Why a twelve-gun armored treaty cruiser does not fit

How would navies react to a treaty cruiser with twelve 8-inch guns, 8 inches of armour, and 28 knots?

The combination would exceed treaty tonnage, so it would not qualify as the proposed treaty cruiser.

The proposed design fails on displacement before rival responses become relevant. Its combination of armament, armour, and speed would necessarily exceed treaty tonnage, illustrating the compromises built into interwar heavy-cruiser design.