According to Herodotus, the Persian king Xerxes had the sea whipped 300 times after a storm destroyed his bridges.
Why it is true
In 480 BC, Xerxes had bridges of boats built across the Hellespont strait to invade Greece. When a storm broke them apart, he ordered the water to be given 300 lashes and to have shackles thrown into it as punishment. The bridges were rebuilt and the army crossed.
Source: Heródoto, Histórias (livro VII)
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