The price of a fast, heavily armoured 1913 battlecruiser

Would a Chinese battlecruiser project in 1913 need small-tube boilers to combine 28 knots with a 12-inch belt?

Yes, in this assessment. A British yard could attempt the design without a tonnage limit, but armour coverage and cost would remain serious constraints.

A 28-knot battlecruiser with a 12-inch belt would be an ambitious purchase for China in 1913. The belt's height and length matter because a narrow strip of thick armour requires a different compromise from extensive protection. China would need a foreign builder for a ship of this size. A British yard is judged capable of attempting it without a tonnage limit, although the cost could restrict the order to one ship. Small-tube boilers are considered necessary to achieve the proposed performance. A further complication is the suggestion that Britain would take possession of the ship after war began in 1914.