[ Yeah, that sounds like politics alright. Garma has no idea what an alchemist is in this context, but it isn't hard to guess that they serve as quite decent weapons, and that is really all the context he needs.

He doesn't look particularly horrified by what he hears. War is war is war. ]

It's a thin line. Massacres can be part of warfare.

[ A valid strategy, so to speak. Kind of. Maybe. ]

Though I can't say I don't sympathize with the plight of your opponents. We are in a war of independence ourselves.