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Germany takes a colony off of France, which the French had brought up. Germany takes just one colony- not as a replacement for Alsace-Lorraine as the French were hoping, but rather in return for a partial reduction in the indemnity or a retrocession of a few small villages/districts/towns in Lorraine.

Bismarck (or Germany's) key principle is they will take something, but nothing that is too close for comfort for Britain or the United States (ruling out Caribbean islands, enclaves in India, the African bulge or the African horn).

So let's say it's the French position in Indochina, which at this time, is just limited to the colony of Cochin-China and a protectorate over Cambodia.

How do things go from there?

a) Germany loses control immediately, unable to suppress a local rebellion that occurs during power transition (always a risk when switching foreign masters over people who likely don't want a foreign master)

b) France takes it back through a colonial/naval war or intrigue over the next decade

c) Germany successfully takes over the French position

d) Germany never expands into the rest of Indochina

-Note, in OTL, France did not take over northern and central Vietnam until the 1880s, and Laos in the 1890s​

e) Germany expands the same amount at the same time as France in OTL

f) Germany has a war with China over Indochina or more

- Note, France went to war with China in OTL as part of consolidating control over Vietnam and tearing it away from China's tributary orbit, so I am not bringing up a random aggression here.​

g) Germany avoids war with China

h) Germany makes Indochina bigger than it was in OTL (adding Siam, or Chinese border areas, etc.)

i) France stays out of Southeast Asia

j) France looks for a substitute East Asian colony (Siam, Korea, a piece of greater Japan or East Indies)
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