Zheng China

In 1424, Zhu Gaoxi, the Hongxi Emperor, upon ordering the cessation of the famed Ming Treasure Voyages, is killed in a fire sparked by a "Bright Dragon" (now believed to have been ball lightning). His wife and all his sons die with him, alongside several prominent Confucian scholars. His untimely demise leads to his brother's accension to the throne, as the Tienjian Emperor. This leads to the rise of China as a colonial power in Southeast Asia, the West Pacific, the Americas, and even Australia, as China's superior technology, numbers, and organization give her a huge head-start over the Europeans.