"I'm going to have to find a way to quiet China, or it's going to think that it's on top of the world."

"You said you could screw China with the Thai ca.n.a.l. Isn't that enough?"

"It will be years before the ca.n.a.l opens. I can't wait until then."

"It'll know we're responsible if we make a clumsy retribution move."

"We'll have to make it, so they can't even guess."

"What the h.e.l.l are you going to do? If you need someone to do the job in the field, I'll take the lead."

"There is a way to disturb China without even moving our fingers, but I wonder if they will listen to me."

***

After days of contemplation, Youngho visited Volgograd.

"Oh, I can't be more than happy to see you coming in person who's always busy. If you move yourself to meet someone like me, what will the face of the Duke of Kazakhstan be?"

Despite his words, Yaniv looked very pleased to see Youngho. A single visit of the Duke of Kazakhstan would raise his status.

Youngho usually refrained from taking such a light step, but he did not hesitate to make a sudden move if it would bring a good result.

Although he was said to be a powerful figure in Kazakhstan, he was not the head of the government nor the king.

"How can I lose face when I visit as your friend Lee Youngho, not as the Duke?"

"Since you're at my house, let's have a drink and talk."

"It's still midday, and you want to drink already?"

"Don't you know that Russian men look forward to winter coming? Winter is the season that you don't have to watch the time to drink vodka, so it doesn't matter."

The act of drinking vodka in winter had an excuse for warming up one's frozen body, so it was easily justified.

"This Siberian vodka suits my taste very well. This guy's made me drink more."

"Brother Sergey asked me to supply vodka, and I guess that was all for you to drink."

Vodka produced at the Kazakh Royal Liquor Factory in Krasnoyarsk was treated as a high-quality that did not have a bad hangover compared to other Russian vodkas.

"Moscow's greedy people are all happy when they receive the Kazakh royal vodka and hunting gun as gifts. They're great gifts."

"Think of your health and drink only a little. When the Trans-Siberian Train is completed, won't you have to test ride it yourself?"

"You think I'm going to lose to vodka?"

"I'm worried that something worse than vodka appeared."

"Oh, I get it. I heard that China is pus.h.i.+ng for an Ulan-Ude or Irkutsk route rather than going through Vladivostok."

"Then, we can't recover the cost of the project in the Far East section. It's a big blow to us."

"So I called Putin and asked him if the Siberian railway was owned by China, and he laughed for a long time. China is raining on our parade."

No wonder Yaniv was upset.

He agreed to invest as much as a billion dollars in the Trans-Siberian Railway project.

He did not spend all of his wealth, but it was still a lot of money and a risky business. He made a bold move since there was a safety device called Youngho, and before it even started, China was trying to ruin it.

"What did Putin say?"

"Putin promised never to link any other cargo other than those produced in China to the Siberian train, but if travelers are connected in China, then that can't be helped."

"That's all we need. It would be great if this tone is kept until we get our investment back."

"Don't worry. Putin will never compromise with China because since he's also expecting a lot from the Trans-Siberian Railway."

"I see what you mean, but are you going to let China act like this?"

"The Russian economy is at rock bottom, and Putin is not messing with China either."

The contract for the Trans-Siberian Railway would be signed after the consortium's investment firms completed their on-site inspection.

However, if the Chinese route was left alone to be processed, it would save losses if the Far East Siberian section was left untouched.

The reason why Youngho visited Yaniv this time was because he wanted to find a way to stop China's business in Russia and confirm whether to construct the Far East Siberian route.

"If the Russian government can't do it, shouldn't you take action? You know what Chinese companies are doing in Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk. If you leave it as it is, your old subordinates will have no place."

"You mean to wage a war with the Chinese?"

"Yes. We can't just stand there losing money, can we? I'll help you."

"There is a lot of feeling built up with China, but if we overdo it, our organization may collapse. Did something happen that I don't know about?"

"It's because everything China does gets in the way. It'll also damage our business."

"Well, I should call for a boss meeting in a long time."

"Have you decided to take action?"

"I have no choice but to make up my mind for what's happened. You're not a mafia if you don't do anything when there's an enemy in front of you."

"Will your old subordinates listen to you when you've already taken your hands off the mafia group?"

"Even if you wash your hands, once a mafia is forever a mafia."

Youngho laughed unknowingly as Yaniv's remark reminded him of the Korean phrase, 'Once a marine forever a marine.'

"There is an organization in Korea that says the same thing. I guess such phrase is common across the world."

"It must be an organization as bad as the mafia."

"Not really but they are the people who stick to their old uniform even if they become grandfathers."

"Hahaha…"

"The Kazakh royal family will help you from behind."

"There is nothing the mafia can't do in Russia. My men have proposed for a long time to deal with the Chinese, but I couldn't take action because of the officials of Moscow. I guess now is the time to do something."

"Wouldn't that diminish your position?"

"I'm going to ask Putin's understanding in advance. Putin is so furious this time that he won't object. It's about the level of the action."

When the mafia moved to Russia, everything could be resolved.

This was because the Russian mafia was an organization that could not be controlled even by public power.

Putin had given up the war against the mafia, and now he was even mobilizing the mafia in the conflict zone.

If the mafia could take over what the government could not do, Putin would turn a blind eye on it.

"The funds will be paid by our royal family."

"Oh, no! You don't have to."

"I have a personal feeling, too. If you need weapons, just tell me. We've got old-fas.h.i.+oned weapons in the royal territory."

"All right. It's more reliable if the Kazakh royal family supports us."

"Where are you going to start?"

"I don't care where we start as long as it's where Chinese companies are."

"Please leave Krasnoyarsk to us. All I have to do is make a statement to Sergeenko."

"Very well. Sergeenko is your man, so he will follow."