(Vanilla) Shadow Game Monarch

Recently I had to spend 2 weeks without internet BUT with my laptop and I have been playing extensively. This is my first post but I have been following this forum over a year now and thanks for all the tips so far.
I have done prince several times easily but ot stuck at monarch. I realize my problems lie mainly at city management and research priority in AD time line. I'm still not decided for example if to construct a cottage on a green or brown.

After several days long tries and getting beaten soundly, I decided to play a shasow game and get tips and tactics from better players.

Also a final note: I like Civ4 Vanilla and have never played BTS or Warlords. Should I?

In this particular game I decided to start with Inca for early possible rush, and to my luck I was able to beat Kublai Khan, and captured his capital. Then I attacked and decided to keep a barbarian village. Added 2 of my own and here is the final screenshots. I have gone so far in similar games yet still got beaten. I have built The Oracle, Great Library, founded Confucianism so I can say so far so good. I'm right ahead at tech with my neighbours (though they don't like me much) and don't easily trade techs. I had to give them several techs so that I can get at least open borders with Egypt to spread my religion. I don't know the other continent so no idea on their status or who are my opponents.

Now the questions
1- Should I pursue a conquest/domination victory? If so whats the tech I should lead
2- I think if I start prodcuing Swordsman now, I can probably get rid of Tokugawa, or reduce him to 1-2 cities
3- If conquest/domination does not look feasable, what victory should I pursue
4- How to manage my cities and terrain better. For example which city you can recommend as GP farm, cash or production city.
5- The central area looks ripe. Maybe I can build 1 more city there and 1 more on south/SW of my capital.

Well you get the idea. We can play it together if you like. Thanks a lot from now on. I will try to play 20-30 turns per night and add here the latest save and ss.

 

250 - AD save here. Thanks again for help. As I said I want to know what I should follow in 3 questions mainly:
1- City management (I used to usually auto manage them by choosing hammer/food/coin etc)
2- Terrain management (where to build what except for obvious ones)
3- Which path to follow in tech

 

Can someone delete this thread. Posted at wrong part. I posted to the correct one but can not delet these posts. Please delete this thread.