Since ancient times, law enforcers have pursued fairness and justice, used wisdom to resolve disputes, and won the hearts and minds of the people. The story of Judge Xu Yuan in the Song Dynasty who "burned the ship and called the nail" is a household name, and now Lianyungang Judge Qiu Mengliang's creative approach of "melting lead and calculating the net" is also admirable. Although the two are separated by thousands of years, they both show the spirit of truth-seeking, pragmatism and ingenuity of law enforcers. However, how did Judge Qiu use the creative method of "molten lead calculation network" to solve the problem, and did he win the hearts and minds of the people like Judge Xu? Let's find out.
1. Tracing back to the roots: the traditional virtue of seeking truth and pragmatism among law enforcers
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Xu Yuan, the judge of manufacturing and shipping in the Jianghuai region, found that there were drawbacks in the construction of official ships at the beginning of his tenure. This kind of behavior not only wastes state resources, but also corrupts the atmosphere and damages the integrity of officials. As a new judge, Xu Yuanzhi is determined to completely eradicate this bad habit.
One day, Xu Yuan came to the shipyard and ordered the workers to fetch a newly built ship and set it on fire in public. The flames quickly engulfed the entire ship, leaving only a pile of charred iron nails. When the fire gradually went out, Xu Yuan asked the workers to weigh the nails, which shocked those present - the iron nails used on the ship were only one-tenth of the amount used!
Although Xu Yuan's approach seems extreme, it goes straight to the heart of the problem and is convincing. Since then, the shipbuilders in the Jianghuai region no longer dare to take the nails of their ships, and the quality of the construction of official ships has also been greatly improved. This story has been circulated for a long time, and Judge Xu Yuan defended fairness and justice with his actions, showing the traditional virtues of truth-seeking and pragmatism of law enforcers.
Hundreds of years later, that spirit still shines brightly. Judge Qiu Mengliang of the Ganyu District Court in Lianyungang City also used wisdom and courage to resolve the problem when dealing with a case in which fishing nets were burned. His method of "melting lead and calculating the net" can be called the contemporary version of "burning the ship and nailing", which is admirable.
2. Creative Law Enforcement: Judge Qiu's "Molten Lead Computing Network" Solves the Problem
A pleadings brought Judge Qiu Mengliang into a seemingly mundane case. The plaintiff, Song, complained that the 35 fishing nets he had stored in the abandoned classroom in the village were accidentally burned by several innocent children when they set off firecrackers, and demanded damages. Although the facts of the case are simple, how to determine the number of fishing nets burned has become a thorny problem.
The nets were reduced to ashes by the fire, and there was no way to verify them. Judge Qiu was secretly distressed, how could he find out the truth? He decided to go deep into the field to investigate and study. For more than 10 days, Judge Qiu visited a number of local net factories and fishermen to learn more about the specifications and production process of such nets.
After unremitting efforts, he finally grasped the key clue: each of these fishing nets is about 200 meters long, and 380 lead sinkers are evenly distributed in each net, and each lead sinker weighs 0.5 catties, that is, each net has a total of 190 catties of lead. With this parameter in mind, a bold idea flashed through Judge Qiu's mind: "If lead can be extracted from the fire residue, wouldn't it be possible to calculate the number of fishing nets?"
Therefore, Judge Qiu organized the staff to clean up the scene thoroughly and collect all the residue. What followed was a long and arduous process - they loaded the residue into iron drums, repeatedly burned, cooled, and filtered at high temperatures, and finally successfully extracted more than 5,800 catties of lead sinkers after three days and three nights. According to the parameter of 190 catties of lead per net, about 31 fishing nets were burned.
This creative approach, while simple, solves the mystery. Judge Qiu's move to "melt the lead and calculate the net" not only ascertained the truth, but also demonstrated the ingenuity of the law enforcers and the spirit of not fearing difficulties. He used wisdom and courage to solve the problem, which can be called the contemporary version of "burning the ship and nailing".
3. Judge Qiu encountered many difficulties and challenges in the process of solving the case
Although the idea of "molten lead calculation network" may seem simple, it is not easy to actually put it into practice. Judge Qiu and his staff encountered many obstacles in the implementation process: first, how to collect the residue thoroughly, and the residue on the site was scattered all over the place, and the slightest negligence could lead to omissions. They can only carefully clean it little by little, making sure that no residue is left behind that may contain lead sinkers.
