So, I've been playing some Hearts of Iron IV recently (grand startegy game; good game, but it has its flaws) and in the game, China is divided into the Kuomintang government (under Chiang Kai-shek), the communists (under Mao Zedong; in Shaanxi) and several warlords: the "Guangxi Clique" under Li Zongren, "Yunnan" under Long Yun, "Shanxi" under Yan Xishan, the Xibei San Ma (under the Ma family) as well as Xinjiang in the west, under Sheng Shicai. In the game, these different warlords are independent countries. How accurate is this for the game's start in 1 january 1936?
Sheng Shicai was a Soviet client.
Guangxi clique were an internal KMT faction. They were members of the KMT before they came to power in the Northern Expedition, they considered themselves KMT in ideology and wanted to take over the Central government themselves.
Long Yun, Yan Xishan, Liu Wenhui and Xibei San Ma were warlords who nominally swore allegiance to the KMT after the Northern Expedition. They ran their own internal policies and were weren't KMT ideologues but they definitely would not do jack like collaborating with foreigners in open rebellion against the central government.
Xibei San Ma sent soldiers to fight against the Japanese in World War II and helped the KMT Central Government fight the Soviets in Xinjiang after Sheng Shicai defected back to the KMT (when it appeared that the Soviets were going to lose to Germany, Sheng decided to jump ship). Xibei San Ma collaborated with the KMT against foreign enemies.
Chiang ousted Long Yun from Yunnan and took over Yunnan for the Central Government.