Empire of the Ring

The resistance of the military police protecting the Ministry of Defense building was tenacious. When the soldiers, fully armed at night, entered the building, they at first panicked and soon responded to the manual counter. The prospect of a bloodless takeover was undoubtedly shattered. The facilities to be occupied by the Foreign Legion of the state led by Youngho's friends were somewhat easy to take, but the Ministry of Defense, the headquarters of the armed forces, and the Capital Garrison Command, which were guarded by armed forces, would not be as easy as they thought.

Youngho joined the team that went to the Defense Ministry led by Lieutenant Colonel Kabak. And, there was an eventual shootout between the two forces.

"You've got well-trained elites as your enemy, Lt. Col. Kabak."

"I didn't think it was going to be easy."

"I heard the Army and Air Force headquarters are already overtaken, right?"

"They had helpers from the inside. They said that they were already waiting for them with open doors. The Capital Garrison Command and the National Police Agency had a little trouble, but I was just notified that everything is cleared up."

"There's a way to control them without hurting them. First, could you tell them to refrain from firing back for a moment?"

"Are you going to do it yourself, duke?"

"I'll be right back, so just stop shooting."

"No, no. I know you've been in the special forces back in Korea, but you've been discharged more than ten years ago. When General Kasim finds out about this, I'm dead."

"He doesn't have to know it, right? It's because we let young people getting hurt for no reason."

Kabak has been staying in the autonomous state as a liaison officer, and he once observed the training of the Foreign Legion. He was stunned to see that Youngho and other leaderships of the autonomous state were training together with soldiers. He recognized Youngho's strength to a certain extent but what was happening now was not training. It was a real scene of a fierce battle where bullets were flying.

Youngho was hoping to finish the job safely without a single loss of life. The completion of the revolution was important, but the young innocent lives were also precious. They did not shoot at each other yet, but if they got hurt by blind bullets, they would lose their temper, and it would lead to indiscriminate shooting between them.

When the revolutionary forces stopped firing back, the military police stopped firing any more. They had been moving as they were trained to do when the militants stormed the building, but they were quite confused and burdened by the situation. Kabak asked Youngho for some time to persuade the military police. Youngho felt a little relaxed once the shooting was stopped.

"We are a revolutionary army. It's impressive to see you perform your duties faithfully. We don't want anyone to get hurt. The headquarters of the Army and the Air Force, as well as all other government buildings, are in the hands of the revolutionary forces. Please don't resist anymore and put down your guns."

"Who are you, and which unit do you belong?"

"This is Lt. Col. Kabak, under General Kasim of the western border unit."

"Please wait for a moment. We'll report it to our higher-ups and decide whether to surrender."

"I'll give you ten minutes."

***

After a while, all the facilities were taken into the hands of the revolutionary forces.

The Ministry of Defense was now turned into a temporary office for the revolutionary government. Youngho could not sleep since he was busily communicating with related people, but his head was clear than ever.

It was announced the next morning that the revolutionary government took control of Kazakhstan in time for work, fearing that the gunfire that rang out all night might have scared citizens.

Cha In-soo's team, which occupied the national newspaper company, made and distributed a printed copy of the revolutionary pledge.

The pledge of revolution was simple.

"One, the revolutionary government would pursue democracy and free economy.

Two, the revolutionary government abides by the U.N. Charter and faithfully implement international agreements.

Three, it eradicates all the corruption and old evils prevalent in Kazakhstan.

Four, it will hold a national referendum as soon as possible to form a new constitution and parliament."

And to prevent confusion, the revolutionary government declared that it was suspending the stock market and foreign exchange trading for a day.

This was spread throughout the country on the air all day long.

It also sent letters of cooperation to embassies of each country under the name of Kasim, the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. The overnight revolution in Kazakhstan had rocked the world. Embassies in Kazakhstan were not interested in revolutionary pledges but were curious about the color of the revolutionary pledges.

It was also important whether the revolution was a Russian-led revolution or a military revolution in which the entire military took place.

General Kasim, the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, issued a brief statement to the nation,

"Dear people, we are about to have all our constitutional acts suspended as of 2 AM today. I'm the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Kasim. Today's revolution is about the aspirations of Kazakh soldiers. The aim of our revolution is to stabilize Kazakhstan, which is in danger to be in imminent peril. In order to prevent unnecessary confusion caused by the revolution, the National Assembly and the government's broadcasting service were temporarily suspended. As stated in the pledge of revolution, we will hold a national referendum as soon as possible to normalize the Constitution and the National Assembly. The military government will temporarily be in charge until the referendum is complete, and a new government is launched. To minimize the inconvenience caused by military rule, I will make sure that all daily work will be normalized starting tomorrow. The companies and individuals affected by the revolution will have government-level compensation."

As soon as the revolutionary pledge was announced, Michael, the head of the CIA's European chapter called in a flurry.

