Consequences if any of these warlords had unified China?

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
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Duan Qirui
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duan_Qirui

Li Yuanhong
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Yuanhong

Zhang Zuolin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Zuolin

Wu Peifu
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Peifu

Sun Chuanfang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Chuanfang

Feng Yuxiang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_Yuxiang

Yan Xishan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Xishan

By unify China, I mean that they meet or exceed the benchmark set by Jiang Jieshi and the Guomindang (which arguably falls short of true unification) from 1926 to 1949. They need not meet the benchmark established by the Communists in 1949 and after.
 
The vast majority of them would likely not be that different from Chiang Kai Shek. The man who might be the most starkly different would probably be Feng Yuxiang due to his Christianity, his position on the left of the Kuomintang, and his closeness to the communists later in life. The others are likely to be one kind or another of right wing generalissimo.
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
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The man who might be the most starkly different would probably be Feng Yuxiang due to his Christianity, his position on the left of the Kuomintang, and his closeness to the communists later in life.

What are some of the key differences you would expect, and how might the foreign powers react? Note, Feng wasn't alone in his Christianity, Chiang Kai shek converted to Methodism when marrying Mei ling Soong, as had Sun Yat sen, even before marrying into the Charlie Soong clan. Perhaps Feng was more sincere/fervent in his Christianity than they, he seemed to be more into proselytization, if the stories of his baptism of soldiers by firehose are true.

As for the others, Duan, Li, Zhang, Wu, Sun and Yan:

The vast majority of them would likely not be that different from Chiang Kai Shek...The others are likely to be one kind or another of right wing generalissimo.

What I wonder about with them is how Japanese reactions to them consolidating power would differ from OTL if at all. Duan Qirui and Zhang Zuolin in particular were reputed to be more patronized by and accommodating to the Japanese, might their predominance preclude Sino-Japanese war and lead instead to Sino-Japanese alliance?
 
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