As you said in another thread, different styles of play here, to be sure

I tend to favor expensive elite armies over the cheap disposable throwaways, and almost never took a city unless I intend to keep it. I don't exterminate or destroy buildings either, as getting elite armies requires high population and technology levels.
This doesn't get my family members paramounts of chivalry though : I have a thing for assassins (mostly to keep the map clutter down and get rid of those annoying diplomats and princesses with their constant bowing at my cities) so the leader is as high in dread as it gets. The other generals aren't very nice characters either : I tend to fight battles for the fast mass rout then methodically mop all the routers, so it doesn't make much sense to release and fight them again, the POW's usually get the axe.

When Kingdoms arrives it will offer more opportunities for roleplaying, so I'll try some raider warfare (maybe Norway in Britannia), your very extensive and bloody-minded post(*) makes it sound like fun.
Oh wait, why not try the Mongols right now !? hmmm, burn cities yeah, die europeans, die hahahaha rape and pillage yeah !

(*) I particularly like this part "I try to take a sledgehammer and smash my way across an entire continent in the most devastating way possible, demonstrating little regard for human suffering.". You're scary.