The international community was looking at the Kazakhstan border dispute in an alarming way.

The world's media were slamming Russia for crossing Central Asia.

It was around that time that articles of encouragement for the Kazakh Army began to be seen since its force fell way short against the Russian force. The sight of Kazakhstan holding out against Russia's powerful firepower with humble weapons seemed pathetic. However, it was a part of the show to gain the international community's sympathy.

With its history of independence nearly 30 years, the resource-rich Kazakhstan bought newer weapons. However, the pictures in the Western media showed only old-fashioned weapons of the Kazakh military. Watching soldiers glaring at the border and holding weapons likely to be in the War Museum were more like a comedy scene.

"I'll believe if all of them are hired actors. It's quite amazing that old thing still rolls."

"Commissioner, you don't have any military experience, so that might look strange to you. That tank is still often used for practice in the rear bases. That still looks fine to me. Shells are being fired well. Don't you think?"

"Is that so? I think it's amazing that they were able to bring that to the front, and how they still fire so well."

A television screen on the side of Youngho's office showed an old tank deployed by Kazakhstan's military on the border. The news they were watching was from CNN of the U.S. Although the screen was shaking a lot, it was vividly showing the scene of the dispute.

"I guess that the government won't talk about the referendum anymore, will it?"

"How is it going to even mention the referendum when the national security is on the line? There's even a rumor going around that it's President Nazarbayev who brought in Russia."

"If the rumor is true, President Nazarbayev cannot live here anymore. He will have to find a place to live overseas. It's martial law that encouraged the people of the northern cities. That was the trigger."

"Maybe that's true. He's even declared martial law when the people are sick of dictatorship. I'm sure the president has lost all of his support now. By the way, prince consort, are you sure you're not going to meet the president? I heard he called to meet you multiple times."

"It will just be embarrassing to face each other. I'm just going to make an excuse that I'm doing business overseas."

"Wouldn't he have contacted you to ask for a place for his exile?"

"He's not a man who will give up so easily. He will try to use us to turn around the situation."

"I'm just worried that the government will pressure the autonomous state."

It would be nice if the president put pressure on the Arirang state. Then Youngho could use it as an excuse to strike him. Since he had been close with the president, he still had a burden in his heart. That was why he was secretly hoping that President Nazarbayev would make unreasonable demands. That way, he would not feel guilty to overthrow the president.

If there was an opportunity to dispel even such feelings, he would carry out the plans that he made with the young officers.

The young military officers contacted the state that all of them would join their forces around the autonomous state. As their first step, they would make a declaration of the state of affairs. The main point was to urge the president to end his long-term rule and completely withdraw from politics for the sake of the future of Kazakhstan.

President Nazarbayev and the ruling politicians would not sniff about it, but it would be a shock to the Kazakh people once again. The fact that the soldiers stepped up was a huge gesture.

***

A few days later, about a hundred field officers and two hundred first-level officers joined forces to make the declaration. It was a few pages long, but the point was simple—the president should step down from his post.

The impact of the declaration was enormous.

Even professors at the Kazakh National University, who had been working behind the table without being able to come forward publicly, had stepped forward to support the military's declaration. When the professors joined, workers at large corporations responded with a temporary strike, even though it was only for a day.

"Finally, the people of Kazakhstan have come to their senses."

"Only the people who live in big cities are interested. The rural people are not interested in politics. They complain that nothing has changed since the Soviet era."

"That's true. Some people even say that it's been worsening than before."

"It's because everything is rotten from top to bottom. It's a place where common sense doesn't work at all. Who's going to try to make a difference in life overnight if you can use a good bribe? We've got to turn everything over and change the whole thing."

***

Railway work was underway to the newly constructed docks on the Ural River and to the administrative building.

The railroad works were being hurried to connect the industrial complex at the mouth of the Arirang River. There was a huge amount of construction going on not only for the railroad but also throughout the state. It even made Youngho confused.

'What's that construction? Did I order that?'

While he was going around the state, he asked that to himself.

