The neighbouring state of Wei, on the other hand, grew stronger and annexed Qin's Hexi territory (west of the Yellow River).
The fourteenth ruler Duke Mu had 177 people buried with him in 621 BC, including several senior government officials.
[1][4] 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.
[4] Duke Xian expanded the practice of establishing counties, which were administered by bureaucrats appointed by the central government.
This was a major departure from the then prevalent practice of enfeoffing territories to hereditary aristocrats who ran their fiefs like mini-states.
The reform strengthened the power of the central government, and would be further expanded to the whole state by the famous reformer Shang Yang under Duke Xian's successor Duke Xiao, contributing to Qin's rise and eventual unification of China.