The Kingdom of Italy's road to unification had been completely blocked, and it had even lost quite a bit of territory. Yet its population had not decreased on a corresponding large scale, so the Kingdom of Italy had to seek a way out. At present, only colonization remained.
Inspired by the Kingdom of East Africa, Victor Emmanuel II also prepared to carve out a colony in Africa, primarily to solve the Kingdom of Italy's food shortage.
Though finances held them back for the time being and prevented immediate action, Victor Emmanuel II still had people begin gathering information on Africa.
There was only so much information on Africa to collect. His subordinates quickly gathered a rough overview and reported it to Victor Emmanuel II.
"Your Majesty, nearly the entire African coast is dotted with the forces of various nations. West Africa has the best conditions, and Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands all have holdings there. North Africa is closest to us, but it is mostly desert, with no large tracts of land suitable for cultivation. Some oasis regions are controlled by France and the Ottoman Empire. East Africa is mainly divided between the Kingdom of East Africa and Portuguese Mozambique. South Africa is Britain's Cape Colony, whose climate most resembles that of mainland Italy—but Britain is not someone we can afford to provoke."
Listening to his subordinate's report, Victor Emmanuel II frowned. "It seems competition in Africa is fierce as well! I thought it truly was a barren wasteland. I never expected so many European powers to already be there."
"Your Majesty, it is mainly because the other countries had such a great head start. Even the tiny Principality of Hechingen within Prussia could go to Africa and seize vast territories, which shows just how weak the African