Empire of France (Long live the Qing)

Napoléon III is among the emperors who is held in the most high esteem. Not only did he ensure French colonial expansion, ut he was also successful at thwarting Austria's plans to extinguish Italian independence. The rise of a quasi-unified Germany under Austrian leadership (which also contains vast Eastern European territories) remains a huge problem for l'Empire, which also explains the troop movements in Alsace.