Empire of the Ring

The illegal activities of Chinese companies had snowballed as the investigation progressed.

The area of the taiga forest that was destroyed by the Chinese companies to collect diamonds was about 32 square kilometers. Such an area was about four times the size of Yeouido in Korea.

Every part of the earth was overturned, making it almost impossible for plants to grow in the future.

Once damaged, the forests would take more than hundreds of years to be restored, as the cold weather turned the soil into acidic soil.

In such a poor environment, it was almost impossible to restore a destroyed forest.

It was Lt. Col. Klimov, who was punished as he failed to prevent illegal activities of Chinese companies in the forest. Whatever the reason, what excuse would he have when he had not performed his original duties properly?

Not only the military unit but also all Krasnoyarsk officials who turned a blind eye to the illegal activities of Chinese companies had been subject to punishment.

Klimov, who was desperate, asked Youngho for help, but he was unable to do anything about it. It was because Youngho was the one who encouraged Putin to punish Chinese companies that committed illegal businesses in Russia, and a scapegoat was needed to drive Chinese companies out of Krasnoyarsk.

In order to quell the Chinese government's backlash, Russia needed to show that even Russian officials and authorities were equally punished.

Klimov had accumulated some wealth by supplying diamonds and fur to the Kazakh royal family, but he could not stop here.

He was begging Youngho to spare him from stepping down from his position.

"Your Highness, what should we do about Lt. Col. Klimov? He keeps calling us."

"He's a mess, too. If he holds out more, he could be subject to judicial action, but he doesn't know when to stop."

"He's asking to get a hold of you."

"He could open a plausible cafe in Moscow with the money he's earned like he wanted. I told him that if he keeps being clingy like this, his subordinates will also get hurt, but it looks like he's losing his mind."

"I've told him that too, but he believes you can save him. He's been begging for three more years in his seat. What should I do?"

"He's just crazy for money. Tell him to take off his uniform quietly if he doesn't want to lose everything he has. If he really wants to stay there, let me know that we'll employ him in one of our business sites."

"What would you use a rotten Russian soldier for? Considering that he's been condescending to be a regional commander, I'd like to sue him. He's probably siphoned off quite a lot of diamonds."

"Of course. He'd be a fool if he hadn't thought about selling them himself. The recent drop in supply may be due to that reason. You didn't know that?"

"Did you already know?"

"Secretary Suh Min-seok, wouldn't you do the same if you were in his shoes?"

At Youngho's words, Suh Min-seok just blinked his eyes. He must be agreeing with his remark.

"So, begging for three more years probably means that he wants to fill his other pocket with diamond stones."

"Give him the last warning, and if he still doesn't listen, then we should scare him by saying we'd be taking special measures."

"Yes, sir."

It was time to break off the link with Klimov.

After the Chinese companies withdrew from Krasnoyarsk, the whole taiga forest was in charge of the Kazakh royal family, so Youngho could secure diamonds without having to lean on the local military's power.

However, it did not mean that he was planning to engage in illegal activities such as China, but enough quantities of such stones for industrial use could be obtained just by collecting stones in the streams or swamps with human hands.

Youngho's ultimate goal was not diamonds but gold.

It was possible to collect as much alluvial gold as possible if a special vessel was used to sweep the gold scattered along the Yenisei River.

It was a way to get gold without damaging the forest.

***

It was the last weekend of January when representatives from Spain's ACS Corp., France's Vinci Corp., and the U.S. Bechtel Corp. re-visited the royal territory.

They rushed as the identity of the black water at the entrance to the tundra area was revealed. The black liquid that leaked to the surface was crude oil.

It was believed that a large amount of crude oil was buried, although precise drilling operations were still needed for accurate measurement.

They were eager to test drill the area immediately.

This was the perfect time to move and excavate equipment during the winter, but it would look suspicious to the Russian government if the oil field was found shortly after signing the memorandum of understanding.

Even if it did not show such a hint, Youngho could not tell how the Russian government would react to the existence of the oil field. It was not enough to get things done just by trusting a delicate memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Even after exchanging a memorandum of understanding, the contents of the contract could change depending on the outcome of the negotiations, and sometimes the contract could be scrapped because the MOU was not legally binding.

"I know you are all eager, but I just exchanged a memorandum of understanding. We need to get started after we sign a proper contract or the Russian government can step back."

"Your Highness. That's why we rushed to see you. We believe the Russian government will also be in a hurry if we deposit funds to take over Chinese companies and investment for Krasnoyarsk at the Alfa Bank in Moscow."

"I understand what you mean. Please remain silent until the contract is signed."

"So we can't deploy the probe?"

