Empire of the Ring

Kazakhstan had been at the center of the news these days among Europeans.

Although Kazakhstan was already well known, this time it attracted people’s attention by offering to receive Syrian refugees from European countries, which made up to 210,000 refugees.

Some people were worried that Kazakhstan would divert money collected to be used for refugees to other places since Kazakhstan had no reason for accepting 210,000 uneducated refugees, which only caused problems to many European countries.

But the Europeans did not know how hard Kazakhstan was trying to increase its population. In the past, each family used to have more children, but now they were satisfied with one or two children only. The age of nomadic people, whose children used to be considered their property, had passed.

And the lack of people to work for the overflow of jobs played a part, too.

In order to drive out Chinese products, light industrial parks were being built everywhere, including the Arirang royal territory.

Decent jobs in Kazakhstan’s economic standards were waiting for the refugees. Kazakhstan, in general, had low prices, so people’s living cost was a fifth of Europe’s living cost.

“Young people in Syria want to join the Royal Bodyguards rather than get a job at a factory.”

“How many applicants do you have now, Commissioner Kim?”

“There are more than 1,000 young people out of 20,000 refugees, who want to join the guards. It’s gotten quite popular among young women also.”

Since the mandatory service period was three years, young people were dreaming of making a decent amount of money after their enlistment. They also wanted to protect their families and relatives as they were regretful that they could not have done so back in Syria.

“It’s probably because they have a grudge. Just accept them. We need more troops anyway. If people have royal bodyguards in their families, they’ll have more affection for Kazakhstan.”

“It’s a shame. The fact that young people have to give up their dreams and hold up their guns.”

“We have to make sure that they don’t stop pursuing their dreams. I’d like to provide education to military personnel and allow them to study whatever they want to study. They’ll soon realize it was a good decision to have chosen Kazakhstan.”

“Now that they belong to the Kingdom of Kazakhstan, I hope everything goes well with them. I will also do my best to help the Syrians settle down quickly.”

“I’m sorry to leave you with such a troublesome task every time.”

“No, Your Highness. As the population grows more and more, I feel very energized. Compared to the early days of my county, I want to dance now.”

“If I hadn’t met you, would this place have changed like this? I’m always grateful to you for enduring the difficulties.”

“Your Highness, that’s not true. All this was possible because you generously gave to our people. Your colleagues also suffered a lot.”

“I’m always sorry for my friends. Would they not be greedy, but they would not spare themselves for Kazakhstan’s future…”

Although Youngho’s friends, Park Jong-il, Cho Chul-hwan, Cha In-soo, and Um Sang-taek, came to Europe thanks to Youngho when they were not making much money in Korea, he could not have been there without his friends backing him up, and they had far exceeded Youngho’s expectations, not to mention the fact that they never complained despite the intensity of their responsibility and work.

Of course, they trusted each other, but no man was free from greed.

It might not be known how long the relationship would last without any conflicts, but Youngho thought he needed to come forward and talk about it at least once. This was because small complaints would lead to great conflicts if piled up.

***

When the migration of Syrians living in Europe began, the regime under Prime Minister Kasim also brought in support measures.

“Your Highness, if you want to accommodate all 210,000 refugees, why don’t you spend a government budget too? I doubt that four billion euros in aid will be sufficient.”

“We cannot reduce the benefits that will go to the existing residents to help the refugees, and the aid is enough if we don’t use it anywhere else.”

In fact, four billion euros in settlement aid was a huge amount for Kazakhstan’s economy.

“It’s all about the future of Kazakhstan. The people know why we are accepting refugees. We’ll not be too narrow about helping refugees. We’re looking forward to it because we saw a two percent increase in economic growth by accepting Kurds in the past.”

“Do you have any complaints about the decision being too arbitrary in the royal family?”

“It’d be weird to have complaints. Who would complain when our national power grows with the population growth?”

“Hearing that from you is very encouraging, Prime Minister.”

