Empire of the Ring

South Korea’s Aegis destroyer was 166 meters long and had a standard displacement of 7,600 tons, whereas Koç Holding’s Aegis destroyer was 150 meters long and had a standard displacement of 5,600 tons. It was a little smaller.

Therefore, building three Aegis destroyers were expected to cost less to build and operate on a yearly basis compared to operating South Korean destroyers. However, Kaya said that an Aegis destroyer’s building cost was not calculated by its size like regular ships.

“The size of an Aegis destroyer is not very important. The size of the ship is nothing more than an attack weapon or a defensive weapon. The radar system, the electronic system, costs a lot of money.”

“Wouldn’t it cost less at least for the hull if it’s smaller?”

“The cost of the hull could not be compared to having the Aegis system. It costs about 300 million dollars to have that system installed.”

“I heard that it costs a billion dollars to build one in Korea. How much would your ship cost?”

“You’ll have to estimate 800 million dollars per vessel with a complete weapon system.”

“Why is it 200 million dollars cheaper if it’s not about the size of the ship?”

“It will have about half the number of missile launchers compared to the bigger one. Also, it’s because we can bring in the Aegis system cheaper than anyone else.”

“Isn’t the Aegis technology monopolized by the United States?”

“European technology is also very strong. The technology is by no means unique to the United States. We’ve been accumulating our technology from all over Europe.”

“Then I’d like to have a warship with better performance than the U.S. Aegis destroyer.”

“With only three ships, you’ll have the power that’s equal to having ten ships.”

“I’ll give you 800 million dollars in advance. Please start right away.”

“Your Highness, you don’t have to.”

“No. Since the shipyard in Istanbul could not be moved, you’ll have to think about how the Turkish government will perceive this. If you say that our royal family already has money that’s the third of the total cost of the building, it won’t say much.”

Since Youngho had enough cash from robbing the former president’s family’s wealth, he could easily pay for the third of the shipbuilding cost.

Also, starting from next year, the national defense budget collected from the nationalized gold mines would be six billion dollars a year, six times as much as it was now. They had nothing to worry about funding.

“I’ll make them the perfect shield for Kazakhstan. We’re working on a nuclear propellant in the UK. It should be finishing soon. I’d like to get it on board. How would you like that?”

“I’ve heard of a nuclear submarine or a nuclear carrier before, but never a nuclear-powered Aegis destroyer.”

“In Russia, this was adopted to cruisers a long time ago. It’s a little too big that it can be inefficient, but you won’t have to worry about fuel when you cruise around five oceans.”

Kaya had been dying to sign a uranium resource contract. It seemed that he had been developing a small nuclear propellant with a British company. In Europe, it was not a new idea, since there were many products jointly produced by different companies.

“Is that something that can be miniaturized?”

“The 21st century’s technology is enough to do that. Every year, it’s getting smaller.”

“How about stability?”

“As far as we know, there’s no detected problem.”

“You’re saying, you’d like to put it on our vessels on a trial basis.”

“Yes. It’s a demonstration, so we can bring it in at a starting price. In the future, this will be used on any ships with general purpose.”

“Okay. I’m thinking of going all over the oceans, so I’d like you to put it on our boat.”

***

Youngho loved the island.

It was surrounded by small reefs and low cliffs everywhere, with a small open bay. Except for the bay area, it had a perfect defense that was net built naturally. Except for the small bay, vessels had no place to moor, not to mention the natural scenery.

“Your Highness, what do you think?”

“It looks strange. It’s like someone made it artificially.”

“It used to be a den of pirates dominating the Aegean Sea. It’s a place of natural defense, so I think it was picked by pirates.”

“It’s amazing that you’ve found a place like this out of all the islands.”

Mainland Greece, which had a lot of mountainous areas with numerous sloppy islands, was suitable for fruit farming, but grain farming was difficult. Thus, trade with the outside world was absolutely necessary in order to get grains. This led to the development of navigation.

As Crete the largest island in Greece had its own civilization, each island off the coast of Greece had its own unique culture. There was no reason to stick to normal trade with such an advanced civilization and navigation. Greeks would have roamed around the Mediterranean and got involved in all sorts of pillage.

“Eriksson, how’s the island?”

“It’s a real beauty, Your Highness.”

“I’m asking about the defensive function.”

