queen ask for my help.”

“Wouldn’t she ask for NATO’s help, not ours?”

“There’s no way that NATO would move since it’s not like Denmark was attacked. There’s not enough cause.”

“What about a cause for us to get involved?”

“Wait and see. We’ll make the cause.”

Greenland was governed by its autonomous government in areas other than national defense and diplomacy.

It was the largest island in the world but had a population of only 50,000 people.

The land of Greenland was receiving attention because it was known to be rich in various jewelry, rare earth, and iron ore.

However, the land was rarely developed due to technical difficulties and high costs as it was covered with 150-meter-thick ice.

Nevertheless, China had just begun to develop the land. China was already working on a mining project in Greenland through a British company. The Danish government was also in a state of panic because it could not influence the local government on resource development. The reason for Denmark’s panic was that it was worried about the potential pollution of the environment of Greenland which was an untouched, clean region.

***

Although his official schedule was over, Youngho decided to stay another day to settle the Greenland issue with the Danish Queen. So, he ordered Suh Min-seok to arrange a visit to the palace.

Since he heard China’s involvement in Greenland, he wanted to actively intervene in this matter while he was in Denmark. It was also for Denmark as he promised to take care of Denmark’s back with the Danish Prime Minister.

When Youngho visited the queen, she greeted him with a bright smile.

“Duke, your consideration saved our royal family’s face.”

“I’m glad to hear that I’ve been of help.”

“I prepared a salmon dish as a token of our gratitude.”

She prepared a Danish traditional food again for him. It did not taste as great as before, but Youngho still ate it all quickly.

When he ate up the salmon dish, the queen was impressed.

“You’re the most wonderful gentleman I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, I’m just a country boy. It’s like I’ve become a gentleman after I met you, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, who dared to call you a country boy? I guess they have poor eye for people.”

“Well, since you allowed me to become a gentleman, I want to become a knight to help Your Majesty. How do you like that?”

“Even for an old lady, the escort of knights is always exciting. Is I or Denmark in danger?”

Her face even blushed as Youngho said that he would be a knight for her.

“I’ve heard that China is developing resources in Greenland with a British company.”

“Is that so? What about it?”

“We all know that the problem of environmental pollution is inevitably mentioned in the resource development projects involving China. I’m thinking of developing the Arctic Ocean, but when the Chinese government comes in, the environmental pollution is inevitable. In fact, we’ve had some bad resource development cases in Kazakhstan involving Chinese companies. If left unchecked, the pollution in Greenland is only a matter of time.”

“Oh! I see. I certainly don’t want to see Greenland being damaged since it’s a clean area. The Danish government can’t intervene in this matter as it would be ignoring the self-governing government. Do you have a solution?”

“Forgive me for telling you this even though it’s not really my place to do so, but I couldn’t help because I don’t want to see environmental pollution.”

“No. How would I have known if you didn’t tell me? If you’ve raised the question, there must be a solution. Please advise.”

“I understand that resource development is up to the Greenland local government, but the mere mention of your concern could possibly stop it.”

“I mean, the governors of Greenland will hear my concerns, but they must have already signed a contract. How can they stop the development?”

The queen was right, but there was a way.

“I think we can take care of the issue with environmental pollution. We’re going to have to mobilize the world’s media as well.”

“But will China stop developing and step back nicely?”