Would have been interesting if any former warlords could have replaced Chiang. The Young Marshal Zhang Xueliang was placed under house arrest after the Xi'an incident for the duration of the war, but what if he was somehow freed? I wonder if there were any former Fengtian clique troops or commanders who would've still remained loyal to him. Also, Feng Yuxiang was on good terms with Stilwell, and was still around until the mysterious ship fire claimed him in 1948.