History Funny / RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms

* On the subject of UnfortunateNames ([[{{YMMV}} Your mileage may vary]]):

** There is also the case of Du Yu, a Jin general near the end of the book, which leads to many a poor joke.[[labelnote:Example]]Du Yu Understand?[[/labelnote]]

* And for UnfortunateNames, we have "[[Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse He Man]], the devil who shoots across the sky" ... and gets owned in the next line by a minor character. At least it was several centuries too early to be intentional.
* Mi Heng, for his sheer ability to diss Cao Cao and all of his officers in Chapter 23 (where he both enters and exits), and his final line (before he's [[spoiler:executed]]) in the novel: "You are like a god in a temple: You sit still and receive sacrifice, but the lack of intelligence is pitiful."

* When Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang's residence for the first time, he finds Zhuge Liang absent. So, he tells the servant of his [[full title TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard]] in hope of making a good impression. However, the servant flatly reply that the title is too long for him to remember, and calls it gibberish.

* The first few chapters after Zhuge Liang is recruited could be named "Zhuge Liang humiliates everyone". He perfectly predicts the actions of everyone on three sides of the conflict, roasts a bunch of scholars who think he's too young for his position, and annoys Zhou Yu out of his mind. The crowning moment comes when he "borrows" several hundred thousand of Cao Cao's arrows: he fakes a raid on Cao Cao's navy, which retaliates with a massive hail of arrows. Except most of Zhuge Liang's ships were dummies stuffed with straw, so after the arrows hit home, he just sails off with them, all while his soldiers cry "Thanks to the Prime Minister [Cao Cao] for the gift of the arrows!"

* The first few chapters after Zhuge Liang is recruited could be named "Zhuge Liang humiliates everyone". He perfectly predicts the actions of everyone on three sides of the conflict, roasts a bunch of scholars who think he's too young for his position, and annoys Zhao Yu out of his mind. The crowning moment comes when he "borrows" several hundred thousand of Cao Cao's arrows: he fakes a raid on Cao Cao's navy, which retaliates with a massive hail of arrows. Except most of Zhuge Liang's ships were dummies stuffed with straw, so after the arrows hit home, he just sails off with them, all while his soldiers cry "Thanks to the Prime Minister [Cao Cao] for the gift of the arrows!"

* The first few chapters after Zhuge Liang is recruited could be named "Zhuge Liang humiliates everyone". He perfectly predicts the actions of everyone on three sides of the conflict, roasts a bunch of scholars who think he's too young for his position, and annoys Zhao Yu out of his mind.
The crowning moment comes when he "borrows" several hundred thousand of Cao Cao's arrows: he fakes a raid on Cao Cao's navy, which retaliates with a massive hail of arrows. Except most of Zhuge Liang's ships were dummies stuffed with straw, so after the arrows hit home, he just sails off with them, all while his soldiers cry "Thanks to the Prime Minister [Cao Cao] for the gift of the arrows!"

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOIpiPgCJdc Here is a MAD version of the scene]]. Pay attention to the general's face at Cao Cao's side, it is as if he is saying"What the hell?" or "Maybe it will be better if I kill him now."

--->[[BeardnessProtectionProgram At once Cao Cao took the sword that he wore at his side and sawed off some of the beard.]] [[GenreSavvy Yet again a soldier recognized him and told Ma Chao that Cao Cao had now cut his beard, whereupon the order went forth to capture short beards.]] [[VillainExitStageLeft And then Cao Cao wrapped the corner of a flag about neck and jowl and fled.]]

** [[ShaggyDogStory ...and then Xu Chu just pops out of nowhere and mugs Xu Huang for it, and the resulting brawl ruins the robe, so Cao Cao has to hand out robes for everybody.]]

** Cao Cao's escape from Lu Bu's ambush: just as Cao Cao is heading towards his escape route, Lu Bu arrives on the scene... and, [[MissedHimByThatMuch not recognising him at all]], taps him on the helmet with his halberd and asks, "Where is Cao Cao?" Cao Cao's response? "LookOverThere!" ''It works''.

--->They came close. Cao Cao heard one of his pursuers shout to another, "Cao Cao is he in the red dress!"

-->They came close. Cao Cao heard one of his pursuers shout to another, "Cao Cao is he in the red dress!"
-->So he hastily tore off his red robe and threw it away. He also heard one say "Cao Cao is he with the long beard!"
-->[[BeardnessProtectionProgram At once Cao Cao took the sword that he wore at his side and sawed off some of the beard.]] [[GenreSavvy Yet again a soldier recognized him and told Ma Chao that Cao Cao had now cut his beard, whereupon the order went forth to capture short beards.]] [[VillainExitStageLeft And then Cao Cao wrapped the corner of a flag about neck and jowl and fled.]]

** Cao Cao's abortive first attempt to assassinate Dong Zhuo ends in an overly-contrived excuse to ''present the (borrowed) sword as a gift''. Then he flees the scene (after [[DumbMuscle Lu Bu]], of all people, saw through this) and kills his uncle's family in a [[PoorCommunicationKills fatal case of (literal) Chinese Whispers]], then his uncle lest he find the bodies. Distracting his uncle with "LookOverThere!" sure was ''great'' practice for the next example...

** Cao Cao's abortive first attempt to assassinate Dong Zhuo ends in an overly-contrived excuse to ''present the (borrowed) sword as a gift''. Then he flees the scene (after ''[[TheDragon Lu Bu]]'' of all people saw through this!) and kills his uncle's family in a [[PoorCommunicationKills fatal case of (literal) Chinese Whispers]], then his uncle lest he find the bodies. Distracting his uncle with "LookOverThere!" sure was ''great'' practice for the next example...
** Cao Cao's escape from Lu Bu's ambush: just as Cao Cao is heading towards his escape route, Lu Bu arrives on the scene... and, ''[[WhatAnIdiot not recognising him at all]]'', taps him on the helmet with his halberd and asks, "Where is Cao Cao?" Cao Cao's response? "LookOverThere!" ''It works''.

