This might be too little too late, but...
1. Markets don't give troop upgrades. The academy does, and even that dosen't give many.
2. Troops cannot be changed from one type to another (as far as I know).
3. The wiki may not be up-to-date. I am on the understanding that the mod(s) for that section are no longer working on it.
4. Don't worry about going slow, the resources do take a long time to get.
5. There are two types of "farming" in this game. One is achieved by demanding/looting from farming villiages. The other is by attacking and looting fellow players who no longer play the game.
And above, have fun! This is a game after all.