Empire of the Ring

These days, European royal families rarely held the coronation ceremony.

Great Britain was the only country to hold coronation ceremonies, which had long been forgotten in people’s minds since it was already decades ago.

This meant that the European royal families would only survive as a symbolic existence. Even so, there was still a raucous royal ceremony that still persisted. It was a wedding ceremony.

Although the coronation of the Arirang Autonomous State was a week away, the media was paying unusual attention to the state. Media companies from all over the world crowded into the state since people were interested in the Serbian Archduke family that was about to marry the Danish royal family.

They filmed different scenes of the autonomous state including Countryside Force soldiers training and working, and of the women soldiers who recently joined the force. Naturally, the maritime police work of the state was also highlighted. The Kazakh government’s decision to delegate maritime police affairs to the autonomous state’s own force meant that the autonomous state was recognized as a capable partner of the Kazakh government.

It seemed they were interested that the state was playing a part in the military affairs of Kazakhstan. As the coronation should be focused rather than the military part, the state decided to take an interview because the issue needed some clarification and comment.

The follower couple was upset as the media’s attention was getting out of their hands.

“Mr. CEO, the enthusiasm of the press is high, but it’s only illuminated in a strange way. It’s a problem because they think that our state is some sort of a secret weapon of Kazakhstan.”

“We’re indeed a secret weapon.”

“We’re supposed to pay attention to the coronation, but they’re only focused on exposing our military power.”

“Which country’s media is primarily interested in our military force?”

“It’s mostly European tabloid newspapers and Asian media. There’s also the Chinese media.”

“I’ve never sent an invitation to the Chinese side?”

“I didn’t bother to stop them because they already had a bureau in Kazakhstan. I didn’t want to cause trouble.”

Youngho thought that it was a great chance to play with the press.

“Really? First, schedule an interview with each media company. I’ll take care of them.”

“Okay. I will.”

“Do they know us as Koryoins?”

“They probably do.”

Youngho did not expose his identity as Korean. He was known here as a Koryoin businessman. That was because this would give him more freedom in doing businesses around Central Asia and the Caucasus regions. It was more convenient for him this way.

It was rumored that the Arirang Autonomous State was a place where Serbian immigrants and Koryoin people—that had been scattered in Central Asia gathered naturally to reclaim the wasteland. And it was known that the autonomous state was only granted by the Kazakh government due to its great contribution to economic development in Kazakhstan.

***

Youngho met each press company and had an interview with them individually.

The invitations were issued not only to the regular press but also to the European newspapers, which were heavily sold in tabloid editions, so Youngho had interviews with them as well. Since the coronation ceremony in a Central Asian county, which was a small part of the political circle; it would not be issued in major press companies, tabloid newspapers, which mainly dealt with the gossip of celebrities, were also invited. Yellow newspapers focused their time on asking questions only about Youngho and Fatima’s relationship because the state was such a dull and uninteresting place, while regular newspaper companies focused on the sensitive areas of how the state would maintain relations with the Kazakh government if it kept its Archduke system.

The Chinese media, which was scheduled to have Youngho’s last interview, focused on whether the autonomous state’s defense capabilities were too excessive for its population. In short, it asked if the Arirang State was a second military company of Russia. China’s media outlets were all controlled by Communist Party-controlled news agencies, so it was the same as if the Chinese government was reacting sensitively about the autonomous state’s military power. It was kind of funny since China boasted more than 1 million troops but it was pointing out that the state’s military power which was only about 200 people.

What the Chinese media was concerned about was the existence of high-tech weapons in the state. In spite of the small number of troops, dozens of the latest model light-armored vehicles were all over the state, and it was quite questionable.

“Hahaha… I’m going to have to step up the inspection in the future. We need to mobilize all of the light-armored vehicles.”

“Oh, you don’t have to. They’re just going to see us as a group that’s a little suspicious.”

Cho Chul-hwan insisted that the state should show off all of its force.

“You know who’d believe that there’s a village like this out of nowhere? Especially when we’re equipped with an airfield and a wharf, they must think that Russia is hiding something.”

“Of course. I’d doubt that too since most of our residents are Slavic Serbians and the Koryoins.”

