The year 1874 was destined to be an extraordinary one. In addition to wars in the Near East and the Russo-Polish War, the Asia-Pacific region was also unstable.
It began with the French signing the "Franco-Annamite Treaty of Peace and Alliance" with the Annan Government, followed by the outbreak of the Japanese invasion of Taiwan.
The latter, needless to say, ended in failure. The "Franco-Annamite Treaty of Peace and Alliance" sounded harmonious, but in reality, it was just a nice-sounding name for a document serving colonial invasion.
After having contracted its strategy for so long, some within France could no longer sit still. The world had already been carved up. There were only scraps left, and any further delay meant missing out on those as well.
Despite power struggles within the Paris Government leaving little attention for causing trouble elsewhere, the fervor for colonial expansion within the country was undeniable.