“It’s a fantastic topography enough to be home to pirates. I think we’ll experience a lot of fun events here in the future.”

“Ohh! That’s a suitable answer for a descendant of the Vikings.”

“Hahaha… I’d like to join the ranks someday.”

“It’s weird to think that this used to be home to pirates.”

“It means it’s as safe as that. It’s a blessing to have a natural condition that you can never break-in from the outside.”

“A blessing…”

That was the case from the standpoint of Kazakhstan, which was surrounded on all sides by powerful nations. Warm Mediterranean temperatures were a great environment for fruit trees to grow in all four seasons, and there was plenty of seafood in the sea. It was indeed a blessed place.

Kazakhstan and Central Asia were where the threat of the Chinese and Russia existed all times. Koç Holding, which decided to move to Kazakhstan despite knowing about such uncertainties, deserved praise. That was why Youngho said that he would buy all three Aegis destroyers from the company.

It may seem that money could bring in high technologies, but trust should also be based between entities. Youngho wanted to give that trust to Kaya. In the end, relationships determined everything in business.

***

Youngho signed the purchase of the island in Greece and returned to the royal territory.

The island had deep waters enough for the Aegis destroyer to dock, so he was excited. The bay was small, but any large cargo ships could come and go with the construction of a proper port. When Youngho shared the photos of the island, Park Jong-il also seemed to be satisfied.

“Do you like it?”

“Of course. If it’s the pirates’ home, it’s already answered.”

“I fell in love at first sight. That picky Eriksson also said it’s a fantastic place.”

“Hey, is that why you ordered three Aegis destroyers?”

“A couple of Aegis destroyers are much better than buying ten poor warships.”

“It’s doubtful whether the Kazakh Navy will operate it properly with its lack of skills. It’s only taking baby steps at this point.”

“We’ll have to train them hard.”

“They used to operate 500-ton ships only. Do you think they can operate Aegis destroyers? The Aegis destroyer is an assembly of high technologies.”

“If it doesn’t work, we should assign students from the special school of the royal territory and train them from now on. What else can we do?”

“Yeah, we might have a better chance with them.”

The reality of Kazakhstan was that there were not enough human resources to operate the advanced weapons if they were newly introduced. Even now, the Kazakh military was not reliable that the royal guards were sent for the Chinese border mission.

The royal guards were busy getting ready for their departure to the border area with China. Cho Chul-hwan, the captain of the royal guards, was going with them as someone in charge of the soldiers, but even Park Jong-il was insisting to accompany them.

“What the hell are you doing? Shouldn’t the intelligence chief be doing something else he’s responsible?”

“You know how the royal guards can be reckless. They’re only good at fighting, not thinking. They need another head who knows how to use his brain.”

“You’re only trying to run away from reading troublesome documents.”

“What are you worried about when Hong Sung-ki is going to sign all the documents?”

Although Youngho was scolding Jong-il, his heart was also fluttering. He wanted to test his changed body in this operation. There was another change in his body during the coronation ceremony, but he had been too busy to confirm it.

However, it was impossible to leave the royal territory right now. Also, as the Duke of Kazakhstan, it was not plausible to be involved in a risky mission.

“The intelligence agents who’ve been collecting information about the border area have to follow them in order to finish the mission successfully.”

“So, why don’t I visit the border to encourage the royal guards?”

“Oh, be honest. You want to come too.”

Despite Youngho’s wish, Cho Chul-hwan and Park Jong-il left for the border area with the royal guards. Youngho could not go since he had too much work to do than to be idle enough to navigate the mountain valleys.

This was because he had to fly to Astana right away to organize an international conference.

This time, Fatima was supposed to go with him.

“Can’t you go by yourself?”

“This is a big deal. It’d be rude if the Queen doesn’t attend the conference.”

“Phew, Leon has a talent show at his kindergarten. I was going to attend that…”

“That’s not a big problem right now.”

“No, this is more important to me. You should go by yourself.”

“It’s a gathering of representatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States. You need to be there so that they feel they were treated properly.”

The Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.) meeting, a gathering of countries independent from the Soviet Union would be held in Kazakhstan. Since it would be attended by foreign ministers and prime ministers of each country, the president of the hosting country should greet them. However, there was no president in Kazakhstan now, so the monarch should take the place of the president. Even so, Fatima was adamant. She was giving stress to Youngho, saying that either the Duke or the Prime Minister could take her place.