If there was anything necessary, the state's administration had ordered to start construction immediately. That was why there were too many works in the process. If Youngho and Jong-il did not rob the president's family's slush fund, the state would not dare to do so.

The largest construction works among them were for the combined thermal power plant, an armored vehicle assembly plant, and a new shipyard.

All the construction work was left to the Korean company, H Corporation.

It was because Kim Joo-hyuk, the president of H Corporation, actively promoted it, but it was also because he was not in a position to leave the state's affairs to anyone else to maintain confidentiality.

The construction cost was higher than usual because it was a private contract, not a competitive bid, but Youngho thought it as a reward to H Corporation that had been helping the Arirang state for a long time. It was also great that the construction period was faster than that of foreign construction companies.

The construction of the shipyard could have been sufficiently left to the residents of the autonomous state, but the reason why it was left to H Corporation was to get South Korea's submarine-building technology transfer.

If Russia expanded its naval capabilities in earnest in the Caspian Sea, the state's missile ships would not be enough to fight against Russia.

If Russia blocked the Volga-Don Canal that entered the Caspian Sea, it would become impossible to bring in any ship to the state from the outside anymore. Then the Russian fleet would be the only one that could enter the Caspian Sea from the Black Sea. If the state was going to fight against the Russian Navy, Russia would naturally be in favor of the situation.

So, Youngho wanted to introduce a submarine that used stealth as its main weapon.

The Danish Shipyard could still make great submarines, but there was no way to bring it into the Caspian Sea in secret. Thus, it had to be built inside the state. Also, the Korean company was qualified to avoid exposing the construction of a submarine-only shipyard to the outside world. The sudden plan to make a submarine was made because even the latest battleships with advanced radars and sonar equipment were no match for even the humblest conventional submarines. No other countries had introduced submarines yet in the Caspian Sea. The submarine was a kind of asymmetrical force of the autonomous state, as the Foreign Legion was to the state.

When Youngho mentioned the idea of making a small-sized submarine, everyone welcomed the idea with open arms. Unlike fighter jets, making small submarines would not cost an astronomical amount of money, not to mention the military power that would be added to the state. Especially, Cho Chul-hwan, the chief of the Countryside Force was happy to hear it.

"If only we could have submarines, the Caspian Sea will be ours. When we appear quietly like a ghost and attack other country's ships, how are they going to stop us? You don't even have to make a big one. It can be as small as a ten-passenger submarine."

"That's still big in the cramped Caspian Sea."

"Don't you think Russia will bring in submarines if we start using submarines?"

"They don't have submarines that can come into the Caspian. They make only big ones, so they don't have submarines to go through the canal."

"I'm afraid the Russian military will make it in Astrakhan."

Astrakhan was a Russian port city located where the Volga River and the Caspian Sea met. Although there was a small shipyard there, it was enough to build a fishing boat or a cargo ship.

"Oh, you're worrying too much. Even if they make it, how are they going to operate it at the harbor that freezes during the winter? They're having a hard time because they don't even have icebreakers to cover the Caspian Sea. For the time being, we are the king at least in the Caspian Sea."

"I complained before that the Caspian Sea is as small as a lake. But, I guess it's great in this sense. I feel relieved to have submarines now."

In other words, the autonomous state would have a secret weapon that could stop Russia in the Caspian Sea. Although it might not be a big deal to win against Russia in a palm-size sea, it was worth to crush Russia's pride. This was because the state had no means to deal with Russia in their present capacity. Youngho wanted to gain the upper hand in the Caspian Sea at least.

It would be a great minus if Russia took over the Caspian Sea, which Russia claimed to be a lake due to the low salinity of the water. This was because only when designated as a lake, the exclusive economic zone would be eliminated, and Russia would have international legal grounds for the joint development of the oil fields in the Caspian Sea. Unlike the sea, countries bordering a lake were supposed to share everything that was produced on the lake under international law.

It was oil that drove Russia to insist that the Caspian Sea was a lake because there were not as many oil fields off the coast of Russia as Kazakhstan or Azerbaijan. Although Russia had relatively fewer oil deposits than its neighbors, it still had a formidable amount of oil and gas deposits. It was only being greedy.