“Your Highness, we, Kazakhstan, are home to more than 130 ethnic groups. We have lived together and will continue to coexist. The arrival of one or two more people will not shake the country.”

1.3 million Kurds and 210,000 Syrians were by no means a small number, and there could be more Syrian refugees coming in in the future.

Because of the Kazakh people’s unique affinity with nomads, they were able to be together without discord even though they accepted numerous ethnic groups.

“Syrian young people are in fierce competition to join the Royal Bodyguards. Do you think there will be complaints from the military? Since you used to serve the military, please speak candidly from the military’s perspective.”

“How can you be so idle when two million Chinese troops are waiting for you? I don’t think it’s enough to ask the whole nation to be militarized.”

Although the Royal Bodyguards were within the control of each military, no military leaders dared to defy the royal decisions. However, if the authority of command and control were not properly exercised, complaints were bound to arise.

“So, how about we have a joint training session with the regular forces and the royal forces to quell any possible complaints?”

“The military must be very happy to hear it. The joint exercise will also bring together the two groups.”

“Then I will instruct the captain of the Royal Bodyguards to arrange the joint training. By the way, how many times a year should we have the joint exercise for it to work?”

“To match soldiers hands and feet, we need to train quarterly to maximize their power. When I was a military commander, I had several joint operations with the Russian military, and it didn’t work very well with one joint exercise a year.”

“I should have discussed it with you earlier, but I missed the timing because I was only trying to increase the number of troops.”

“Your Highness, it’s not too late. Whether it’s the Royal Bodyguards or the regular forces, they’re all going to move like one body in no time, because they all have a goal of protecting Kazakhstan.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

***

Dr. Park Young-sun had returned after exploring a gold mine in northern Pamir Plateau, Tajikistan.

The Kazakh royal family paid off the Tajik government’s debts owed to China, and the Tajik government offered a gold mine in the northern part of Pamir Plateau in exchange.

“Thank you for your hard work. Doctor Park.”

“It was so cool there that I didn’t want to return to Kazakhstan. I think I’ll have to spend my next summer there.”

Park Young-sun’s mention of going back there meant that he found something.

“Looking at your expression, you must have had good results.”

“If I had any good news, I’d let you know right away by satellite phone. I found a broken vein of gold, but it wasn’t enough, and the waste mines were at risk of collapse, so they couldn’t be explored. However, the existing mines that are being drilled will have enough reserves to recover the royal family’s spending.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Your Highness, I can’t be content with that. The gold buried in Central Asia is beyond our imagination or how could there be a golden statue in the museum from the past? I’m sure we will find something great if we can restore the waste mines because they had been mined for over a thousand years. I don’t know how the old people knew there was gold there, but don’t be too disappointed because I’m sure there’s a huge vein of gold waiting for us somewhere.”

“I’ll be looking forward to good news since you are so sure.”

“You can look forward to it. Even if we’re going to dig a few hundred meters underground, we’ll find it.”

“Don’t overdo it. I don’t want you to stress over it and compromise your health. Stay healthy until we dig out all the gold in Central Asia.”

“I’ll have to live another hundred years to fulfill your requirements.”

“I’d be more grateful if you did. Please stay alive for all the generations of Leon’s sons so the gold supply won’t dry up. I’ll take care of your health, so you can live a long life.”

“Oh, I’m old enough to see a grandchild, and you want me to work my whole life?”

“Don’t even dream about retiring early. Besides, your daughter, Seo-young, is also trying to get on the hospital ship as a nurse. I think you won’t have to worry about having a grandchild for a while.”

“Oh, no. I’ll have to tell the princess to take responsibility for this.”

Park Seo-young, the daughter of Park Young-sun, went to Goethe University in Germany with Zeynep before and joined the Royal College of Medicine to study nursing.

She followed Zeynep, saying the thread should go where the needle goes.

“You still have a long way to go before becoming a grandfather, so why don’t you focus on finding gold with me for now?”