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What if Qing empress Cixi had decided to invest on the military rather than in reforming the imperial palace in 1891, giving the chinese navy more of a winning chance in the First Sino-Japanese War?
Could the chinese defeat the japanese? If so, then what are the consequences?
Would Korea remain a nominally-independent chinese vassal? Would this be better or worse for the korean population than OTL's japanese occupation?
With a lucky and prestigious victory, would Cixi decide to implement government reforms?
Will the Boxer War be butterflied away?
With a slightly stronger China, will Russia still decide to move into Manchuria as in OTL?
And what are the long-term consequences for China? I'd assume that a stabler late Qing regime leads to no Xinhai Revolution, thus no Yuan Shikai period, no Warlord Period, no Second Sino-Japanese War, no 1940's Civil War, and no Mao, thus, allowing China to get much more powerful, and earlier than OTL.
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