Empire of the Ring

Mittal left for India with Park Jong-il after spending two days at the royal territory.

Mittal’s proposal would be implemented in the future when the Indian government would take the initiative, instead, the two decided to focus on the issue of Indian troops’ presence in Tibet for now.

The Indian government would also welcome it, but it could never be a light decision as it was uncertain how China would take it if Indian troops were stationed in Ngari Prefecture.

In order not to provide an excuse for Chinese intervention, the Indian military would also need to disguise itself as a militia, but it seemed unlikely. It was because of the Indian government’s pride. It would not want to look like it was bending over for China.

In terms of objective military capability, military experts assessed that Indian troops were somewhat behind Chinese forces, but it was highly likely that they would choose the standard method to keep up with their self-esteem.

It was clearly shown in the way the Indian government approached the Bhutan border issue in dispute with China.

No matter how many times China snarls, it was worth knowing one thing about its pride when it saw China making a stand-off without blinking.

If such an Indian Army protected Tibet, the Kazakh royal family would have a wider range of operations.

This is because China would not act recklessly because of the Indian military.

Anyway, the cooperation with the Indian government was good news to Kazakhstan as well as the Indian government which would get a new card to pressure China.

It had wanted to take part as it was related to Tibet, but no opportunity was given, but now, Kazakhstan had sent its intelligence chief to discuss the issue of post-war readjustment.

It was a great gift if Kazakhstan yielded the recently captured region to India even if it could exert its rights on it.

If Indian troops were deployed, it would put Indians in a position of opposing China, but there was no better position than Tibet that could pressure both China and Pakistan at the same time.

Perhaps due to this situation, Park Jong-il, who arrived in India, was given generous treatment by the Indian government while the negotiation was in progress.

It was already confirmed with the Tibetan exile government, so there was nothing to coordinate, and several meetings with senior officials of the Indian government determined the issue of the Indian military presence in Tibet without much disagreement.

It may be burdensome due to relations with China, but the Indian government made a quick decision as if it had waited.

It may have been the influence of the accompanying Chairman Mittal, but this was not an issue to be decided quickly.

The Indian government’s decision has drastically reduced Kazakhstan’s burden. Now, all it had to do was to focus on Kashgar.

In fact, Kashgar alone was too much for Kazakhstan’s economic conditions.

However, considering the situation, the money poured into Kashgar was not a waste because Kazakhstan would continue influencing it.

This was because the stronger Kashgar became, the safer Kazakhstan became.

And even if it became an independent country, it was never a losing business because it would remain inseparable from Kazakhstan.

***

The U.S., which seemed to be pulling out of the country, was also paying close attention to the participation of the Indian government.

It was evident because Michael, the chief of the U.S. CIA, hastily called Youngho.

Despite the fact that Kazakhstan had yet to announce it, the capabilities of the CIA were great. It had a rough idea of what was going on between the two countries already just by studying Mittal’s move alone.

“You must’ve put a lot of informants in our royal family.”

-Hahaha… That’s a misunderstanding. It’s easy to figure out when you analyze the movements of important figures. And since Kazakhstan is one of the few countries where our intelligence agents can work comfortably, don’t you think we can figure out that much?

As Kazakhstan was the center of Central Asia and Caucasus, spy activities were quite prevalent in the country, and there was nothing to hide, so it was also a place where it was generous for the intelligence agents of allies.

However, it was also a place where key secrets were kept hidden tightly.

“Did you have any prior communication with the Indian government?”

-It’s our ally and a neighboring country of Tibet. It’s natural to have frequent exchanges of views.

‘That’s right. Without prior communication, the Indian government couldn’t have decided to dispatch troops so quickly.’

There was a reason why the Indian government was willing to join hands as if it had been waiting. This meant that the U.S. and India were predicting that Kazakhstan could not afford to operate both places.

“You’ve taken a good account of Kazakhstan’s situation. I can’t thank you enough. Thank you for your consideration.”

Sensing the bitterness in Youngho’s words, Michael made an excuse.

-Don’t feel too uncomfortable. India is also a stakeholder.

“That’s understandable.”

Kazakhstan may have been a puppet after all, but it was a tolerable part.

If the U.S., India, and Russia were not behind Kazakhstan, it would not have won concessions from China. In fact, China would never have given up Kashgar and Ngari.

