that is very close too what i tried today, managed too conquer 3 or 4 villages traded with 1 constructed 1 building dark sanctum still keep getting something like 5 gold per week ofc way too little this time i think i had around 270 gold when i reached week 22.
It sounds like you probably read my guide, so I’ll just try to make some specific suggestions.
There’s a map in one of the links in my signature; if you plan your exploration out a bit in advance, you should be able to find all the villages before Week 22. I recommend prioritizing discovering them as early in your playthrough as possible.
You might want to savescum for the corrupt noble capture event when entering your second village (he’ll start off trying to bribe you with with some pretty girls). If played right, you can add some weekly earnings without a battle, letting you spare your troops for the next conquest.
Also remember that you can choose to start each week of exploration from where you left off last week, as well as directly from either of the portals (assuming you’ve found the northern one); this makes reaching specific destinations much quicker.
If you’re still having trouble, prioritize building the Tavern over the Dark Sanctum. The Tavern adds some profit to your weekly earnings.