I think they still could've had kept the story the same, while changing a few minor things to keep up with the censors/different audience. Also, for a series that has been doing so well, the people that were watching it at the later time would've still stuck around to watch it at the new time. Other series writers do it all the time.
I also don't think the post-China Arc episodes were that great. Yeah, they keep me on my toes, but mostly because they pack so much into only 1/2 hour episodes. To me, it seems the writers are almost trying too hard to keep us guessing and to keep up with the concept that Geass is a rollercoaster type series. The World of C, for example. It had a lot of stuff that I think the writers intended on having, but at the same time, I think the reveal of C.C.'s background could've or even should've been handled over the series of several episodes rather than stuffing it all into one. But that's just my personal opinion.
(no subject)
I also don't think the post-China Arc episodes were that great. Yeah, they keep me on my toes, but mostly because they pack so much into only 1/2 hour episodes. To me, it seems the writers are almost trying too hard to keep us guessing and to keep up with the concept that Geass is a rollercoaster type series. The World of C, for example. It had a lot of stuff that I think the writers intended on having, but at the same time, I think the reveal of C.C.'s background could've or even should've been handled over the series of several episodes rather than stuffing it all into one. But that's just my personal opinion.