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Rise of Mao: Guerrilla, Warlord, Emperor.
It's not what you think. :D:eek::rolleyes:



The Mao I referred to was Mao Wenlong, a late Ming General who became a legend at a time of widespread defeatism.

Starting in 1621, with just 197 soldiers, he took several islands and forts along ( or off) Yalu River, established himself behind Manchu lines, setting fire in the their backyard.

With Chinese villagers in Liaodong killing their Manchu overlords and defecting to Mao, Mao's islands flourished, allowing him to carry out even more daring harassing actions against the Manchus, even recovering large tracks of land along Liaodong coast.

Mao's harassments based on Korea was part of the reason for Manchu invasion of the country in 1627. But the invasion did not remove Mao and other Ming troops in Korea.

Mao Wenlong was put to death by his colleague, Yuan Chonghuan, on the second year of Chongzhen Reign (1629).

Traditionally IOTL, Mao's execution by Yuan was said to to have effectively cleared the back for Hongtaiji, making it possible for Manchu hordes to invade the Ming heartland, devastating and decimating Beijing suburbs and nearby provinces. Deemed responsible for the debacle, Yuan Chonghuan was executed by the emperor, just months after he executed Mao.

However, a more probable reason might be the defeat of Ligdan Khan of Mongolia by the Manchus, depriving Ming of a powerful ally and opening a huge loophole on Ming defence lines.

Still, what if Mao Wenlong escaped his death by Yuan Chonghuan?

Let's be clear, Mao surviving would not avoid the 1629 invasion by Hongtaiji, because the Koreans and the Mongols have been previously defeated by the Manchus. But it would most probably prevent Mao's former subordinates, people like Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and Shang Kexi from defecting to the Qing, tilting the balance in favour of Ming.

Moreover, Mao was a genius in smuggling and profiteering,

Furthermore, we know that Ming was going to collapse within less than two decades... How would Mao Wenlong make different decisions as compared to Wu Sangui, who opened China up to the Qing?
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