A common theme in ancient history was omnipotent leader getting pissed off at the sea (for sinking a fleet, or just because he's a jerk, it don't matter why) so he walks out in the sea and whips it or orders his army to slash at the sea.
Its a common cross cultural snark about obnoxious authoritarian leaders, personally I was thinking of good old Xerxes but it just keeps appearing everywhere ...
You have the King Canute story all wrong.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Canute_and_the_waves]