Who is decribed by.. Sultan of Egypt and Syria, successful capture of Jerusalem prompted the Third Crusade, respected by Richard the Lionheart as a great general

It is Saladin.

Explanation:

Saladin  (1137-1193) was the sultan of Egypt and Syria and one of the most important Muslim leaders of history.  He succesfully fought against  European Crusaders who had won control of the Holy Land and Jerusalem. He crushed Christian armies at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, a victory that opened the door to the re-conquest of Jerusalem by Muslims. The Holy City, a sacred place for the three monotheistic religions, fell into his hands soon after Hattin.

the fact that could also be added to column b is that during world war ii, specifically between the years 1941 and 1945, japan expanded its territory towards the indonesian territory in what was known later as part of the "pacific war". in that time, japan could conquer the philipines, singapore,   borneo, central java, malang, cebu, sumatra and various other islands of the area, therefore expanding its territory for a brief period of time.