Earlier Great Zhou: Wu Sangui defects to (and later usurped) the Shun

[The Forty-Eighth Rōnin]

Just wanted to share this idea.

Let's say Li Zicheng was a bit more patient and accommodating with Wu Sangui which result into the latter defecting to him rather than the Qing. A couple of battles later, the Manchus retreated to Manchuria (for the time being).

As for the 2nd POD, let's say something bad happened between Sangui and Zicheng which resulted into what happened pretty much the same as OTL (Zicheng killing most of the Wu family), which in turn exploded into a series of battles between the two.

Long story short, Sangui ultimately wins and Zicheng dies (either on the battlefield or assassination by a defector). The remnants of the Shun army joins Wu Sangui and declared a new dynasty: Great Zhou.

Thoughts?

 

[A Most Sovereign Lady]

It'd be the third such dynasty to be called Zhou. I'm intrigued by this idea, though.

 

[Avrorrange]

It'd be the third such dynasty to be called Zhou. I'm intrigued by this idea, though.

Fifth.

 

[A Most Sovereign Lady]

Fifth.

My apologies, thank you!

 

[Kaze]

The second part of something bad --- Chen Yuanyuan.

In real world history:
Chen Yuanyuan was the concubine of Wu Sangui. While stationed at the Wall, rumors came to his ear that Li Zicheng was using her body as his personal sex-toy. Some anti-Qing writers suggest that Cheng Yuanyuan was one of the pretexts for Wu's defection to the Qing - that Dorgon promised to have Li hanged as a horse thief.

---------
Now back to your story-line:
Wu dismisses the rumors as unfounded in part one. But when he discovers that the rumors are true - you can imagine Wu will be rather pissed.

 

[The Forty-Eighth Rōnin]

Now back to your story-line:
Wu dismisses the rumors as unfounded in part one. But when he discovers that the rumors are true - you can imagine Wu will be rather pissed.

Well, how about a twist?

Li forces himself onto Chen, setting the chain of events that I described in the OP.

 

[Crazy Boris]

Fifth.

Sixth

1-Ancient Zhou that ended up exploding into the warring states
2-Northern Zhou during the North and South dynasties period
3-Wu Zetian's 2nd Zhou dynasty
4-Later Zhou during the five dynasties-ten kingdoms period
5-Da Zhou during the Red Turban Rebellion
6-This hypothetical Wu-founded Zhou

 

[Avrorrange]

Sixth

1-Ancient Zhou that ended up exploding into the warring states
2-Northern Zhou during the North and South dynasties period
3-Wu Zetian's 2nd Zhou dynasty
4-Later Zhou during the five dynasties-ten kingdoms period
5-Da Zhou during the Red Turban Rebellion
6-This hypothetical Wu-founded Zhou

Didn’t count this one because that’s just a transient rebel regime.

 

[The Forty-Eighth Rōnin]

Just to expand the discussion...

How would Southern Ming fare with a solidifying dynasty in the north? What of the Qing?