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.
Queen Dowager Xuan
Queen Dowager Xuan (; 338–265 BC), also called Mi Bazi (), was a girl from the royal family of the Kingdom of Chu and one of the imperial concubines (consorts but not the wife) of King Huiwen of Qin. She gave birth to King Zhaoxiang of Qin (r. 306–251 BC) and acted as his regent when he was young. As queen dowager, she entered illicit relations with the "barbarian" Yiqu king and had two sons with him, but later tricked and killed him. Following that coup, the Qin army marched into Yiqu territory at the queen dowager's orders; the Qin annihilated Yiqu and thus came to possess the Ordos region.