Kazakhstan’s military and weapons systems were the same as the Russian military’s and had the latest Russian-made fighter jets, which were not in China. So, China considered Kazakhstan as Russia’s satellite country. This made the Chinese government think that the state was a strategic base of Russia too.

China was still bringing in and using the engines of fighter jets from Russia, but Russia had not handed over its latest weapons to China, no matter how much China was willing to pay.

“You mean they think we’re the second military company of Russia?”

“Tell them to imagine. I’m sure it’ll be absurd when it turns out to be false, but they’ll at least be on high alert for now.”

“Man, this is getting more and more interesting.”

Park Jong-il was squinting and thinking about something. Such a look could indicate either absurd or unexpected thought.

“I’ll have to make China and Russia go against each other. It’ll be quiet here if the two growl at each other.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know Russians are also touching on the Russian group residence area along the border with Ukraine. There’s a same movement of Russia in the industrial city north of Kazakhstan. Agent Smith at the embassy told me, and the Kazakh government seems to be very anxious, too.”

About 24 percent of Kazakhstan’s population were Russians, and most of them lived in cities near the border areas. The government was worried that it would have to surrender its territory near the northern border if the Russians insisted on independence. In order to prevent that, Russia’s nerves had to be diverted.

For Russia, affairs with China was the most sensitive issues, so using Chinese card was the best way, but there was no way how to make it happen.

***

The coronation ceremony would be held in front of the Archduke’s Palace under the auspices of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It was because the Orthodox Church of the state was so small that it was not suitable for such a grand ceremony. The platform was already in place, and after looking at the work of putting chairs on it, Youngho made his way to the airfield. There were still three days left until the coronation.

He planned to visit the presidential palace in Astana to have a demonstration of using drones. For Youngho, the coronation did not mean much, so other work came to his priority first. He was also curious about the Russian border area story that he heard from Park Jong-il and he needed to know what the president thought about the issue.

The square of the presidential palace was crowded with many people. Pictures that were just taken by a few drones were being transmitted to a large monitor where the president and military leaders were watching.

Military officials—who had seen several attempts; such as raising the altitude and lowering it, exclaimed. As the scene that would be seen in movies unfolded before them, they had no choice but to admire it.

“Your Excellency, the drones are flying outside Astana. You’re looking at the situation from about 10 kilometers from here.”

“Let’s try to lower it down, where there’s a herd of cows.”

“If you do, the cattle will run away, surprised by the noise of the machine.”

“Can’t you tone down the noise?”

“We can’t do anything with drones of that size. If it gets too small, it would be useless for having a short range. But rather, the noise will have the effect of preventing enemies from moving.”

“How do you guys think?”

When the president asked each military commander, they all reacted favorably to using drones as military purposes. And everyone was surprised when the drones showed a close-up video of a Chinese village living in a mountain valley along the border.

Recently, when the autonomous state decided to use female soldiers to monitor drone activities, there was a high increase in the number of female soldiers. It seemed that the Kazakh military also liked the idea of using women soldiers for such noncombatant jobs.

The president smiled contentedly when opinions were thrown in..

“Deliver the drones in consultation with the military.”

President Nazarbayev finally asked Youngho to supply drones for the country’s military.

“Of course, sir. I’ll be glad to do that. By the end of the year, we’ll be developing drones that will carry 100 kilograms of weight easily. If that happens, you will be able to carry the supplies for the subordinate force with ease.”

“Really? Then, it’d be perfect if their flight range could be increased.”

“There’s still a limit to flying distance but I’ll try harder to improve that.”

“I only saw the drone as a little toy, but I didn’t think I’d take our military power to the next level. That was a good suggestion, Lee. Thank you for your haste, despite being busy preparing for the coronation.”

“Of course, sir. This is my job too. It’s a lot easier for the state when Kazakhstan is stable.”

“Kazakhstan will always think of peace first. So forget about the conversation we had last night. There’s no way to win against someone who’s greedy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.”

Youngho arrived yesterday and had a private conversation with the president. When he was worried about the move of Russia’s group residence city near the northern border, the president said that he would just give the territory to Russia. It was because Kazakhstan could not compete by force against Russia. The only way was to give the land first and seek a future. He said he would sharpen his knife of revenge while strengthening the country’s military power. Saying that Kazakhstan needed the help of the Arirang Autonomous State, he grasped Youngho’s hand.