King Zhaoxiang of Qin
Reigning over 55 years, he was one of the longest-serving rulers during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Although making numerous policy mistakes during his later years, his aggressive territorial expansions were pivotal in consolidating the state of Qin as the dominant military powerhouse in the late Warring States period. It was the strategic dominance established during his reign that paved the way to Qin's eventual successful unification of China under his great-grandson, Ying Zheng.
Duke Xian of Qin (424–362 BC)
In 383 BC, the second year of his reign, Duke Xian moved the Qin capital from the long-time capital Yong (in present-day Fengxiang, Shaanxi) several hundred kilometers east to Yueyang (櫟陽, in present-day Yanliang District of Xi'an). The move shifted the center of Qin closer to other states such as Wei, Han, and Zhao, facilitated commerce, and weakened the powerful aristocratic clans that were entrenched in the old capital.