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I'm reading From Ming to Ch'ing, about, well, the transition from the Ming to the Qing.

There's an interesting point brought up, about the rebel Li Zicheng, who overthrew the Ming (and whose actions let the Manchu into China).

He might have been a Muslim. "It appears that LI was adopted at the age of ten by an old Muslimw oment o help her care for her horses. He received some instruction in Islamic practices during his stay with her but certainly did not convert".

However, "Later he became a postal station attendant, a popular occupation with the Muslims. With the start of the rebellions, his relationshp with Islam and the Chinese Muslims can be more easily traced. One of his prominent and most esteemed advisors was a Han Muslim....[and] though the number of Muslims who joined [the rebels] is uncertain, it is clear that those who did were a diverse group".

So, POD: As a youth, Li Zicheng travels with his old woman to a mosque, where he hears the words of the Prophet.

There's little change, in his role as a rebel. But when he takes Beijing in 1644, he proclaims himself Emperor of the Dynasty of Submission, and makes offerings to the Lord of Heaven, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Hmm. To make it more than "Manchus kill Muslims", we'll have him not kill Wu Sangui's father, so Wu joins his army.

What now?
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