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What if one of history's most dramatic conquests in terms of replacing institutions and cultures, was interrupted, not just by a leader losing a battle, but by an entirely different faction entering the conflict and taking the conquering power by surprise?

The closest "almost happened" example I can think of would be Khosrau II's invasion of the Eastern Roman Empire just before the early Islamic expansions. If Khosrau II won, then the newly expanded Persian Empire would have immediately been supplanted by the Caliphate.

ATL examples (not saying these are plausible):
  • If the Mongol Empire at its height had been usurped by Jurchens, leaving isolated Mongol forces fighting in Persia and the Pontic Steppe.
  • If Alexander the Great in the 320s faced a massive Gallic or Thracian invasion that threatened to usurp Greece
  • If the Umayyad Caliphate in the 690s was shattered by an invasion of Bulghars/Khazars
  • American Indian Wars delayed, if the War of 1812 led to the British re-annexing the United States, and a new Proclamation Line
  • Roman conquests interrupted, if Rome collapsed during what was in OTL the Pax Romana

The challenge is to pick one of the biggest conquests in history in terms of how it changed the region affected permanently. The more momentum seemed to have been behind it (such as the Mongol conquests) the better. Then, with this historical trend and/or specific war interrupted -- how would the OTL ruling caste or remnants of the conquest, deal with being isolated by the ATL surprise attack?
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