WI: Yan Xishan becomes leader of china

Yan Xishan was a warlord of Shanxi and seems to one of few warlords who seemed to be good. He did alot to develop Shanxi and modernise to verying levels of success, supported by some modern and progessive social policies at the time. He was once on times magazine as next president of china so there was some belief he could have taken control of china, but he couldn't due to his army and lands being less populated and developed compared to the nationalists, if he did gain control of china would china be better off or no and how would ww2 go for china if he was in charge?
 
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I discuss him briefly as one of several possible successors to Chiang Kai-shek if the latter had been killed in Burma in 1942:

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(f) Yan Xishan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Xishan The "Model Governor" (this can be exaggerated; he did introduce some reforms but he was still a warlord) of Shanxi province. He probably did not have enough of a base to get elected; most (though not all) of Shanxi came under Japanese control. One interesting thing about him is that in 1945 after Japan's surrender, he tried to use Japanese forces against the Communists--an idea that Chiang rejected, saying it would play into the hands of CCP propaganda and outrage the Americans.

https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/chiang-kai-shek-killed-in-burma-1942.420847/
 

Kaze

Banned
I have tried it several times in Hearts of Iron. It is do-able. The only flaw is that no matter what I do, Japan still invades China - even if I cheat and have Japan have a Communist Revolution or (go Democratic), somehow the Japanese snap back and still are able to invade China. The only way I could survive the invasion is that I became Facist and ally with the Axis before Japan does - but then I am just a minor power. I am likely doing it wrong.
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As for using Japanese forces to use against the Communsits - it might be a little out there. Enemy of my enemy it good, but it does not take in the reality of the situation post war. Most of the Japanese troops wanted to get home a fast as possible without being hanged for war crimes - fighting the CCP was a secondary problem.
 
But if Yan did have a stronger power base maybe have the west give him more support or he focuses on the military could he have done better for china.
 
What about the anti-Chiang forces winning the Central Plains War? While notionally, Wang Jingwei would have been in charge, Yan Xishan woild have probably been China's de facto leader.
 
I have tried it several times in Hearts of Iron. It is do-able. The only flaw is that no matter what I do, Japan still invades China - even if I cheat and have Japan have a Communist Revolution or (go Democratic), somehow the Japanese snap back and still are able to invade China. The only way I could survive the invasion is that I became Facist and ally with the Axis before Japan does - but then I am just a minor power. I am likely doing it wrong.
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As for using Japanese forces to use against the Communsits - it might be a little out there. Enemy of my enemy it good, but it does not take in the reality of the situation post war. Most of the Japanese troops wanted to get home a fast as possible without being hanged for war crimes - fighting the CCP was a secondary problem.

That or it's just a programming thing.

How would Yan Xishan do as a leader? Would he be clsoer to the Americans or the Soviets?
 

Kaze

Banned
I would agree that it must be something to do with the programming - even when the non-historical focus is on, the program tries to at least follows history because it makes a problem to figure out what is next.

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As for a leadership. The Americans would be too far away to help him, he might have to look at the Soviets as a friend - the last thing he wanted to do is have the Soviets invade or back a coup by a proxy.
 
I have tried it several times in Hearts of Iron. It is do-able. The only flaw is that no matter what I do, Japan still invades China - even if I cheat and have Japan have a Communist Revolution or (go Democratic), somehow the Japanese snap back and still are able to invade China.
That's because the Japanese invasion is probably scripted.
 
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As for a leadership. The Americans would be too far away to help him, he might have to look at the Soviets as a friend - the last thing he wanted to do is have the Soviets invade or back a coup by a proxy.

Maybe, but it would be a tenuous relationship given the historical bad blood between China and Russia.

My guess is that he’s have the Soviets for an ally for pragmatic purposes and would ally with the Americans st the first reasonsable chance
 

cpip

Gone Fishin'
That's because the Japanese invasion is probably scripted.

Admittedly, even during the Taisho democratic period, Japan was enthusiastically meddling with China, so it's not entirely unreasonable to believe Communist or Democratic Japans would end up in open conflict with China.
 
I have tried it several times in Hearts of Iron. It is do-able. The only flaw is that no matter what I do, Japan still invades China - even if I cheat and have Japan have a Communist Revolution or (go Democratic), somehow the Japanese snap back and still are able to invade China. The only way I could survive the invasion is that I became Facist and ally with the Axis before Japan does - but then I am just a minor power. I am likely doing it wrong.
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As for using Japanese forces to use against the Communsits - it might be a little out there. Enemy of my enemy it good, but it does not take in the reality of the situation post war. Most of the Japanese troops wanted to get home a fast as possible without being hanged for war crimes - fighting the CCP was a secondary problem.

Try turning off historical decisions, the Japanese will USUALLY, but not always, attack China. I've had times where I've been planning to wage a defensive campaign against them, and deplete their manpower in attritional warfare... only they never bother to actually declare war on me.
 
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