-Duke, it was a great decision. Our administration is also very encouraged by the Kazakh government’s decision.

“I guess the U.S. was worried that we might stir up some trouble. I thought the U.S. was no longer involved.”

-You must have a misunderstanding. How can the United States neglect the affairs of its allies? It was a little loud internally.

“Has anything happened to the American political circle?”

-It happens all the time, so you don’t have to worry. It’s all gone now.

The U.S. must have become threatened as Kazakhstan discussed the Tibetan issue with India without the U.S.

It was impossible for the U.S. to be excluded from China-related affairs.

“I just asked India for help because we are not capable enough. I guess it’s causing trouble for our allies.”

-I would have helped you if you had discussed such a problem with me. Fortunately, I was relieved because my opponent was India.

“Come on. I’ve been in and out of your mind a few times. Be honest and take it all out on the table, Chief.”

-Oh! I guess I can’t even lie in front of the Duke of Kazakhstan. In fact, the administration was very concerned. There were also voices of concern that the Kazakh royal family might lead to a world war.

“The Indian government has been very active, so I was relieved. It was a little too much to carry Tibet on our back.”

Youngho could say this because it was Michael, but he would not have been able to say this to anyone else because of his pride.

-That’s why I like you. Sharing a burden in international relations reduces risk that much. And thank you for making the U.S. a cause to step in.

“I didn’t know you can make compliments.”

-Oh, don’t say that. I’m not even in a position to compliment you. You made a great decision, indeed.

It seemed Michael was immensely thankful that Youngho did not act greedy with the issue of Tibet. In any case, the decision to pass Tibet over to India was a divine move.

“Chief, can you tell me how far the U.S. government is going to get involved?”

***

India’s involvement was welcomed by the United States as well.

The new variable, India, had made the United States less politically burdened. It also meant that there were other means to pressure China.

Likewise, Kazakhstan could be shifted away from China’s focus, easing the burden.

China now had to deal with Kazakhstan and India at the same time.

In order to attack Tibet, it would have to deal with India, and in order to attack Kashgar, it would have to face Kazakhstan.

For that reason, Youngho was humming inside with relief.

China, which had suddenly come under pressure to deal with India, would be torn.

Knowing that Kazakhstan was behind the change, it would try to retaliate in any way.

Youngho was hoping that the Communist Party of China would go far.

This was because the more the current administration faltered, the more the people’s sentiment would be divided.

According to Mittal, China’s division would begin with the public sentiment.

Of course, China would not collapse for such a reason, but the administration should be severely shaken, and it might bring an end to the prolonged rule of the current regime.

There was no way that the U.S. and others were unaware of this.

This was why Youngho asked Michael how far the U.S. would intervene. He wondered if the U.S. government could support India, which was relatively weaker than China.

Michael then said he was willing to help the Indian military’s rearmament.

The U.S. government could also step in without any burden because Kazakhstan had conceded the Tibetan Ngari Prefecture to India.

Unlike Kazakhstan, China could not argue if the U.S. helped Indian troops rearm.

Until now, most of the U.S. military’s weapons donations had been monopolized by Kazakhstan, which had raised concerns in the U.S.

In addition, it was believed to have led to a military imbalance in the Central Asian region by selling huge weapons such as the latest fighter jets, attack helicopters, and air defense missiles.

The general view was that as a result of Kazakhstan’s strong military power, Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus had entered the shadow of Kazakhstan.

The U.S., even knowing that Kazakhstan had a role to stop China from the front line, was anxious about the situation.

However, this time, it was shocked by the adventurousness of Kazakhstan, which was engaged in a large and small regional war with China.

It was forced to recommend a cease-fire at last.

This was because China’s sharp fall was never beneficial to the U.S.

Although it was in a trade war with China, the clock of the U.S would stop if there were no parts produced from China.

Most of the electronic components of important weapons used by the U.S. military were from China.

Even a retired general of the U.S. military once said that if China did not export military-related parts, the U.S. military’s operations would disappear in the future.

China was a thorn in the eye, but if China collapsed, it would greatly affect U.S. national interests.

In other words, China’s influence on the world was enormous.

If so, it had to stop China from emitting power to the outside world at a proper level.

When the U.S. was looking for a way to stop China, Youngho threw customized opponents called Tibet and India. The U.S. was bound to be grateful for that.