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So as I understand it, prior to the Communist revolution in China, Mao had a major rival in Zhang Guotao. IOTL Mao ultimately won out, and he eventually moved to Canada and faded into obscurity (which is more than most of Mao's rivals got). There were a number of times when Zhang could have gotten the best of Mao. What would China look like if Zhang had been able to eliminate Mao during the Long March, or outmanoeuvre him through party politics shenanigans. Note, he doesn't necessarily have to be permanently in power, and his tenure can just be used as a caretaker for a different post-revolution leadership.
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