A single hidden advantage, a magic potion brewed only by the village druid, lets a tiny group repeatedly defeat a vastly larger and better-organized force. The power comes not from numbers or institutions but from one non-replicable resource the stronger side cannot obtain or counterfeit.
A dominant empire can control an entire territory yet fail indefinitely against one holdout that refuses to be assimilated. Total conquest on a map does not equal total control; a single unconquered pocket can persist by exploiting the occupier's reliance on routine procedure.
In 50 BC all of Gaul is occupied by Rome except one small village that resists, defending itself against the legions garrisoned in four surrounding camps. The villagers win every clash because the druid's potion grants temporary superhuman strength, so Rome keeps the siege in place but can never take the village.
Portraying a feared authority through slapstick and repeated humiliation reframes it from menacing to ridiculous, draining its intimidating aura. Mocking a power's self-importance and bureaucratic rigidity becomes a way to diminish it in the audience's perception without defeating it materially.