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Points of Divergence : Yuan Shikai
Born in 1859, died in 1916. A prominent military strongman of the late Qing dynasty, he took over as president of the Republic of China after the 1911 revolution that deposed the imperial regime. While the first provisional president was Sun Zhongshan, Yuan could rely on the backing of the Beiyang Army, China's most powerful military force. He swiftly assumed dictatorial powers, eliminated various opposition figures, and ultimately attempted to restore the monarchy. This move led to open rebellion among his former supporters in the Beiyang Army.
Possible PoDs involving this historical personality
His sudden death in 1916 left China without a legitimate central authority and most of the country under control by self-styled warlords, and a semblance of order would only be restored in 1927 by the Nationalists under Jiang Jieshi.
In Hendryk's Superpower Empire China 1912, Yuan's death occurs four years earlier, just after his becoming president. His successor, chosen as a compromise between the conservatives and the revolutionaries, is reformist Kang Youwei.