WI: Yuan Shikai dies during the Boxer Rebellion

During the Boxer Rebellion Yuan Shikai, the future first president of Republic of China and self-proclaimed Emperor of China, sided with Eight-Nation Alliance in their fight against the Boxers. He's participation helped to vindicate him to very high political position in the years between the end of the rebellion and the death of Empress dowager Cixi. This high esteem eventually lead him to becoming the compromise candidate for first President of ROC.

So, here is the question:
What could happen if Yuan Shikai was assassinated by Boxer sympathizers during the rebellion?
 
Plausibility is quite low, he was sitting nowhere near where the Boxers were(Shandong vs. Beijing).
But if he did, as of then there wouldn't be much changes - but as time progresses someone would have to come up and fill up the void of power. Sun Yat-sen may have very little power over the military, Chiang is too young.
Probably Duan Qirui or Zhang Zuolin would replace him.
 
Plausibility is quite low, he was sitting nowhere near where the Boxers were(Shandong vs. Beijing).
But if he did, as of then there wouldn't be much changes - but as time progresses someone would have to come up and fill up the void of power. Sun Yat-sen may have very little power over the military, Chiang is too young.
Probably Duan Qirui or Zhang Zuolin would replace him.

Well the cause of his death wasn't really that important in this scenario.
As far as I'm concerned he may instead suffer some kind of fatal accident.

With regard to the men you mentioned:

I'm guessing that Zhang Zuolin would more likely try to restore Puyi to the throne rather than take it for himself.

As for Duan Qirui, from what I read about him it seems that he was much more sincere in his anti-monarchism, so even if he eventually tried to become an dictator he would probably still try to maintain the republican facade (not unlike Chiang Kai-shek in OTL)
 
Well the cause of his death wasn't really that important in this scenario.
As far as I'm concerned he may instead suffer some kind of fatal accident.

With regard to the men you mentioned:

I'm guessing that Zhang Zuolin would more likely try to restore Puyi to the throne rather than take it for himself.

As for Duan Qirui, from what I read about him it seems that he was much more sincere in his anti-monarchism, so even if he eventually tried to become an dictator he would probably still try to maintain the republican facade (not unlike Chiang Kai-shek in OTL)

I'd say the same.
 
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