Taishi Ci (太史慈), style name Ziyi, was a famous Wu general, famous for never fleeing from a fight. He and Sun Ce dueled to a tie, then was recruited by Sun Quan. He died fighting Zhang Liao, the guardian of Hefei. He had a son named Taishi Heng. Ci was recruited by Sun Ce when he found out about his prowess in battle. Although he was already recruited Ci thought that he would repay his kindness by travelling to Hefei and gathering troops as a thank you to Sun. The Kingdom of Wu (Chinese: 吳, pinyin: wú) refers to a historical nation and several states in a region of China. ... Sun Ce (175 – 200) was a military general and warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. ... Sun Quan (孫權 pinyin: SÅ«n Quán) (182 - 252), son of Sun Jian, was the third ruler of the State of Wu and the founder of Kingdom of Wu, during the Three Kingdoms period, in China. ... Zhang Liao (169 – 222) was a military general under the powerful warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China. ... Hefei (Chinese: 合肥; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hofei) is the capital of Anhui Province of China. ...

Taishi Ci was also known to be an extremely filial son. When Kong Rong, Governor of Beihai, was under siege in his city by hordes of Yellow Turbans under the rebel champion Guan Hai, Taishi rode to his rescue at the behest of his mother, who had been generously treated by Kong Rong. Kong Rong then sent Taishi Ci to call for help, which later came in the form of the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, and their forces. With these reinforcements Taishi Ci was able to lift the siege of Beihai and fulfill his mother's wish by freeing Kong Rong from danger. He personaly slayed Guan Hai. He showed extreme loyalty to his masters and would never back down from a fight. Kong Rong (孔融, 153-208 AD) was a civil officer, poet, and warlord of the Later Han period, as well as a descendant of Confucius. ...

He fought with dual Halberds in the novel which differs from the Dynasty Warriors series in which he has two rods. He was also said to be good at archery, taking down numerous Yellow Turbans at the siege of Beihai.

After being ambushed by Zhang Liao in the battle at He Fei, Taishi Ci retreated, but was mortally wounded. In his last moments his lord asked if he was going to live and he cried out, “When a worthy person is born into a turbulent world, he has to be a soldier and gird on a three-span sword to step on the mountains to mend the sky. I have not rendered great service. Why must I die before I have attained my desire?” He was 41 years of age.

Note: In the official histories, Taishi Ci died before Hefei and was not slain there by Zhang Liao as the novel depicts.

Taishi Ci is a playable character in the game Dynasty Warriors series from 2 to 5 onwards and has to be unlocked as he is a genaral from WU.