Empire of the Ring

The small banquet room in the Grand Palace was large enough to accommodate up to 80 people at once. Gathered there were young officers from all over the place. They were sitting while looking only at Youngho's mouth.

"You know, if we neglect the situation any longer, it's going to break down Kazakhstan. It's possible that each ethnic group will be calling for independence."

"You can't force them to stop, can you? If we oppose it, there might be ethnic conflicts in Kazakhstan."

"We have to offer an alternative to living together in the fence of Kazakhstan. They have to see some hope in this nation. There's no control over people whatsoever if the status of anarchy continues."

After Young-ho's remarks, General Kasim picked up the microphone.

"I'm hearing what you're saying, duke. It's reasonable to think that if anarchy is maintained, the country will collapse from the inside, but we can't find a way to resolve this on our own. Have you thought of a possible breakthrough?"

"There's a way, but there's a little bit of room for action."

"If the situation can be normalized, shouldn`t we do it at all costs? I'd like to hear from you, duke."

"I expected a transitional system where the prime minister will be in charge of stabilizing the national situation, but there`s no more hope for him and other officials under him now. I first thought of a coup, but a coup that forcibly seizes power can't change Kazakhstan. The only way to change Kazakhstan to look forward to its eventual development is a revolution, but this comes with a risk that the people who were just happy to get out of the president's dictatorship will protest collectively. We have to consider our relationship with other countries too."

When the word "revolution" came out of Youngho's mouth, the entire hall became silent. Some officers looked again, wondering if Youngho was in his right mind. It was because a coup itself was still too much, but Youngho had mentioned a revolution, which was more complicated.

However, they were just staring at each other's faces, wondering if a revolution was worth a try.

Revolution was to shake off the foundations of the state, social and economic systems, and government organizations beyond the scope of the Constitution. In addition, it was called a revolution to break customs or institutions in one fell swoop to set up something new qualitatively.

Since the regime changed when a revolution occurred, various international conventions and relations with each country should also be redefined.

Youngho thought it was needed especially to redefine Kazakhstan's relationship with China and Russia since Kazakhstan had complicated economic ties with them. A revolution was the only way to break the link from the past.

The silence did not last long.

Lieutenant Colonel Kabak jumped out of his seat and applauded enthusiastically. Everyone including Youngho was taken aback by his sudden action.

Kabak, who was clapping for a while, made a firm speech.

"I'm glad you brought it out honestly. If you launch a coup, people will only treat us as a group blinded by power. At this point, Kazakhstan needs a big change. Why don't we have an authentic change for good? We became an independent nation in an awkward way, and we had not been able to erase the remnants of the Soviet Union. President Nazarbayev was a betrayer who had been a general secretary since the Soviet era. There is no reason to keep the current system that had been wrong from the beginning. There is a bright future only when we reform the Constitution. Let all of us present at this meeting discuss the matter through the night and come to a conclusion. What is the right change for Kazakhstan?"

When Kabak finished his speech, General Kasim, who had been listening to him with his eyes closed, rose from his seat. His facial expression showed even a spleen.

"If the duke had suggested a coup, I would've left this place at once. But he proposed a revolution. I feel like he read my mind. Unless Kazakhstan changes radically, there is no future for us. If we split into autonomous republics, each will bend on Russia and China to seek independence, only civil war will break out. We need to create a revolution and alert everyone. From now on, I'll be on the side of the duke."

Kasim, who poured out a torrent of words, took a sip of water. He looked around the crowd and added a word.

"The officers who oppose the revolution leave here now. You may go outside and tell that we plotted the revolution. Wouldn't you have to have such courage if you're disagreeing with us? I also promise there will be no disadvantages later on."

Nobody got up from their seats.

In fact, the soldiers who had the courage to attend this meeting today were ready to accept any changes. Whether it was a coup or a revolution, it did not matter since they denied the current system and wanted any change to take place in Kazakhstan.

When Kasim, who was respected by young officers, agreed to Youngho's opinion, it seemed that the rest of the crowd was convinced by him too. They started asking questions and adding opinions. Among the remarks, constitutional monarchy also popped up. That made Youngho happy. He looked at the speaker's face. He was one of the officers who had agreed with Youngho from the start.

***

"You always make a major move when I'm away."

"Well, you said you'd put a stop to it when I said I'm going to outsource the government's job. So I had a meeting when you're away on a business trip."

"Jeez! By the way, I'm amazed that you guys plotted a revolution without fear."

"You have to say it's a decision, not a plot. Since the young officers who will lead Kazakhstan have gathered their opinions, isn't that a decision?"

"And did you say General Kasim took the lead?"

"Yes. He's more aggressive than I am. He said he will convince officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force in fifteen days."

"I heard you're going to have a constitutional monarchy. Did you push it?"

"I didn't say a word. It's all their choice. They said it was worth dying for if I could be the monarch."

"Don't lie to me, human."

"There is no reason for them to dissuade the constitutional monarchy that complements the problems of democracy."

The conclusion was made after a heated debate that night. The military would be the main force to establish a revolutionary government, and the Arirang Autonomous State would be supporting it from behind. All parties approved the tentative plan, which called for a constitutional monarchy and the head of the administration as prime minister. However, the change to a constitutional monarchy system would be in accordance with the results of the referendum.

