If Rebuild was not there, I believe playing BigMoney is the best you can do.
Big Money is not even close to the best I could do if Rebuild wasn't here.
Big Money can get 4 provinces on average in about 17 turns. I ended the game with 5 Provinces (I trashed one with Salvager to quicken the game, so it's really 6) in 16.
Maybe buying more than two Rebuilds? I would prefer rebuild instead of heralds.
Your opponent had the same amount of points as you with too less heralds...
However, I can agree with this. I bought Heralds far too early, I think. There was a time and place for them, but not that early in the game. Rebuilds would have been better than Heralds there, though I think Markets would have even been better.
I think I want 2 Counterfeits before anything else $5, and I'd want to open Salvager/Silver and get Armory to gain Heralds after. That Armory will have sustained usage later as Counterfeit food by gaining Silvers.