---->They came close. Cao Cao heard one of his pursuers shout to another, "Cao Cao is he in the red dress!"
---->So he hastily tore off his red robe and threw it away. He also heard one say "Cao Cao is he with the long beard!"
---->[[BeardnessProtectionProgram At once Cao Cao took the sword that he wore at his side and sawed off some of the beard.]] [[GenreSavvy Yet again a soldier recognized him and told Ma Chao that Cao Cao had now cut his beard, whereupon the order went forth to capture short beards.]] [[VillainExitStageLeft And then Cao Cao wrapped the corner of a flag about neck and jowl and fled.]]

---->"What an arrogant fellow is this Master?" said he. "There is our brother waiting, while he sleeps on perfectly carelessly. I will go to the back of the place and let off a bomb and see if that will rouse him."

** Zhang He hits the bullseye while shooting backwards;
** Xiahou Yuan hits the bullseye while ''bent over backwards'';
** Xu Huang hits '''the twig holding the silk robe up''';

* Cao Cao holds an archery tournament at the Bronze Bird tower, with the first prize being a silk robe. In a SerialEscalation of ImprobableAimingSkills,

---->"What an arrogant fellow is this Master?" said he. "There is our brother waiting, while he sleeps on perfectly carelessly. I will go to the back of the place and let off a bomb and see if that will rouse him."

* Liu Bei's marriage to Lady Sun (Sun Quan's sister, a.k.a. Sun Shang Xiang in ''DynastyWarriors'' and the operas). It's almost one big ReverseFunnyAneurysm when considered in today's context, from Zhuge Liang's counter-plan to save Liu Bei (from [[spoiler:the planned capture by Sun Quan and Zhou Yu's henchmen]]) by ''publicizing the wedding'' (predating the paparazzi/tabloids by centuries), to Lady Sun and her entourage (practically an AmazonBrigade) scaring the crap out of Liu Bei in the nuptial chambers - and scolding the Wu generals into submission when they elope. And all this while, Sun Quan and Zhou Yu are put through the HumiliationConga by everyone else involved (except Liu Bei, who's too nice - and a hostage for the most part). At the end when Zhou Yu is retreating after a failed final attempt to salvage the whole ordeal, the soldiers of Liu Bei stick around ''just to taunt him''.

* The scene where Liu Bei and his oath brothers finally manage to meet the Sleeping Dragon is hella funny due to Zhang Fei's frustration.

* It's less funny and more amusing, but the fact that Cao Cao, along with several other leaders and officers (but mostly Cao Cao it seems), will be given a plan by an adviser/another officer, and respond with "You say what I think", or one of the many variations of this line. (It's basically the military strategy version of AscendedFanon or GladIThoughtOfIt.)

* Near the beginning, a cabal of Eunuchs dominates the court of the [[VestigalEmpire Han Empire]]. One courtier tries to have them executed as part of an attempted coup. The book comments, "The Eunuchs strongly objected to that plan."

* And for UnfortunateNames, we have "[[ByThePowerOfGreyskull He]] [[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse Man]], the devil who shoots across the sky" ... and gets owned in the next line by a minor character. At least it was several centuries too early to be intentional.

* It's less funny and more amusing, but the fact that Cao Cao, along with several other leaders and officers (but mostly Cao Cao it seems), will be given a plan by an adviser/another officer, and respond with "You say what I think", or one of the many variations of this line. (It's basically the military strategy version of AscendedFanon.)

** Liu Bei's marriage to Lady Sun (Sun Quan's sister, a.k.a. Sun Shang Xiang in ''DynastyWarriors'' and the operas). It's almost one big ReverseFunnyAneurysm when considered in today's context, from Zhuge Liang's counter-plan to save Liu Bei (from [[spoiler:the planned capture by Sun Quan and Zhou Yu's henchmen]]) by ''publicizing the wedding'' (predating the paparazzi/tabloids by centuries), to Lady Sun and her entourage (practically an AmazonBrigade) scaring the crap out of Liu Bei in the nuptial chambers - and scolding the Wu generals into submission when they elope. And all this while, Sun Quan and Zhou Yu are put through the HumiliationConga by everyone else involved (except Liu Bei, who's too nice - and a hostage for the most part). At the end when Zhou Yu is retreating after a failed final attempt to salvage the whole ordeal, the soldiers of Liu Bei stick around ''just to taunt him''.
** And for UnfortunateNames, we have "[[ByThePowerOfGreyskull He]] [[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse Man]], the devil who shoots across the sky" ... and gets owned in the next line by a minor character. At least it was several centuries too early to be intentional.
** Mi Heng, for his sheer ability to diss Cao Cao and all of his officers in Chapter 23 (where he both enters and exits), and his final line (before he's [[spoiler:executed]]) in the novel: "You are like a god in a temple: You sit still and receive sacrifice, but the lack of intelligence is pitiful."
** Near the beginning, a cabal of Eunuchs dominates the court of the [[VestigalEmpire Han Empire]]. One courtier tries to have them executed as part of an attempted coup. The book comments, "The Eunuchs strongly objected to that plan."

* It's less funny and more amusing, but the fact that Cao Cao, along with several other leaders and officers (but mostly Cao Cao it seems), will be given a plan by an advisor/another officer, and respond with "You say what I think", or one of the many variations of this line.