"We can do that as much as we want. Pre-survey before signing a contract is also necessary, but you shouldn't look like you're in such a hurry. Don't forget that Russia is a socialist country. A memorandum of understanding could always be a piece of paper."

"I'm sorry. I almost missed the most important thing in my hurry. That's why you always have the upper hand against Russia."

"It's not a big know-how. It would make sense to remember that Kazakhstan belonged to the Soviet Union. It would get you if you think of communist countries on the same page as ordinary countries. It's not like the oil field in Siberia is going anywhere, so let's just take it easy. First, prepare exploration equipment. We'll carry them to Siberia and set them for use."

"Okay. We'll do as you say."

"Since you are here, why don't you take a look around Kazakhstan? It'd be better than going back empty-handed."

They were professional managers who needed to show immediate results to shareholders, so they were quick to see what Youngho meant.

Their faces were brightened.

"Is there anything our companies can do in Kazakhstan?"

"It's just as resource-rich as Russia, so what can't you do?"

Although the companies brought in to run businesses in Siberia, their investment capacity was better than that of a decent country.

Youngho was not going to let this opportunity slip.

"If you recommend something, I won't say no."

Kazakhstan was a much more stable investment destination than Russia.

It was a democratic country that investors would not have to fear losing their investment.

***

Youngho introduced the region of Mangystau to the representatives of multinational companies. It was an oil field in the southwestern part of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan.

It was home to Kashagan, the largest oil field found in the world in the last ten years.

"I was going to leave it to major energy companies, but I'd like to present this to you as a gift because you made a bold bet in Siberia."

"Your Highness, no matter how great the Siberian oil field is, would it be bigger than this?"

"It's too early to be excited. I'm going to give you the right to develop one district each."

"Don't you have to extract as much crude oil as you can for economic development?"

"Economic development is good, but the reason for doing so is for the Caspian Sea's environment for future generations. We've got a lot of oil on land, so I don't want to hurt the ocean's environment anymore."

He said it was for environmental conservation, but the bigger reason was to prepare for the oil crisis in the future.

Considering the current oil consumption currently, it was expected to be exhausted in 50 years, so the government was trying to save oil.

It would be fortunate if large oil fields were found in Siberia or elsewhere, but after a while, oil would disappear from the Earth. The U.S. was also buying crude oil from outside, preferably without producing its own for the future.

"By the way, this is not the only business you can do in Kazakhstan."

Everyone's eyes twinkled in expectation.

"But I'm afraid you're only interested in oil fields, so I don't know if I can recommend it."

"Your Highness, that's not true. A businessman would say yes to any business that would make him money."

"How about a large tourist resort, then?"

"Is there a place in Kazakhstan?"

"You know that Kyrgyzstan is a federation of Kazakhstan. There is a place called the Eastern Alps. It's a lot more beautiful than the Alps, I think."

Kyrgyzstan was a place that was looked away because of its lack of enough tourism infrastructure and accessibility.

"You won't regret it when you see it. I'm telling you because I'm afraid you'd blame me for not introducing it to you ahead of time."

When the Duke who usually did not boast of things recommended it with a confident face, Piccolo, CEO of the French company Vinci, asked if he could see the site immediately.

Then representatives from ACS Corp. and Bechtel Corp. also showed interest. They did not want to miss a good opportunity.

"If it's a resort business, Bechtel has a lot of know-hows with it. The resort businesses at Waikiki Beach in Hawaii and the Rocky Mountains are also our work."

Martin, CEO of Spain's ACS, was also added.

"As for the resort business, our company is number one. Most of the resorts along the Mediterranean have been built by us."

"You two didn't look very interested, but now you want to join? I don't know if you know Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country. Our Vinci group has built ski resorts and resorts all over the Alps. It's no exaggeration to say that we're specialized in mountainous areas."

Piccolo, CEO of Vinci, made the remark as if he had taken the lead.

Representatives of multinational companies were competing before they even saw the site.

Given that representatives from each company were competing against each other, it was likely that large investments would be made in Kyrgyzstan.

"Please calm down because there are too many places to develop a resort. It's not too late to decide after visiting Kyrgyzstan. The royal family has already begun to develop the resort, but I'd like to give you opportunities since we're in the same boat in Siberia."

Youngho's words were like adding fuel to the fire.

Representatives of each company were more interested in the business as they knew that the Kazakh royal family did not invest anywhere.

From the railway project between Azerbaijan and Iran to the canal project in Russia, to the acquisition of Greek port of Piraeus, to the Trans-Siberian Railway, and to the Arctic Ocean project, there had always been the Kazakh royal family at the center of global businesses.