"Is it your work?"

"Why do you ask when you already know? I only funded it."

"I've guessed it, but you should've let me know the date. I had a long word with the director because of this."

"I'm sorry. I believe you, but I couldn't trust the U.S. administration."

"Why would it interrupt your work when you're stabilizing the situation in Kazakhstan?"

"Would the administration let go if I told you in advance? Just say it's my dogmatic behavior."

"Jeez, you're asking me to write my resignation."

"So please stop working for the CIA and come to Kazakhstan and help me out."

"Don't be ridiculous. I already filed you and your friends' retirement from the CIA. If you stayed in the CIA, many people will get in trouble."

"Are you in the middle of any trouble? Or is it the director of the mainland? I'm sure it's not the president."

"All of us are in trouble. I thought the dictatorship had finally collapsed and felt relieved, but I'm worried that another dictatorship might be on its way."

"I'm planning to create a system more than a dictatorship. What should I do?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

Michael said as if he was upset, but his voice was bright. It was a revolution led by Youngho, so if he did well, Michael would be recognized because of it. He could even be promoted to the director of the CIA headquarters. Seeing an opportunity, he felt like dancing.

"Are you trying to become the president?"

"The revolutionaries are urging us to go to a constitutional monarchy. So, we'll have a national referendum to decide it as soon as possible."

Michael was rather sympathetic to the constitutional monarchy without much resistance.

"Chief, I've arranged a title for you. Do you want me to let you know in advance?"

"No thank you. If you do that, I'll have to resign from the CIA."

"So, I'm no longer related to the U.S. CIA anymore?"

"It's too early to be happy. You will not be completely separated. You'll still keep your status as an information collaborator. It means our intelligence department and yours are in a cooperative relationship."

"That's what I want to do. We still need the power of the U.S. CIA."

"If you need to keep the diplomat's status, I'll extend it for you."

"There's no need. I'm an in-law of the Danish Royal Family, and I'm also the duke of the autonomous state. There are no more countries that will treat me recklessly."

"I'll make you a few dozen if you need it. Just talk to me anytime. And there's a gift from the U.S. government for you."

"I'd be grateful if that's weapons."

"It'll be a bigger gift than that. There will be a declaration today from the U.S. Department of Defense that supports the military revolution in Kazakhstan. What do you think? That's a big gift, isn't it?"

It was not just a big gift, it was like the ending point of this revolution.

Although Michael complained that Youngho did not give him the heads-up in advance, he had moved quickly to empower Youngho and the revolutionary forces. Youngho felt like he had support from thousands of troops and horses.

The influence of the U.S in the international community was quite huge. A military revolutionary government was like a sandcastle that could collapse any time. It could be turned over by other forces until new government and constitution were made because it was not justified by a referendum.

However, if the U.S., which was like the leader of the liberal democracy, recognized the revolutionary government, all uncertainties would naturally be resolved.

"That's not just a gift. If you do that, Kazakhstan will remain the permanent ally of the United States."

"What? Are you already making a political statement? That's a pleasant thing to hear anyway."

"You've worked hard. Do you have any other gifts?"

"We are giving you this huge gift. Are you still going to trade only with Sweden in the future?"

"All right, I'd like you to prepare a lot of the latest F-series fighter jets. I'm thinking of buying around 30 jets or so."

"You save my face. I'll come to Kazakhstan in a few days. I have so much to say."

"I'll be looking forward to seeing you."

After ending the phone call with Michael, Youngho asked for an emergency meeting.

It was to encourage the revolutionary forces by notifying them about the support of the United States. It was a revolution, but it would have been nerve-wracking for everyone involved. If the results of the referendum were not supportive, everyone should just be exiled because if people did not pass the revised constitution, they all would have to be prepared to go to jail.

When such anxiety were built up, it created discord in the wrong place.

All the command officers gathered in the conference room looked nervous as they waited to hear what Youngho had to say.

"The U.S. government supports our revolution. It'll be announced tomorrow."

"Yeah!!!"

The leaders of the revolutionary forces who attended the meeting room applauded and cheered. It was quite extraordinary that the military revolution of other countries was supported by the U.S.

Kasim, who was excited by the encouragement, asked,

"Duke, where did you hear that?"

"The head of the U.S. CIA's European chapter just called and informed me."

"Wow, did you have any acquaintances in the US CIA?"

"Not only the U.S. but also the British Intelligence Service have been helping us. I also asked the Danish royal family to help keep Russia and China in check, and they also gladly agreed to help us."

"If it weren't for the addition of the Arirang state to the revolution, Kazakhstan would have fallen into Russia or China."

"Well, I've got to say that it would have been very difficult for us without their support. Right now, Russia and China will focus on the crisis, but they will soon put pressure on us. I had to get help from western countries because of them."

Once Youngho's words were over, applause broke out everywhere.

People were encouraged by the fact that powerful nations supported their backs.