Tajikistan faced China on the border over the huge Pamir Plateau, which was in the middle of a border dispute with China, with as many as 28,000 square kilometers of land that China claimed to be its territory.

China had recently unilaterally halted border disputes in order to not provoke Tajikistan for its One Belt One Road project expansion through the Pamir Plateau. Going through Tajikistan was also the only way to advance to the Middle East from China's position. As a result, roads built in China were completed in the Pamir Plateau, where all the daily necessities of China began pouring in. The fact that Tajikistan was home to gold, coal, and even gas and oil was another reason to buy Tajikistan's favor for China.

However, there was an unprecedented tension in the Tajikistan border region when there was a rumor that Kazakhstan-led forces were going through Tajikistan to Afghanistan. The Chinese border guards were staging a show of force as they sharply increased the number of troops.

As the situation was urgent, the intelligence and defense ministries of Kazakhstan were proposing to send an army to Tajikistan in a hurry.

"The movement of the Chinese army is serious?"

"Yes. Your Highness. There's been a report that Chinese troops are being added to the Pamir Plateau."

"What is the reaction of the government of Tajikistan?"

"The Russian army in Tajikistan has deployed a battalion along the border, and the Tajik police officers have joined the border patrol in a hurry."

Russian troops were stationed in Tajikistan on a regular basis. Most of them had been withdrawn now and only about the size of a battalion-scale army and air defense unit were left.

"What? Does it make sense to send police forces to protect the border?"

"The Border Patrol is also a paramilitary militia."

To hear that the border guards were a militia group, Youngho felt bad. Tajikistan was known to have the worst military power among the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The country had been relying on Russia's military power.

"We cannot remain silent as a military ally because we are the one who have created the tension at the border. Please notify the Tajik President that our military will be deployed there soon."

"Don't you think we should let Russia know?"

"We should. Russia has been reducing its forces in Tajikistan since last year due to the cost of stationing. Please notify the Russian side that our troops will be stationed instead of their troops."

"We're going to have to get some surplus munitions in exchange from Russia. China fears the Russian air defense network deployed in Tajikistan. If Russia takes it when its troops withdraw, it'll be a problem."

"I'm sure Russia will demand a high price for leaving it behind."

A withdrawal from Tajikistan meant that Russia would let go of its influence over the country, so there was no reason for Russia to leave an expensive missile air defense facility behind.

"Do you plan to station our forces there on a regular basis?"

"Yes. We need to stop both China and the Afghan hard-liners from entering the fragile Tajikistan border. If Tajikistan is breached, the Kyrgyz border will have to be strengthened, and eventually, that will cost us more."

Words like gunfire, terrorism, poverty, and despair that were heard occasionally in the city should be reminiscent of Syria, but unfortunately, it was Tajikistan that had such a dishonor.

Tajikistan became famous because of the Pamir Plateau, but it was slowly dying down due to its ruggedness. No further development could be expected as it was the Pamir Plateau, where it was tougher than Tibet or Nepal.

In addition, the ethnic conflict that coincided with the collapse of the Soviet Union had made the place more regressive than it was during the Soviet era.

Officially, the civil war was over, but unofficially, it was still going on. Without Moscow's narrow support and aid, it would not have been strange to be erased from the map.

For Russia, Tajikistan had been a pain in the neck, as it had been like filling a bottomless vessel that showed no signs of improvement no matter how much aid it gave.

With Russia's economic difficulties, it was now in no position to help Tajikistan anymore.

***

The tension, sparked by the increase of Chinese troops in the Pamir Plateau, culminated with the dispatch of Kazakh forces to Tajikistan.

Soldiers from three countries, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan were crowded at the border.

Meanwhile, a squadron of Kyrgyz border guards was on standby in the Tajikistan-Afghan border for Afghan Kazakh evacuation operation.

It was waiting for the U.S. to intervene because Kazakhstan could not unilaterally send troops to Afghanistan because it was not a military alliance.

To secure the migration route from Afghanistan and Tajikistan, a special train was arranged early on using the railway between the two countries.

Although Tajikistan was said to be economically underdeveloped, the interstate and rail links to neighboring countries had been restored. It was because China had its eye on Tajikistan's underground resources.

China had poured hundreds of millions of dollars into building the Pamir Highway and restoring tunnels and bridges that were destroyed and damaged by the civil war.

China, which had been so relaxed that it had all the gold mines of Tajikistan in its hands for the various construction costs that it paid to restore Tajikistan's roads, was devastated by the news like the bolt from the blue.

It was a big deal for China, which thought it could seize Tajikistan at any time if Russian troops withdrew.

In addition, Kazakhstan was now holding it back. China had never dreamed that the Kazakh military would replace the vacancy of the Russian troops after they were withdrawn. Its efforts to take Tajikistan were about to be wasted.

***

The migration of Kazakhs living in Afghanistan was proceeding without much trouble, but tensions in the Pamir Plateau, the border area of China and Tajikistan, grew bigger day by day.

The U.S. was also perplexed when problems flared up in an unexpected way.

It was expected that China would respond sensitively to the situation, but the U.S. had no idea that China would be so furious at the stationing of the Kazakh military in Tajikistan.

Even though Tajikistan was a member of a Commonwealth of Independent States, China was ironically heated as if foreign troops had been forced into its territory.

Michael's arrival at the royal territory was at the time when the militaries of both sides were increasing their number of mechanized units along the border.

"It's such an unexpected situation that we didn't even think about."

"I doubt that the U.S. Intelligence Service didn't expect that much."

"What surprises me is that China did not pour a huge amount for restoring Tajikistan. It's acting too sensitively."

"It could be an emotional reaction or a show. "

"What are you talking about, Duke?"

"China has lost the gold mine in Uzbekistan because of us, and maybe it's worried about losing it again in Tajikistan, so it's overreacting."

"That can't be. As far as we know, the entire Tajik gold mine has only five hundred tons of reserves. Would China risk that much for such an amount of gold reserve?"

"You know in detail about other countries' resources."

"You think the US CIA doesn't have that much information? I also know that Tajikistan has 60,000 tons of silver and 1.4 billion tons of coal."

"It looks like the U.S. is as greedy as China."

In response to Youngho's remark, Michael seemed to be asking why Youngho was acting as if that was something unnatural. In many cases, the U.S. had been providing military aid and loans to take resources from less developed countries at cheap prices. This was also a basic strategy for many other developed countries.

Each country's intelligence services were also turning into an organization that placed more importance on the economic side than on political maneuvering as they did in the past.

"Listening to you, China seems to be suffering from delusions."

"Hahaha..."

"It's no laughing matter. We don't know what China's next step would be over this matter. I don't know why you are not worried. Maybe you trust Russia on this, but we're not the same as we used to be. Now the U.S. has decided not to be nosy in other countries' matters and interfere anywhere unless it's necessary. That's why I rushed here. China's power should not be ignored. You need to know that it's a country you shouldn't bump into as much as possible."

"We're just fulfilling our commitments among the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States."

"The treaty between countries is often ignored by higher powers."

"You're saying that if it interferes with China's interests, the Commonwealth of Independent States is none of China's business."

"That is highly possible. There's a high chance that you'll have to fight each other this time."

In modern times, there was nothing much about a struggle between countries. It would be the level of conflict on the border at worst.

"I'm afraid the U.S. is not in a position to be involved if there was a national war."

"No matter what, our direct intervention will be difficult. Instead, we will provide real-time information about the area via our military satellites."

"That's not enough. We need more air defenses. We're fighting China on behalf of the West. You're not asking me to handle it alone, are you?"