> This is really comparing apples and oranges, those two wars are about 5-6 centuries apart, whatever you're comparing as proxy for 'brutal' or 'destructive' is very much confounded by technological advances in warfare.

I'm not going to reply line by line to your other points. Though I disagree with your interpretation of my argument it's clear we aren't going to reach agreement there, but this statement is just wrong. Genocide has occurred throughout history, including at times prior to and contemporary with the warring states period. Technology has nothing to do with it. For example the Dzungar's in China in the 1700s. More recently the Rwandan genocide was carried out with primitive weapons. There are numerous other examples.