Yang Yuhuan's statement that he arrived in Japan is conclusively recorded in Japanese classics, and there is more than one record. These records generally mean that at the time of Ma Songpo, the Sixth Army of the Forbidden Army did not issue a single attack. After they killed Yang Guozhong, they demanded that Tang Xuanzong must execute Yang Yuhuan. If Yang Yuhuan is not executed, they will not leave. Tang Xuanzong had no choice but to order Chen Xuanli and Gao Lishi to hang Yang Yuhuan in the Buddhist hall.
However, Chen Xuanli and Goryeo had pity on Yang Yuhuan, so they found a squirrel to strangle Chongshu. The real Yang Yuhuan was quietly released by them. Yang Yuhuan knew that in the whole country of Datang, there was no place for him to stay. After some wandering, he crossed the ocean to Japan. Not only did he go to Japan, but he also married and had children in Japan.
Until now, there are still Japanese people who believe that Yang Yuhuan is their ancestor.
(Yang Yuhuan)
So, did Yang Yuhuan flee to Japan?
To answer this question, let's first see if Yang Yuhuan will be let go by Chen Xuanli and Gao Lishi.
Who actually initiated the Ma Songpo incident? According to the history books, it was launched by the soldiers themselves. But it is clear that the possibility of self-initiation is very small. Because in the ancient imperial society, especially in the army, it was impossible for soldiers to rebel casually. Because everyone knows that a rebellion is bound to be beheaded. And in fact, although there have been many mutinies in history, any mutiny is organized. Obviously, the Ma Songpo Incident was also an organized coup.
So, who organized the Ma Songpo Incident?
According to the analysis of historical materials, we can clearly see that the organizer of the Ma Songpo Incident was Chen Xuanli, the general of the Forbidden Army.
The person who originally wanted to kill Yang Guozhong was Chen Xuanli. He first went to contact the crown prince Li Heng, hoping that Li Heng would take the lead and kill Yang Guozhong.
Although Li Heng's eunuch Li Fuguo was close to him, he also actively supported this. But Li Xiang, a person, has always been hesitant, and he did not happily agree. Then the mutiny took place. The soldiers pulled Yang Guozhong off his horse and beat him to death.
Apparently, it was because Chen Xuanli contacted Li Heng without getting a response, that Chen Xuanli initiated the incident on his own. Because for Chen Xuanli, he was in a state of difficulty in riding a tiger. He had already told Li Xiang about this matter, and whether Li Heng agreed or disagreed, Yang Guozhong would never tolerate him as long as he knew. Therefore, chen Xuanli took advantage of his opportunity to grasp the forbidden army and kill Yang Guozhong, which was inevitable. Otherwise, once he settled down, or Chen Xuanli no longer controlled the Forbidden Army, he would die without a place to die.
(Ma Songpo Incident)
In fact, the reason why Li Heng escaped halfway was to flee in the direction of Lingwu. It was because he participated in the murder of Yang Guozhong that he was afraid of being retaliated against by Yang Guozong. Even Crown Prince Li Heng was afraid of Yang Guozhong's retaliation, how could Chen Xuanli not be afraid? Therefore, Yang Guozhong was indeed killed by Chen Xuanli's people.
Since Chen Xuanli had organized people to kill Yang Guozhong, how could he possibly leave Yang Yuhuan's life? Once Yang Yuhuan's life was left behind, after the future was stable, after Tang Xuanzong found Yang Yuhuan back, would Chen Xuanli still have a life? At that time, Li Heng had not yet claimed the title of emperor in Lingwu, Tang Xuanzong was still the de facto emperor, and he was so fond of Yang Yuhuan, and the possibility of finding Yang Yuhuan was very great.
From this, it can be seen that Chen Xuanli is definitely going to let Yang Yuhuan die.
Chen Xuanli was in control of the Forbidden Army at that time, and was the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden Army, and he wanted Yang Yuhuan to die, even if Gao Lishi wanted to release Yang Yuhuan, it was impossible.
Some people may say that Tang Xuanzong can beg Chen Xuanli to let go of Yang Yuhuan. Tang Xuanzong asked Chen Xuanli to do this, and Chen Xuanli absolutely did not dare to resist.
Chen Xuanli really did not dare to resist, but Chen Xuanli definitely knew what it meant to him to keep Yang Yuhuan. He organized the coup d'état in the name of soldiers. It is said that the soldiers do not do it, and the Sixth Army does not send it. At this time, he could completely use the banner of a soldier to say that he himself was helpless. In this way, Tang Xuanzong had no way.
(Yang Yuhuan and Tang Xuanzong)
Since Yang Yuhuan could not be let go, the idea that he had gone to Japan would not be established.
Since Yang Yuhuan could not have been let go, why was there such a record in Japanese texts?
I think that there is such a record in the Japanese classics, which can only be said to be a beautiful imagination.
In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Japan launched a battle with the Tang Dynasty at the mouth of the Baijiang River, and after being defeated, Japan admired the Tang Dynasty. Throughout the Tang Dynasty, Japan continued to send international students and study monks to the Tang Dynasty to study, as many as 19 batches before and after. At that time, the Japanese people were very fascinated by the culture of the Tang Dynasty, and they were even more reverent to the emperors of the Tang Dynasty. And Yang Yuhuan is equivalent to the mother of the country, and Yang Yuhuan's tragic death must have caused an uproar in Japan. Therefore, out of a beautiful imagination, it is also very normal for some people to say that Yang Yuhuan has arrived in Japan.
(References: "The Outer Biography of Yang Guifei", "The Secret History of Yang Guifei's Resurrection", "Old Book of Tang")