Secondly, how to extract the lead sinker efficiently? The residue is loaded into the iron drum and repeatedly burned, cooled, and filtered, which is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive process. They worked for three days and three nights before they finally succeeded in extracting the required lead sinker.
Furthermore, the extracted lead sinker was not intact. Due to the high temperature, some of the lead sinkers have melted and deformed, making them difficult to identify. Judge Qiu and his staff could only sort and weigh carefully to calculate the total weight as accurately as possible.
In addition, they have to rule out other possible factors. For example, whether there are other lead-containing items at the site, whether the lead sinkers extracted are all from burned fishing nets, and all of this needs to be verified to ensure the accuracy of the final results.
Against all odds, Mr Justice Yau persevered in finding innovative solutions
In the face of these difficulties and challenges, Judge Qiu was not discouraged, but gritted his teeth and persevered in finding solutions. He is well aware that fairness and justice can only be achieved by ascertaining the truth. Therefore, he and his staff worked overtime, using every minute of their spare time to carefully analyze and deliberate.
It is precisely with the persistent pursuit of facts that Judge Qiu was able to think of the innovative method of "molten lead calculation network". Although this method may seem simple, it gets to the heart of the problem and cleverly solves the mystery. It can be said that it was Judge Qiu's spirit of defying difficulties and being brave in innovation that finally resolved this problem.
In addition to the "molten lead calculation network", Judge Qiu also adopted other innovative approaches
In fact, in the process of handling this case, Judge Qiu not only used the method of "molten lead calculation network", but also adopted a variety of other innovative methods:
First of all, he went deep into the front-line investigation and research to understand the specifications and manufacturing process of fishing nets in detail, which laid the foundation for "molten lead calculation nets";
Second, he organized staff to thoroughly clean the site to ensure that no residue that might contain lead sinkers was missed;
Thirdly, he repeatedly scrutinized and carefully calculated, calculated the total weight as accurately as possible, and excluded other interfering factors;
In addition, he also communicated with the parties many times, patiently explained the reasons for the judgment, and finally won the understanding and recognition of the parties.
It can be said that Judge Qiu consistently adhered to an innovative and realistic work style in this case, resolved difficult problems with wisdom and courage, and demonstrated the spirit of a law enforcer.
Fourth, the will of the people: law enforcement has established a new trend for the people
Judge Qiu Mengliang's creative approach of "melting lead and computing network" not only ascertained the truth, but also won praise from the parties and the public.
After the trial results of the case were released, both the original defendant and the defendant expressed their approval of the verdict. The plaintiff, Song, spoke highly of Judge Qiu's operation and praised him for "painstakingly and meticulously calculating, and finally restoring the truth of the facts". As the defendant, the children and their parents who unintentionally failed to set off firecrackers and burned their fishing nets also sincerely thanked Judge Qiu for his fair judgment and avoided the escalation of unnecessary disputes.
What is even more commendable is that this innovative law enforcement method has won unanimous praise from the local people. People have praised Judge Qiu for "not being afraid of difficulties, having the courage to innovate, and using wisdom to solve difficult problems". Some people who had doubts about the judicial credibility of the court finally waited and regained their confidence in the judiciary after seeing this verdict.
It can be said that Judge Qiu and others have injected new vitality into grassroots law enforcement with practical actions. They show the spirit of law enforcement in the new era: down-to-earth, diligent and responsible, original, and advancing with the times. It is with this spirit that they can create extraordinary in ordinary cases and win the hearts and minds of the people.
This kind of law enforcement style of being close to the masses and seeking truth and pragmatism is exactly what we expect and aspire to. Only by adhering to this style of work can law enforcers truly win the trust and support of the masses. In contrast, those who are self-contained and rigid are destined to be unconvincing.
We look forward to the emergence of more advanced models like Judge Qiu Mengliang in future law enforcement practice. They have used their wisdom and courage to resolve difficult problems and won the hearts and minds of the people with practical actions, which will certainly inject new impetus into the development of the mainland's rule of law.