Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-4923787-20130801180646/@comment-4923787-20130801185747

If the Ming Emperor Chongzhen doesn't execute the general Yuan Chonghuan, who was notable for using Western tactics, could the Ming have contained the Manchus, and perhaps annexed their lands?

Could Chongzhen have forestalled the collapse of his dynasty by a few decades, perhaps by appointing members of the Donglin Society to key governmental positions?