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Notes -
Yes I am indeed aware of the industrial revolution.
Anyone who is capable of violence and not beholden to a master usually has a lot to gain in feudal transitions.
Think of Li Zongren and his men, and all his and their peers.
Of course this is also risky, but that's the nature of such times.
whole point of feudal societal setup is that basically everyone has feudal lord above them and they are beholden to someone (and in some cases have people beholden to them)
so I guess you argue that whoever ends being king would benefit? That is likely true, but it is remarkably small group of people, and given that others are going to lose, I have no idea who would prefer such setup
You overestimate the rigidity of allegiances in such a setup because like many you confuse absolutism with feudalism.
It's true that eventually things do concentrate among a defined set of winners as empire sets in again but it can take decades or centuries to materialize.
And it is infinitely better to be a professional soldier in a feudal system than a NCO in an imperial army in terms of prestige, personal power, etc.
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