King Zhaoxiang of Qin
In 306 BC, the young King Zhaoxiang ascended to the throne, with his mother Queen Dowager Xuan serving as regent. Knowing Qin could not focus on eradicating Yiqu when it had the hostile eastern states to deal with, and her son's rule was still shaky due to numerous rival princes keen to capture the throne, Queen Dowager Xuan decided to use an approach of pretended conciliation. She invited the king of Yiqu to live long-term in the Ganquan Palace, and consummated a seductive liaison that produced two sons with him. This completely removed the Yiqu King's hostility towards Qin, as the beguiled king had lost all cautiousness around the Queen Dowager. At the same time, King Zhaoxiang was aggressively acting to weaken rival warring states in the east and south, and Queen Dowager Xuan was secretly planning with her son the eventual annihilation of Yiqu.
King Daoxiang of Zhao
Born as Zhao Yan to King Xiaocheng of Zhao, he was originally not groomed to succeed to the throne. However, his path to the throne was eased by the circumstances. Firstly, the heir to the Zhao throne was required to spend a large portion of his youth as a hostage in the Qin court - thus making him susceptible to court intrigue. Secondly, the minister Guo Kai was intent on making Zhao Yan the next king. Therefore, when King Xiaocheng died, instead of welcoming the rightful heir back to Handan, Guo Kai proclaimed Zhao Yan as king instead. The famous Zhao general Lian Po objected to this state of affairs and resigned his posts as a result.