In order for the revolution to be achieved, the state should closely cooperate with the military in order to rally supporters and carry out the plan quickly. Therefore, Kabak and Victor Jun were appointed as liaison officers residing in the Arirang state.

Kabak was an officer under General Kasim, and the Navy's Victor Jun was a local resident of the state anyway, so they gladly stepped up to help Youngho. They had set up their office in the Grand Palace and had frequent meetings with Youngho.

On one morning, Kabak came to the office.

"Duke, I think I'll need some money."

"I should have released these funds in advance. I totally forgot about that. Tell me how much you need."

"Would it be possible to pay about 50,000 dollars to each of our 27 branches for their revolution activity?"

"That's not enough to set up an office and gather people. Please send down about 200,000 dollars for each branch. It's hard to do good work when you don't have a strong pocket."

"That's too much. I'm worried that they'll get greedy if they see a lot of money flowing."

"None of the officers I saw that day would do that. Please trust me and send it, and I'll give you ten million dollars separately, so please don't hesitate to use that to support any branch in need or any groups in need to help the revolution. If you don't have enough, tell me again."

"Why do you think we need that much money for a revolution?"

"It takes money to print even a written appeal to people, and all the officers and soldiers would need to eat and drink to work. Don't worry, give them plenty of money."

Among the officers who were present that day, the heads of local revolutionary branches were chosen. There were in total of 27 branches. The soldiers were enthusiastic enough to use their own pocket money to travel to the autonomous state for that meeting, so Youngho provided ample travel expenses for their return. The soldiers had split their low salary to come to the state on a train for days from afar, so he could not just let them go.

Five thousand dollars per person was made and handed over, and the officers who checked the amount returned the envelopes. They wanted to save that money for the revolution. Some officers took out the money they had to donate for the revolution funds. The officers rather moved Youngho.

They saw how well-off the autonomous state was, but they still wanted to help the revolution. The revolutionary forces led by these dedicated officers were sure to produce good results.

Youngho almost forced the officers to take the envelopes. Since that day, his heart was full because of how loyal and dedicated the officers were. That was why Youngho asked Kabak to fully support the expenses of each branch.

***

Now that the revolution was decided, all there was left to do was to minimize the reaction of neighboring countries and the aftermath of the post-revolutionary backlash.

The U.S. and British intelligence services would welcome the idea and even give aid, and neither would Azerbaijan nor Turkey take issue with it.

The problem was Russia and China.

They had been taking Kazakhstan's resources, and if there was a completely different system introduced after the revolution, all existing treaties between Kazakhstan and them could be wiped out, which would be upsetting for them. It was because most revolutionary forces were bound to deny all existing policies. Naturally, they would try to pressure the revolutionary government by concentrating their forces on the border areas.

It would be fine if all the treaties or contracts signed by the former regime led by Nazarbayev were maintained, but Youngho had no such intent. Unless everything was reviewed from scratch, any treaty or contract was better to be scrapped altogether because chances were high that they provided slush funds to President Nazarbayev on condition of signing unfair contracts.

"Duke, here's what we've looked at. No matter how much I look into it, I don't know what this part means. There's a vague phrase."

Lieutenant Colonel Kabak, who obtained a contract with Russia to introduce weapons, was tilting his head as he presented the data to Youngho. It was difficult for a soldier who was not an expert on business and legal terms to understand it. When Youngho signed a contract with his business partners, he always knocked on the door of a legal office, too.

"Lt. Col. Kabak, contracts made between countries should be handled closely by international law firms, and that has never happened in Kazakhstan. Especially in the case of arms contracts coming in from Russia, it's almost one-sidedly in favor of Russia."

"I know that they've sold old weapons and put a huge price on them."

"How could this be possible? I bet any condition was accepted by President Nazarbayev since he was a sell-out. I feel sorry for the people who have embraced this traitor as their president."

"That's how his daughter had 12 billion dollars in assets. If that's only officially known, how much can the unofficial assets be?"

"It's too late to find the president's family since they're already on the run."

"The president's family is probably in Russia."

A few days ago, there was an incident in which the president's family had disappeared from Kazakhstan. Several ministers, including the president's closest aides, and the staff of the president's palace disappeared along with the president's family all at once.

After seeing that all of the high ministers of the country were being arrested, President Nazarbayev probably judged that he would be imprisoned soon too. As he had no more hope in Kazakhstan, he decided to flee from the Presidential Palace. There had been civil protester groups and the autonomous state's intelligence agents who were watching the Presidential Palace, but they still missed him. There was no way to explain it since no one noticed that they were gone. It could be only suspected that there was a secret passage in the palace. No helicopters were mobilized either. It was a mystery how the president got out of the palace.

Jong-il was outraged.

"Man, our agents must've been asleep when he got out. Can so many people not notice him getting out of the palace?"

"I`ve been found to have won a prize for Russia, but I`m not sure I`ve escaped. There must have been a secret passage."

"There must've been a secret passage and a group of helpers. They've confirmed that the president's family was on a train to Russia."

"It's ridiculous that a former president of a country acts like a rat."

"It's just unfortunate how money can destroy the man who once used to be a talented man and leader. We can't be like him. Let's give away the money we've collected from the president's family to the Kazakh people for sure."